16 TV Designs for Living Room Walls, Units and Mounts

Renting or owning settles most of the choices here, since some of these ideas need drilling and others need nothing at all.

An easel needs no drilling, and a Wallpapered TV Wall or a Marble Accent TV Wall can be done in a weekend, while a Wood-Paneled TV Wall, Modern Gypsum TV Unit Designs, a Media Wall, or a TV Wall with Linear Fireplace mean building into the wall, with studs, power and cable routing to plan first.

Prices climb as you move from a freestanding piece you can take with you to built-in cabinetry, so I’d save the bigger spend for a place you expect to stay in.

1. Wood-Paneled TV Wall

Vertical slats do the work of a feature wall without paint or wallpaper, and the grooves add shadow and texture that a flat wall can’t.

I like them best when the shelves and lighting are built into the paneling, so the TV reads as part of one surface instead of a screen stuck on a wall.

A floating wooden console below keeps the floor visible, which helps a smaller room feel less crowded. Keep the slat tone close to the console so the whole wall looks planned.

2. Custom Cabinet TV Wall

A cabinet built around the TV hides the clutter a bare wall exposes: the soundbar sits tidy, and the shelving gives you a place for the things people usually pile on the floor.

Warm integrated lighting softens the screen’s glare in the evening. Against a pale marble backdrop, the wood needs to stay a single tone so the wall doesn’t turn busy.

Custom work costs more than freestanding furniture, so I’d spend there only if the room is one you plan to keep.

3. Wooden TV Unit Design

A long wooden console with a live edge is the piece I’d choose when you want warmth without building anything into the wall. Floating it keeps the room light, and a few shelves above give books and vases a home.

Keep the styling loose: a plant, a couple of vases, a short stack of books. Too many objects and the wood grain gets lost, which is the reason you bought it.

4. TV Mounted Above a Mantel

Hanging the TV above a mantel is the easiest way to give a screen a natural spot in the room, since the fireplace already acts as the focal point.

An electric fireplace makes it possible without any chimney work, and a rustic wooden mantel warms up a white stone wall.

Keep the decor on the mantel simple so it doesn’t compete with the screen.

One caution: a TV mounted high means looking up, so consider how far above the mantel you hang it.

5. Wallpapered TV Wall

Gold-veined marble wallpaper gives you the look of stone for a fraction of the price and a weekend of work. Behind a mounted TV, the pattern brightens the wall and keeps the black screen from looking like a hole.

Vertical light-wood slats on each side frame it neatly and stop the pattern from running wild. A small white shelf below holds the electronics, so cables stay out of view.

Choose a pattern with fine veining; bold swirls fight the screen.

6. Backlit TV Wall

Backlighting around the edge of the TV panel creates a glow that softens the contrast between a bright screen and a dark wall, which is easier on the eyes at night.

Dark finishes on a backlit TV wall, like black marble or porcelain beside charcoal slatted wood, make the room feel like a small theater, and the LED glow keeps it from reading as heavy.

I’d choose warm light over cool; it flatters the wood.

Dark walls swallow daylight, so this suits rooms where evening viewing is the main event.

7. Marble Accent TV Wall

Marble carries a whole wall on its own, and a beige stone with soft veining gives a mounted TV a calm, expensive-looking backdrop.

A floating shelf cut from the same stone, or a close match, ties the screen to the wall so the whole setup reads as one piece.

Real slab costs a lot, so on a budget I’d go with marble-look panels or wallpaper in a similar tone.

8. TV Mounted on an Easel

An artist’s easel turns the TV into something closer to a painting on display, and it needs no drilling, which suits renters. Wood warms the screen, and beside built-in shelves it looks like furniture rather than equipment.

Pick an easel with a wide, stable base, since a TV is far heavier than a canvas. Hide the cables behind a leg, and keep the screen’s frame in a wood tone close to the easel’s.

9. Modern Gypsum TV Unit Designs

Gypsum can be shaped into niches, ledges and clean white frames that wood or stone can’t match, so one unit holds the TV, shelving and lighting together.

I like blue LED paired with warm white: the blue gives a cool glow, the warm strip keeps the room from feeling clinical. Plan the wiring before the unit is finished, because lights and cables are hard to add afterward.

Slim, inconspicuous, and easily mountable, the flatscreen made designers everywhere rejoice for its chic aesthetic. Today, TV rooms are outfitted to entertain guests and lounge in style with the TV acting more as a piece of decor.

— Architectural Digest

10. Luxury TV Unit Design

The floor stays visible beneath the cabinet, which makes the room feel larger.

Polished marble flooring adds shine, but the effect works fine without it. Slats and warm LEDs do most of the work, and they are the parts I’d spend on first.

11. Media Wall

A media wall puts the TV, a linear fireplace and shelving on one white surface, so the whole room has a single focal point.

Centering the TV above the fireplace keeps the layout balanced, with shelves on one side for storage.

Painting the wall and shelves the same white keeps it clean. Because this is built to hold devices, plan power and cable routing inside the wall before you finish it.

12. Surround with Art

Framed art around a TV breaks up the black rectangle, so the screen becomes one piece in a gallery wall instead of the only thing you see.

A deep green wall makes a strong backdrop for this, and plants nearby soften the edges.

Lay the frames out on the floor first and arrange them around the screen’s edges before putting any nails in the wall. Mix frame sizes but keep the frame colors to a short list so the cluster stays calm.

13. Floating Console Below Mounted TV

A floating console under a mounted TV leaves a strip of floor showing, and that gap makes a living room read as larger. White on a plain wall keeps the setup quiet, so the screen stays the only dark shape.

Mount the console first, then center the TV above it so the two line up. Keep the top nearly bare: one low object is plenty, because clutter breaks the clean line you chose it for.

Floating units hang from the wall, so they hold less than a floor-standing cabinet.

14. TV Wall with Linear Fireplace

Stacking a TV over a long, linear electric fireplace gives the wall a built-in look with no chimney work. A wooden mantel between them sets off a stone-textured wall, and light wood-look flooring keeps the warm tones going.

Hanging a screen this way means looking up at it, so I’d keep the mantel low and the fireplace slim. Skip heavy decor on the mantel; the fire and the screen already compete for attention.

Choose a fireplace that fits your wall width, so the TV doesn’t overhang it.

15. TV Setup with Corner Shelving

Corner shelving makes use of the spot most rooms leave empty. A TV on a low white cabinet, with L-shaped floating shelves stacked above, turns a dead corner into a storage and display wall.

Under-shelf lighting is the detail I’d add first: it warms the corner and softens the screen’s glare after dark. Fill the shelves with plants and a few objects, and leave gaps so each tier doesn’t look stuffed.

Wooden shelves against a white cabinet give contrast without extra color.

16. TV on an Artistic Mural Wall

A hand-painted mural behind the TV makes the screen part of the artwork, so the black rectangle stops dominating the wall. An abstract face with plants gives you a focal point even when the TV is off.

Paint the mural first, then mount the screen. Keep the console below wooden and simple, since the wall already carries all the pattern.

A mural takes either a skilled painter or a good deal of your own weekend time. If that feels risky, a large wall decal in a similar style is a lower-commitment version.

Benefits of TV Unit Design

A good TV unit earns its spot by doing several jobs at once.

It gives media devices, books and household odds and ends a set place, so the gaming console, the sound system and the remotes stop wandering around the room.

Cord control is the benefit people expect most and the one units deliver least reliably. Plenty of units have built-in wire management, but check that it fits your actual cables before you buy.

Height and viewing angle matter too. Furniture that puts the screen at the right level makes a movie night more comfortable, and that is a gain no décor choice can match.

Units come in many styles and sizes, so a plain room and an ornate one can both get a fit. Measure first, since the unit should never crowd the space.

Considerations for TV Wall Design

Start with the layout. Check how much wall you have on either side of the screen, and keep the TV out of high-traffic paths so it doesn’t get bumped and nobody walks through the view.

Next, look at the light. Daytime sun can wash out a screen’s color, brightness and sharpness, so note where the windows fall before you pick a wall.

Plan the cables early. Since most current TVs stream over Wi-Fi, the power cord is often the only wire left, and a recessed outlet box behind the screen hides it completely.

If you have HDMI and other cables, a channel (trunking) inside the wall is the better route.

Then match storage to what you own.

Count the remotes, discs and consoles that need a home, and choose a unit with space for them. I’d settle on one style, whether modern, rustic or minimalist, and one main material that echoes what’s already in the room.

Installation Tips

Treat a media wall as a job for a professional, or at least get professional advice before you start.

Stud walls and electrics are where mistakes get expensive or unsafe, and a TV is heavy enough that a poor mount is a real hazard.

Budget for it. Installed media walls were quoted at £2,000–£4,000 by one UK source, so expect to price it in your own market before you commit.

Recessing the TV in built-in cabinetry is the more popular route. It lets the set blend into the room, and it works well in small living rooms, where it uses alcoves and floor-to-ceiling wall space.

If bespoke work is out of reach, mounting a TV on the wall or setting it on a stand against a papered or painted backdrop is the cost-effective option.

Locate studs before drilling, and run power and cables before the finish goes on.