Some people seem to enjoy the look of a black TV screen dominating the wall. Others simply regard a wall-mounted TV as necessary equipment and treat it like an afterthought. But interior designers and home decorators who consider a wall-mounted TV nothing short of an eyesore are always looking for creative ways to decorate around this common design dilemma.
There are many ways to help camouflage a wall-mounted TV so that it doesn't spoil your decor, from choosing a picture frame design (like Samsung's Frame TV) that turns into a work of art when not in use, to choosing a mirror with an integrated TV, to all manner of cover-ups such as sliding cabinet doors or curtains.
But if you are looking for ways to integrate a visible flat screen more seamlessly into your space without compromising your decor, here are some designer ideas that might do the trick.
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Layer the Mantel With Art
“I like to integrate wall-mounted TVs into the rest of the room by surrounding them with art, so that the TV becomes a part of a larger gallery wall,” says interior designer Erin Williamson. “Adding a shelf, credenza, or console table below the TV anchors it to the space and lends a sense of permanence.”
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Turn It Into Off-Duty Art
Cuban-born, Florida-based interior designer Maite Granda chose a Frame TV mounted in a custom built-in wall unit. The beachy scene looks like a photograph when not in use that complements the setting and overall design.
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Distract With Wallpaper
For better or worse, placing a flat screen above the fireplace has become the modern equivalent of hanging an antique mirror or oil painting over the hearth. In this design from LA Designer Affair, bold and colorful wallpaper distracts the eye and steals the show when the TV is off.
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Paint the TV Wall Black
"I don’t really have a big desire to 100% hide my TV in my house because I don’t mind seeing them in spaces," A Beautiful Mess blogger Emma Chapman writes.
"But I don’t really love when they feel like the most prominent thing in the room. So I like how this helps to blend the TV into the wall, unless it’s turned on and we’re watching something. But the second thing this black accent stripe does is it really showcases the artwork that we hung just above the TV."
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Don't Make It a Focal Point
In this living room design from LA Designer Affair, the TV wall is a focal point but not the main event thanks to a deep blue adjacent wall with custom paneling and bold artwork keeps the TV from dominating the room. In addition, hanging decorative baskets above the TV draws the eye up.
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Mount It on Black Marble
Canadian interior designer Gabriele Pizzale of Pizzale Design chose black marble for the wall behind the fireplace insert and wall-mounted TV that looks seamless and sophisticated.
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Make It Part of a Vignette
The TV nook in this Japandi-style living room from Cathie Hong Interiors has a minimal feel that is softened by a pair of hanging industrial wall lights and plants, objects, and art.
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Mount It on a Dark Wall
This cozy TV room was designed by Velinda Hellen for Emily Henderson Design in order to keep a flat screen from dominating the living room. The whole room is painted in dark saturated tones to make the TV screen virtually disappear when not in use (squint and you can just make it out on the right).
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Try a Gallery Wall
Elsie Larson of A Beautiful Mess turned an awkward corner of her living room into a nice-looking home for her flat screen with a custom table that hides cables and equipment as well as a cute mini gallery wall that gives you something to look at other than the TV screen when it's not turned on.
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Make It Disappear
Interior design firm Forbes + Masters used a textured black wall to erase the TV screen, adding an extra layer of visual trickery in the form of a pair of matching lamps with black shades on either side of the TV that give the eye something else to look at when the screen is dark.
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Hang It on a Textured Wall
This deep blue wood slat wall helps tone down the look of a wall-mounted flat screen in a design from Canadian interior designer Gabriele Pizzale of Pizzale Design.
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Hang It Off Center
The lacquered walls, mirrored ceilings, imposing chandeliers, and general maximalist bling of this karaoke room from Forbes + Masters takes the focus off the TV screen, which is not given pride of place over the fireplace but built into the custom millwork where it takes a back seat when not in use.
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Try a Black Accent Wall
Blogger Emma Chapman from A Beautiful Mess writes that her favorite accent wall décor to hide a TV involves hanging empty thrifted picture frames and painting the whole thing black. "I love how the TV kind of disappears into the space," she writes, "but when it’s on and in use it’s actually even more visible with the darker background."
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Use a Dark Credenza
For a low-effort way to help integrate a big black flatscreen into a light and airy room, take a hint from Desiree Burns Interiors and anchor it with a black credenza that helps it to blend into the room.
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Hang It on a Dark Blue Wall
LA-based interior designer Lori Dennis used dark blue walls and a moody black ceiling in this sophisticated man cave, where the TV virtually disappears on a back wall when not in use.
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Add More Black to the Room
In this sleek living room from Forbes + Masters, the TV is simply hung on a white wall above a white credenza. The designers subtly balanced out its black box effect by using touches of black scattered throughout the otherwise white and light neutral room, giving it an overall balance and making it feel like part of the scenery rather than an unsightly interloper.
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Add Custom Shelving
Interior designer Gabriele Pizzale of Pizzale Design housed the TV in this open plan living and dining room in a taupe-colored wall unit with plenty of drawers and shelving filled with objects and art that allows the TV to recede from view when the screen is dark.
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Hang It on a Concrete Wall
A contemporary black-framed fireplace helps balance the wall-mounted flat screen in this design from Gray Space Interiors, while a concrete effect wall finish creates a polished feel.
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Mount It on a Side Wall
A large flat screen hung above a credenza in this design from Cathie Hong Interiors doesn't overpower the space due to its position on a side wall, and thanks to the large windows on adjacent walls, and the addition of a pair of framed prints.
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Use a Midcentury Credenza
In this living room designed by Arlyn Hernandez for Emily Henderson Design, a midcentury credenza anchors the flat screen mounted above it, adding earthy warm wood tones and balance.
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Focus on Symmetry
In this white and bright living room from Studio KT, the TV is hung in a custom recessed box above the chunky wooden mantel that mimics the architecture of the surrounding windows. A black fireplace that is the same width as the TV and plenty of warm woods throughout create a harmonious feel.
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Balance It Out
In this living room from Pizzale Design, a pair of framed prints on either side of the TV helps to create balance and tone down the TV.
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Mix in Framed Photography
The whole point of a home theater is the screen. But in this design from Studio KT, framed black-and-white photos on the surrounding walls give a nod to old-fashioned Hollywood glamour and create a gallery effect whether or not there is a movie playing on the silver screen.
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Distract With Greenery
A simple way to distract from a dark wall-mounted TV is by using greenery, like this vase filled with vibrant leafy branches in a room from Emily Henderson Design.
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Choose a Projector Screen
For those who love a giant screen but don't want to look at it when there's nothing playing on it, the ultimate way to decorate around a TV wall is to swap a flat screen for a projector and treat the wall as a blank canvas, as seen in this room designed by Albie K. Buabeng for Emily Henderson Design.
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Build a Custom Niche
Build a niche above the fireplace that is tailored to your TV to make it feel more integrated. Louis Duncan-He Designs carved space for a flat screen on a gray shiplap wall
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Add a Colorful Tile Accent
Build out your TV wall with colorful finishes and decor so that the flat screen isn't the main event.
Gray Space Interiors paired a linear fireplace and a TV of equal widths on a medium blue square tile fireplace wall and a darker shade of midnight paint on the built-ins, and finished with a pair of paintings and decor objects on either side.
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Try a Dark Shiplap Backdrop
Help camouflage a large flat screen TV by placing it on a dark blue shiplap fireplace wall like this one from Brexton Cole Interiors. The TV practically fades into the background when the fire is lit.
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Hide It Behind Doors
If you cannot bear the look of a flatscreen on the wall, hide it behind a pair of doors when not in use.
Liz Marie Blog made DIY double doors that hide the TV above this farmhouse bedroom fireplace.
A tapestry attached with grommets that can be undone on one side to open the doors and reveal the screen when the urge to binge-watch hits.
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Add Texture to the Wall
Adding even subtle texture to the wall behind a TV will help it to feel more integrated with its surroundings.
Brophy Interiors chose a neutral vertical pattern that helps to counteract the horizontal shapes of the fireplace, flat screen, and soundbar, while the textured black-and-white finish integrates the black and white tones of the room.
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Use Warm Woods
Counteract the stark look of a black TV against a white stone fireplace wall by adding a wood mantel and built-ins on your fireplace wall, like this finished basement space from Michelle Berwick Design.
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Add a Picture Light Above
Make your TV disappear by choosing a Frame TV, then hang a picture light above the top of the screen so it looks even more like a painting when not in use.
Liz Marie Blog styled the edges of the mantel with decor to balance out the display.
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Build a Storage Wall
One way to make sure that your living room TV doesn't stick out is to build it seamlessly into a wall of built-in storage, like this sleek contemporary space from Sissy + Marley Interior Design.
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Surround It With Books
Place your TV on a stand on a shelf in a cubby and surround it with bookshelves filled with colorful spines that will distract the eye, like this London living room from Studio Peake.
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Add Ambient Wall Lighting
Make sure that your TV isn't the only light source on the living room wall by adding ambient light in the form of sconces or custom LED lighting like this media and display wall from Kendall Wilkinson Design.
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Create a Custom Background
Decorate the background wall of a custom TV wall niche with wallpaper, tile, or a graphic wall design that will add movement to distract the eye when the TV isn't on, like this family room from Brophy Interiors.
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Frame Like an Oil Painting
Make your off-duty Frame TV look even more convincing by surrounding it with an ornate gilded frame, like this farmhouse living room from Liz Marie Blog.
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Try Color Blocking
Minimize focus on a flat-screen TV by adding bold black rectangular blocks elsewhere on the wall.
Brophy Interiors mimicked the shape of the TV with alternating blocks of black and white to give this contemporary living room a cohesive feel.
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Color Drench the Walls
Drench the walls and ceiling of your TV room in the same dark hue that will create an enveloping feel and help the flat screen blend into the background when your favorite show isn't on. Jessica Nelson Design used a soothing shade of dark green in this calming space.
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Hang Above a Console
Lighten up the feel of a large wall-mounted flatscreen by hanging it above a floating console, like this Florida family room from interior designer Maite Granda.
Decorate the top of the console with books and objects to add color and give your eye something else to rest on when you're not watching TV.
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Hide It Behind a Bookshelf
If you're committed to keeping your TV out of sight when it's not in use, consider a custom solution like hiding it behind a rotating bookshelf, like this this space from Martha O’Hara Interiors.