I recently landed on a Facebook forum with almost one million members, all asking questions about their building and renovation projects. When I searched linear fireplace there were hundreds of posts. Everyone was asking which one to install. Not a single person was asking whether it was even the right choice in the first place.
It reminded me of the black window trend when it first took off. I wrote about that here.
That’s exactly what’s happening with the linear fireplaces.
They didn’t start in residential homes. They came from commercial spaces—hotels and restaurants—where they’re designed as a dramatic feature across an entire wall. In that context, they make sense.
But in most homes, they’ve been scaled down and tucked under a TV. And that’s a completely different application. This is where things start to feel off because the squinty linear shape is often too harsh and the wrong scale for the focal point of the room.
In this video, I’ll walk you through where a linear fireplace works, where it doesn’t, and what to consider before you automatically include one in your plans.
And if you already have one, I’ll show you how to decorate around it since that is what my Decorate or Renovate!? channel is all about!
Create Your Dream Home Colour Foundations is exactly where you will learn how to avoid expensive mistakes like this one and the discounted price is only available until midnight tonight so hurry and secure your spot! After midnight it goes from $1200 to $1800 for last minute sign ups. The course starts March 30th.
Related posts:
The Linear Fireplace Does not Belong in your House
I agree ! But I go further I hate TVs above a fireplace . I like art I know you do both and that helps but truly I don’t like TVs hung above a fireplace … never will🤣😳
I’m with you—I’m not a fan of a TV above the fireplace either.
If it has to happen, a Frame TV helps soften it (that’s what I did in my upstairs space), but the best solution is always to integrate the TV into millwork beside the fireplace if the layout allows. In my case, installing our TV inside millwork to the right of our fireplace would position it too far away from the seating which is why above the fireplace was the only solution.
And while a TV on a stand beside the fireplace might seem like the workaround, it often ends up feeling more disconnected from the room.
There isn’t always a perfect solution—just better ones depending on the space. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.