My nice niece sent me an e-mail last week looking for some ideas on decorating her yummy chocolate brown accent wall around a new TV, and a one year old baby (he’s adorable). The TV was already mounted on the wall (see before picture below), but it needed some additional elements to function, accent and contrast the wall. I love a decorating challenge, so a couple of quick sketches turned into a bunch, just to see what could be designed and give her some options. Off they went to her. We are still discussing the design and will let you know 
which one she chooses… if any. I thought I’d post them here for anyone that might have the same dilemma…decorating around that flat-screen TV. It seems, you can’t live with them, but you can’t live without them either.
(click on pictures to enlarge)
Here’s a few TV tips I’ll pass on if you’re interested…
If you have a dark/light wall, add some contrasting elements.
Add a credenza or decorative storage piece if you need to store electronic components or toys.
Add a horizontal piece, like a shelf, cabinet, or console to anchor the TV, and keep from floating aimlessly on the wall.
Add some lighting. It washes and accents the wall and other elements, and adds interest.
Add some decorative art, photography, tall branches/bamboo, plates, low plants, low candles etc. , but don’t block the view.
Keep it simple and grouped. Less is more.
What design do you like the best? We’d love to hear any decorative ways you’ve attacked the TV wall.
Happy TV viewing, it’s a part of life!
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1. My favorites are pictures 2 &3…with the credenza.
All cool ideas…
Love that chocolate brown wall….
Lots of flatscreens so its good to get some options.
You are amazing!
by Julie — 6/21/09 at 6:46 pm #
2. Hello Julie,
I do like 2 and 3 also. The credenzas are a great addition plus lots of storage and function. My niece mentioned, she wanted to free up more floor space so I thought the floating shelves would still anchor the TV but give her more space. Yes, her chocolate wall is quite dramatic. You’re right, with all the flat screens now, think outside the box and onto the wall.
Thanks for your nice comments, always good to hear from you.
LYC
by Cathy — 6/22/09 at 11:43 pm #
3. Cathy,
Thank you so much for your help! You really gave us some great ideas that we never would have thought of! We also liked the credenza, but we like having the extra space below the TV, plus we didn’t really want to buy another piece of furniture. We ended up going with the floating shelf with a glass vase full of long branches. We also bought several frames and we are still working on putting the right pictures in them and hanging them up.
I was nervous about the white shelf on the wall, and the black frames on the brown wall…but I should know to trust the professional! We went out of our comfort zone and are happy we did, thanks to your inspiration! When we get it finished I will post a picture!
Thanks again!
Rachel (the niece)
by Rachel — 6/25/09 at 10:48 pm #
4. Hey Rachel,
So glad you wrote in. I’m glad you’re going with one of the designs. I think you’ll like it, and it will give you the function and fashion you envisioned for the wall. Yes, it is hard to venture out of our comfort zone, but when you do, your comfort zone becomes larger and open to new horizons. I can’t wait to see the finished wall. Post it when you get it done.
Have fun decorating and hug the baby.
by Cathy — 6/26/09 at 12:16 pm #
5. I love the Home Goods in Massachusetts, Reding Store
I just started to shop there I was always afraid to
go in because I would love to work there.
And I would probably spend my whole paycheck.
.
Happy 2009
Loyal Home Goods Shopper NOW!!
by Susn — 7/4/09 at 3:32 pm #
6. I love the contemporary, modern and transitional versions. Great vision!
by Nichol — 7/4/09 at 9:15 pm #
7. Hey Susn,
I like your style! Yes, once you discover HomeGoods, you’ll be hooked!
I’m glad you’re having fun shopping there.
Thanks for being a fan…who isn’t.
by Cathy — 7/6/09 at 12:49 pm #
8. Hi Nichol,
Thanks for your vote. Those are my favorite too. There are many ways to decorate around the flat screen. Those are just a few that are easy to do.
Thanks for taking the time to write in.
by Cathy — 7/6/09 at 12:56 pm #
9. OMG!! I have had my flat screen on my bare chocolate wall for about almost a year! I love these ideas Im going with the black floating shelves with black and white family photos in them.Also a shelf under my tv with a ivy plant, I will also plan on buying a real nice green tree next to one side of the shelves. I love the ideas! I cant wait to see the turn out.
Thanks sooo much, Monica
by Monica — 10/4/09 at 1:27 pm #
10. Hi Monica,
I’m glad these ideas provided some inspiration for you. Your TV wall sounds beautiful and thought out well.
Enjoy!
by Cathy — 10/5/09 at 12:35 pm #
11. Cathy,
Thanks for sharing your decorating ideas for something as common as a flat tv on a wall. We have a flat tv on a similar wall as your niece in our living room with an 8/12 pitch cathedral ceiling. The only difference is that we have flush in-wall speakers, one left and right, and one on top of the tv. I like your idea of the shelf below the tv(we do not need a credenza), but with the in wall speakers, I’m not quite sure how to arrange other decorating items around them. Any ideas?
Thanks,..John
by John — 11/4/09 at 2:34 pm #
12. Hello John,
Good to talk TV with you. Yes, those wall speakers can mess up a good decorating plan LOL. But, there’s a few ways to decorate around them without blocking them.
Look at the top picture in the blog. The wall has lots of interest and looks nicely designed, but there could still be speakers on the sides and above the TV. Yes, the open branches are in front of the speakers, but the sound would not be diminished. This idea could work for you since you’re looking for a shelf to ground the TV. You could even add a bench or ottoman under the shelf for function, interest, weight and color.
You could simplify the look and add a long shelf under the TV, off center, and set a beautiful large piece of art glass (vase, plate, sculpture) on the shelf to one side. Spotlight it from above for importance.
Add a tall vase, on the off center shelf, with 5-7 tall (5-7 ft.) sticks of thick bamboo. It makes an artistic statement and still provides TV and speakers to function.
I hope one of these works for you. Keep it simple but artistic and interesting…all eyes will be viewing that wall.
Let us know what you come up with.
by Cathy — 11/5/09 at 1:19 pm #
13. Thank you so much for these wonderful ideas. We just bought a new flat screen tv and our walls now look bare after removing our entertainment center. We have cathedral ceilings and I’ve been hunting for ideas that won’t be expensive. Seeing this just opened up my imagination.
by LaTrecee — 11/10/09 at 2:14 pm #
14. You’re so welcome LaTrecee,
I’m happy these ideas might inspire you to design your TV wall. Most of them are pretty inexpensive and easy to pull-off. Draw your wall and play around with different ways to add elements for interest and function. I’m sure you’ll come up with something great. Have fun!
by Cathy — 11/11/09 at 9:35 pm #
15. i posted on the hgtv site and someone left me this site. oh my gosh, i have struggled with our tv wall for 3 years now, thanks goodness for these pictures, my struggling is over. i love this. but i do have a couple of questions for you. 1. the cabinet that our tv is sitting on (also holds all the stereo,dvd and things), it’s not big enough to put lamps or anything else on, what can i do, just put the pictures and things above the tv on the wall? and maybe a couple really tall things on each side, like the tall branches in a vase? would that look just as good? and 2. the shelf idea under the tv looks really clean, but wheres all the components and things. thanks for any help.
by cindy — 12/30/09 at 12:15 am #
16. Hi Cindy,
I’m glad you were able to get some ideas on mounting and decorating the TV wall. Since you don’t have a big enough cabinet to expand out under the TV, you could add some sleek floating small shelves on one or both sides of the TV. Then add some tall branches in a vase or display some art, photography or sculpture in a balanced but interesting way.The idea is to bring a little more interest to the wall area and have an artistic grouping to fill a larger wall. You may only need a few elements to achieve this. Don’t overdo a good thing. Draw up a few drawings of how you would like the wall to look and go from there. If you want wall lamps, you can hardwire them on the wall as well. There are many designs you could do to add to your existing TV and cabinet. Just use the wall as your platform to work from.
As for hiding the components if you want a floating shelf. You can store your components out of sight and hook up remote routers that will operate your componets without displaying them all in full view. This gives a very clean seamless look to the TV wall. Ask a professional installer how this is done. I’m not too techy minded, but I know it can be done.
I hope that gave you a few ideas and you’ll be hard at work designing your TV wall.
Thanks for stopping by.
by Cathy — 1/2/10 at 12:15 am #
17. Do you think a 32in. TV would look right slightly above my fireplace mantle? Please help!
by Stacy — 2/22/10 at 4:47 pm #
18. Hi Stacy,
Well, that depends on how high your fireplace mantle sits. If it’s in the range of 4 feet or less you should be fine. Otherwise if it sits too high the viewing angle may be too … the neck while watching. Now, you can get a TV support mount that can angle the TV at different angles. So that may be something to consider if it sits high. To answer your question, I think it would be fine to set your 32″ TV slightly above your mantle keeping the above application in mind.
Enjoy your TV and I hope it will work great over your mantle.
by Cathy — 2/23/10 at 8:19 pm #
19. I love pic #1. I honestly thought that you drew that lamp, shelf and plant with vase right on to the wall at first. What a great decor that would be!!
by gayle — 4/19/10 at 1:34 pm #
20. Hi Cathy,
Thanks for all your suggestions so far, they’ve been great and seem really helpful. I love the floating shelf under the TV idea but due to so much wiring from all the components, it seems it would be really costly for us to hide all of this or move it for remote connection. Therefore, sadly we can’t do the floating shelf! So now we are trying to find a media console that will fit the wall, TV size, and overall decor of our town home. We just moved in but are working on make the decor warm but modern with an ethnic feel. The flat screen TV is a 55in and is hanging about 4 1/2 ft from the floor. This wall is long at about 14-15 ft long. We want to keep it clean, simple, yet stylish with an accent that get attention. My questions are: what length/height media console would you suggest? What type of accenting do you think I should place on the media console (if any) based on the decor described? Lastly, I will be using the vertical frame idea for sure on one side of the TV. Do you think I should keep the other side of the wall empty? I was thinking perhaps a floor lamp but afraid it may be too much since there are frames on the other side already. Thanks again for all your suggestions!
by Reena — 5/24/10 at 12:29 am #
21. Hello Reena,
Thanks for your questions. What a nice big flat screen you have on your wall. You are interested in a credenza or console under your TV. That’s always a great look. Many times people buy a piece that’s too small for the scale of the TV. It almost looks top heavy with a whimpy little table or cabinet. Don’t make that mistake. Make sure the piece at least extends well beyond the width of the TV. Often with a TV of this size, I’ll buy 2 credenzas to fill the whole length of the wall (lots of storage). Then hang the TV in the center and add two great artistic lamps on either side. But if you want to hang pictures vertically next to the TV, you can center the TV over a wide credenza/console. Hang pictures so they stay within the width of the console and add some tall bamboo/twigs in a sleek vase on the other side of the TV. Or, hang the TV off to one side of the console ( but don’t go beyond the end of the piece), then hang your vertical grouping of pictures on the other side above but within the width of the piece. So either way, a wide piece is in order, maybe a 6-7 foot wide piece, and 30″- 36″ high. You could add an interesting floor lamp on the side or add some recessed or spots above the grouping. Keep the look simple and clean. Use shape and placement of the elements for the statement. The vertical pictures, TV, and credenza are enough to carry the wall. Maybe a long low contemporary dish with a shot of color (limes or apples, or oranges) on the credenza might be fun. Oh, for the style of the credenza/console either go very contemporary or very ethnic.
Hope that provided you with a little direction. It should look great and will be a beautiful focal wall.
by Cathy — 5/24/10 at 2:48 pm #