A flat-screen television is often the functional focal point of a living room, media room, or bedroom, yet a large black rectangle can easily disrupt your interior decor when turned off. Rather than letting the TV dominate the room or attempting to awkwardly hide it, the goal of modern interior styling is to integrate the television seamlessly into the surrounding wall architecture.
Decorating around a TV relies on proportional framing, visual balance, and texture layering: choosing surrounding elements—such as asymmetrical gallery walls, slatted wood paneling, built-in cabinetry, or floating ledges—that draw the eye across the entire wall rather than fixing exclusively on the dark screen. This comprehensive guide details 10 creative ways to decorate around a TV across various design styles, budgets, and wall footprints.
Key Design Principles for Styling Around a TV
Before hanging artwork, mounting shelves, or painting accent walls behind your television, keep these core design guidelines in mind:
- Follow Proportional Scaling: Your media console or floating cabinet below the TV should be at least 10 to 12 inches wider than the TV screen on both sides. A console that is narrower than the television creates a top-heavy, unbalanced look.
- Maintain Ergonomic Mounting Heights: Position the center of the TV screen at eye level when seated (typically 42 to 48 inches from the floor to the screen center). Mounting a TV too high (e.g., high above a tall fireplace) causes neck strain and disrupts wall proportions.
- Conceal All Power Cords & Cables: Visible hanging wires instantly ruin an otherwise polished TV wall layout. Utilize in-wall cable routing kits, surface raceways painted to match the wall, or media console wire channels.
- Balance the Dark Screen Volume: Incorporate dark elements elsewhere in the display—such as black picture frames, dark book spines, or charcoal accent paint—so the black glass screen doesn’t sit as an isolated dark blob.