A Tale of Two Fireplaces

My husband relinquishes most design decisions to me.  His motto is form follows function, so as long as I choose items that are durable, comfortable, affordable, and not tchotchke, then he is usually happy.  The one area where he has decided to insert his opinion is a point of contention.  To have or not to have a television over the fireplace... that is the question.

Designers, fellow DIYers, and anyone holding an opinion on this matter, we would like to hear your side.  To me this is another version of the over/under toilet paper roll dispute.  It seems that the line is clearly drawn and as we make our final decision next week, we would like you to weigh in.


Here are two inspiration images, one from a magazine and one from Pinterest on a real estate ad.  They show both styles that we are considering:

This one gets my vote!  Modern, minimal, and the tv to the side on a swivel mount so it can be viewed from the living room or kitchen.  I like that there are some shelves, but the audio/visual components will be housed out of sight in cabinetry.

This is J's preference, though he prefers the stone look all the way to the ceiling and a linear floating mantle.  This would also lend a modern look and the audio/visual equipment could be housed on either side on the flanking shelves (which could be enclosed behind doors).

Due to the layout of our living room the tv and fireplace need to be on the same wall.  I prefer to look at art over the fireplace and not crane my neck to see the tv mounted high on the wall.  J argues that if we're both home the tv will likely be on and he doesn't want to clutter the space with an art piece and a television.  He also likes the movie theater feel of a big screen mounted high while lounging on a comfortable leather sectional.* (*At least that was an easy sell!)

What do you think?