The fireplace wall is the natural focal point of any Edmonton living room, and it's also most often the place where homeowners make the most expensive renovation mistakes. The mantel is too high or too low, the TV reflects in the fire glass, the built-ins eat the walking lane, the cabinet depth doesn't clear the framing, and the AV receiver cooks itself inside a closed compartment. None of these are hard problems to solve, they're just hard to solve when decisions are made in the wrong order.

The right order in an Edmonton living room is always the same. First, decide on the fireplace type, direct-vent gas, electric linear, wood-burning insert, because that dictates the rough framing, the venting path and the clearances around the mantel. Second, choose mantel height and depth; in Edmonton living rooms with nine-foot ceilings, a 1500-millimetre mantel height reads balanced, with a 75 to 100 millimetre-deep floating slab. Third, place the TV. Above the mantel works for high ceilings, beside the fireplace works for low ceilings, never centred above an electric insert because the heat reflection is real. Fourth, design the cabinetry depth last, standard base depth 600 millimetres, upper depth 350 millimetres, AV cabinet 500 millimetres with a rear ventilation grille, and never less than 100 millimetres of air-gap behind a closed AV compartment.