Filling space next to the fireplace

October 26, 2017

Hey there! I'm back with my first real project at the new house. Well, if you consider assembling furniture a project anyway. I actually kind of enjoy putting furniture together, I know that's weird. If I have time and it's not crazy hard to assemble, I think it's kind of fun. (Yes, even IKEA furniture.) 

So for months I've had a plan for the areas to the side of the fireplace. I know I surprised many of you when I said I wasn't going to build built ins: 
Centered fireplace with nooks

They're calling out for it, right? I know. They would look amazing I'm sure. But our goal before we moved in the house and certainly after is to keep things simpler. This house is more open than our last and that's our favorite thing about it. I really don't want to fill up the walls, at least for now. Maybe years down the line...but for now I'm craving simple. 

Soooo...I had a plan in mind. It involved credenzas or consoles of some kind on each side and a couple simple floating shelves under the sconces. So for more than two months I've searched and searched for the right pieces. They had to be just the right length and height, and because I was buying two, I wanted something affordable. 

The first thought was to find two matching dressers that I could either refinish or paint. I looked for two months and didn't find anything, at least not in my budget. Finding two matching dressers is way harder than I thought! So then I started shopping online, and this TV unit caught my eye: 
Sauder TV stand

We have our TV components wired off to the side of the fireplace so I wanted something with storage. I liked the lighter washed finish and the size was perfect. But they were going to be $700 for the two so I knocked those off the list. 

I kept looking at items in that finish because I like it, but then when I was touring our new IKEA a few weeks ago I came across this beauty in the store:
Malsjo sideboard IKEA

It's the Malsjo sideboard and it's supposed to be used in a kitchen or dining room, but I thought it would be great for books and TV stuff as well. They actually have a shorter version that would have worked too.

The problem again was the price. This one was $450 and the shorter one was $400. But I fell in LOVE with the idea of black. I've told you before how much I love adding pops of black in a space when decorating. It always looks crisp and timeless. 

So then I was hooked on black and kept searching...and found nothing. I decided to just wait till we moved in to keep looking when I got an email and it opened up to this console as the first one listed:
Black TV console with X doors
Ding ding ding!! It was perfect! A little detail but not too much, and the price was awesome -- less than $190 each! Now it goes without saying that these are not solid wood pieces of art here folks. But I didn't need fancy, I wanted pretty and functional. These fit the bill. 

And the best part? They were a breeze to put together. Compared to some pieces I've put together anyway. Each one took me around 45 minutes to assemble and we were really happy with them: 
Round mirror above TV console

Ignore the decor and all that jazz. That will change. When I find all my stuff in boxes. :)  But the other night we were sitting in the family room and talking (again) how we wanted things to stay clean and simple. And we decided against the floating shelves and went with a mirror above each instead. Since I'll have a few decorative things on top of the consoles as well as inside, I knew adding shelves with more stuff would start to get busy. 

Obviously I still have to hang them. When I find my anchors. :) But we love the consoles and how the mirrors look with them!:
X door TV console black

Just imagine that hanging OK? Baby steps. 

Do you remember when I talked about my family room layout dilemma? Well as you can kind of see here, we went with the two sofas facing each other: 
Filling area next to TV

Once I get this room under control I'll give you a whole tour! You can see how we have a good view of each new cabinet and plenty of room to walk around. There's so much space in this family room, I absolutely LOVE it. 

I still have plenty of room to hang these without blocking the speakers. And this gives you an idea of how it looks with the lights on: 
How to fill space next to TV

We have these on every evening and they are great low light. Love them!! You know I had to add some sconces somewhere. :) 

I've gathered a few other TV consoles that I think are pretty to share with you! And they're all super affordable -- under $230 each! By the way, you can use a dresser as a TV stand and use a TV stand as a credenza and you can do whatever you want to do with whatever because it's your house! Keep that in mind. 

This one has that washed gray finish that I love as well: 
X door TV stand

This one is similar to the first one I was looking at but doesn't have as many doors. I love the hardware on these!: 
Salt oak Sauder TV stand

And if you like an open look, this one is really pretty too: 
open TV stand with X

I like that the middle is suitable for TV components but the sides are open in the back. Very pretty!

So there's a few good options if you are looking for nice TV consoles that won't break the bank! I can't wait to show you how this turns out after I get it all put together. You know me, I like to share as I go with rooms.

I can't believe I just blogged about the first project in this house! It's about time!

Oh and I know my posting schedule has been wonky lately -- I'm hoping in a couple weeks I'll be back to a more consistent schedule again. Trying to give myself some grace during this time to not try to get everything done at once.

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Comments

  1. Fun! So exciting to get to see part of your new house! :) Also, I spotted this one at our Walmart the other day. It looks similar and it caught my eye in the store: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-and-Gardens-Modern-Farmhouse-TV-Stand-for-TVs-up-to-60-Rustic-Gray-Finish/191535084

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  2. Where did you get those mirrors? I love them!

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  3. that mirror though! i need two! :)

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  4. Do you mind do you mind sharing where you got the mirror above the console from? I’ve been looking for something similar. Thanks!

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  5. Okay. I love the consoles (and that high ceiling looks amazing)! But I MUST KNOW where the round mirror is from. I'm looking for something JUST like that to go above the bar cart in my family room. It's perfect!

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  6. Hey all! The mirrors are from HomeGoods and are Broyhill. I've seen these many times lately so I bet you could find them!

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  7. Yes! Now we all go to our HomeGoods this weekend...

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  8. With all due respect, and as the owner of a vaulted ceiling house, I think the consoles are too small for the wall. I think they would look better if they were larger. Good luck with your new house!

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    1. I measured out taller ones and they looked off with the light -- not enough space. These work fine for us.

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    2. I love the consoles, but I agree.....I think they look too small. I also will be interested to see how the light looks once the mirror is hung. It seems like the mirror will only reflect the arm of the light when it is off and when it is on it will be a big glare. Can't wait to see how it all comes together though.

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    3. They are not too small and the mirrors look great! They aren't big enough to be hung right under the sconces so no reflection or glare at all. We turn them on all the time because we love how they look together. :)

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  9. Can you show how your electronics are housed and wired? We’re about to start building our home and am interested. Thank you!

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    1. They are run through to the other side of the fireplace. :) They can do it safely for you during the electrical part of your build. I'll take a photo and share at some point!

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  10. I have searched everywhere for that mirror and no can find! Can you tell me the diameter? It looks about 36" but I don't have a good idea of scale on the computer. Thanks. Your new house looks beautiful and I can't wait to see what you will do with it!!

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  11. Where did you purchase your sconces? Those look to be exactly what I am looking for!

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THANKS so much for reading!