Tips for decorating around the TV
November 09, 2019
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Tons of tips and ideas for decorating the wall around a TV.
The age old question is how to make our big TVs of today work in the scheme of a room and not overpower it. I'm not a big stickler about this -- televisions don't bother me much. Especially the sleeker versions we have now. But often they kind of just hang out in the middle of a wall and stand out more than we'd like.
I've gathered a few of my favorite ideas on how to incorporate a TV into the design of your house, and even help it to disappear a little bit!
My favorite ideas involve gallery walls -- especially those with black frames. I think they work so well with the TV:
Source: Pottery Barn
What a beautiful room right? I think this TV wall is done so well. White frames and other colors work well too of course, I just think the black helps to make the TV stand out a little less.
I love the idea of incorporating big artwork to steal the focus:
I like how these go all the way down to the floor too -- not just floating up above.
I have always loved this image from Pottery Barn and their use of frames and other items to make a true art wall around the TV:
Source: Pottery Barn
Keep in mind this can get busy fast -- on a large wall you'll want to be careful how wide and big you go with the gallery.
I love how this one has some art just slightly behind the TV -- you can still see it, but it feels layered:
These are a couple of my favorites -- I like the simple but non-symmetrical layout:
I love the way Emily pulls in some color around hers as well:
Beautiful!
If you don't want to use art, then try something else -- I love Marian's use of decorative plates for a softer feel:
I love the floating frames and low TV stand here:
This is simpler and less cluttered look if the frames are too much for you. Side note -- I prefer to hang our TVs instead of sitting them on the surface. I just like the look better and it gives more breathing room and space to decorate around them.
Before we knocked out a wall a couple years ago our TV hung on a different wall in our family room. I flanked it with lamps (I usually lean towards symmetry) and added a wood box underneath:
I tend to go simpler in our own home -- sometimes doing too much can backfire and bring even more attention to what you're trying to minimize. It all depends on your space and taste.
I also like the idea of going darker on the wall behind the television. You can do the whole wall or a smaller section -- I love this dark gray fireplace:
You can see here how our dark fireplace camouflages it a bit:
On a similar note -- did anyone watch Fixer Upper this week? I think it was the first time ever that she incorporated a television in her design:
(HGTV)
I couldn't believe it! But I was happy to see this -- I'd love to see how she incorporates them more.
Have you done anything special to minimize the TV in your house? Or does it not bother you much? I have some ideas in mind for our master -- if it turns out I hope to show you next week!
What most of those photos, your peppercorn wall aside, is a black TV on a pale or neutral wall. I have a 9' wide chocolate brown wall with a TV. It's the only dark wall in the room and as much as I'd like to decorate around it, I can't find any inspiration walls.
ReplyDeleteI know some people love it, but I can't hang ours over the fireplace like art...Hubby wants to and i am resisting. I love having it in an oak cabinet that we can close up. A close second is that one pic you have that shows the TV in a collage of sorts. But I have to admit, I'm not much of a TV watcher!
ReplyDeleteI love love love this. These looks are all so gorgeous. Right now our TV is on our new electric fireplace entertainment center as we await the arrival of our wall mount. I've been thinking about what to do in the corner where the TV will be mounted so this definitley helps. Thanks!
ReplyDelete-Ashlee Michelle
www.makeupandmodifieds.com
I love that in the Fixer Upper shot, she's got the same plant as you in the corner (ficus I think?). And look! Its even in a basket! You can officially claim to be an inspiration for Joanna. :) Nobody can disprove it!
ReplyDeleteWe recently created a gallery wall around the TV in our family room. I used all the same size frames and framed pictures of places that are important to us (vacations, ect.) http://www.thedelighteddwelling.com/2015/10/tv-gallery-wall.html
ReplyDeleteThey don't bother me either. Our bedroom tv is in our closet, so I can just close the doors. That Pottery Barn photo has been a fave of mine FOREVER.
ReplyDeleteWe spent the money and purchased a mirrored frame from Frame My TV. It looks amazing and guests never believe it is actually a TV
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that tv on Fixer Upper! I have often wondered why she doesn't show how to place them more often. I am wondering where you learned all your construction skills. You can do amazing things! Your house is gorgeous and you do have impeccable taste! I haven't known about your blog for long, but I love checking to see what new project you have going. Janet
ReplyDeleteOh shoot I love them all. Wish we could hang our tv on wall but I like to change living room around couple times a year so no hanging tv. We have 2 walls to put entertainment center and tv on, limits me quite a bit. I have a black buffet with 3 drawers across top then 3 cupboards, really want to use it for tv stand, has to be something big/wide enuf to put 50" tv on. our big gift to each other. Think buffet will painted a light aqua or gray instead of black, too dark for our room in seasons besides winter. Will possibly be getting new carpet this Spring also to lighten up room. Happy week Always learn so much from you.
ReplyDeletelove this idea! I think im gonna try it in our living room!
ReplyDeleteXO Ellen from Ask Away
www.askawayblog.com
I'm grappling with this in our house. Can't decide what to do! When we had yellow paint it was a bigger deal but painting the walls gray has helped lessen the contrast. At our condo in Florida we hung prints around the TV and it came out great. My only regret is that I should have done more! http://www.houseography.net/2015/08/our-florida-beach-condo-tv-stand.html
ReplyDeleteLike you, I like the simpler approaches. I don't find the tv too noticeable if it's scaled right for the space and there are other touches of black in the room. My question is, what did Joanna do with the components? I find those harder to conceal/incorporate.
ReplyDeleteHow did you hide the cords from the TV??? In our bedroom we have a TV with these giant cords hanging down. SUPER ugly and annoying.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is old school now...but we have an armoire that houses a 42" television (plenty big) and has 3 drawers, that when we are not watching TV,closes up to a beautiful piece of furniture...!
ReplyDeleteI've done posts on this because I hate the way our TV stands out so much on the wall. I like some of your ideas a lot - pinned!!
ReplyDeleteFilling the wall around our TV was one of the hardest things to do in our house. I ended up painting the wall a dark navy and hung a gallery of white frames behind it. I love how the TV sort of blends in when it's off and the pictures become the focal point.
ReplyDeleteI hide mine inside a big armoire style furniture piece.
ReplyDeleteI noticed the TV on Fixer-Upper as well. I had heard that they don't have a TV in their home and as a result, wasn't a priority for her. However if she listens to her audience, I would bet 95% of us have them, even if only used for Netflix or DVD viewing, so am glad to see she put one in their home. Also as they merely 'stage' the home for the show and the furnishings aren't included in their prices, I wonder how many of their clients actually keep the arrangements the same.
ReplyDeleteI really do like the look of the mounted TV but unless you have built-in outlets, how do you handle the cord issue? I am not techie enough to know how to fix that!
I love these ideas, but I have mirrors of different shapes and sizes around my tv. When I walk in the room, my eyes go directly to the mirrors. I love it.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a salon wall behind my tv. It's personable, stylish, and chic! Loving all of the ideas!
ReplyDelete~Mel
www.thegossipdarling.com
Thank you so much for posting this! I live in a fairly small open concept space with one single focal wall - which dictates the TV is on it. I wasn't sure exactly how to decorate around it - it looked very empty just sitting there on its own - so I started with one piece of art, which grew to another. My daughters told me it looked too busy, but I was liking it, so I added an oversized clock, and loved it even more! Seeing your post has justified for me that I haven't lost my marbles, and that you CAN have a gallery wall behind a TV! Thanks Sarah! :)
ReplyDeleteDo you have the source for the first photo? I would love to know where the black/gold rug is from.;)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what it's called or where I saw it but you can buy a special TV mount that hides your TV when you aren't watching it. It will look like a piece of artwork hanging on your wall and when you are ready to watch TV, you just press a button and the TV magically appears. It's not very expensive either - I think only a few hundred dollars. It think it's a great idea if you want a TV over your fireplace but you don't want to see it when you aren't using it.
ReplyDeleteEdit: Found it but they are more expensive than I thought. Still a cool idea though: https://www.hvtvmounts.com
What do you do with your electronics and cords?
ReplyDelete