It used to be that you needed an armoire or built-in cabinetry to house your TV. With the advent of the flat screen, armoires became obsolete and shelving didn’t need that bump-out. Of course, lots of people were (and still are I suppose) hanging flat screen televisions above the fireplace. I’m just going to leave that at no comment.
The current craze seems to be incorporating the TV into a gallery wall. This can work if you don’t mind the busyness, and if it doesn’t distract you when the television is switched on. Sometimes though, a TV hung on a wall can seems to float, even when surrounded by artwork. I think it looks better hanging above sort of shelving, credenza, or media unit, which grounds the space.
The 14 spaces below are a mix of approaches to hanging a television above a cabinet. One uses a dark wall to help camouflage the TV, while others incorporate the TV into a gallery wall. Some just have the TV hanging solo, with plenty of space around it, over simple shelving. I think all of these approaches of hanging the tv above a unit, whether the wall is left bare or decorated, work quite well.
If you are on the hunt for a cabinet, have a look at my past post 53 Credenzas, Sideboards, and Buffets, which I hope to update soon with additional options and new sources I’ve since found for purchasing TV units.
Skona Hem•Photo by Ragnar Omarsson
This contemporary green media unit offsets the black rectangle of the television and colors in the artwork on the gallery wall nicely in this Brooklyn loft. Using artwork as large as the television itself helps the television blend in.
Amber Interiors•Photo by Tessa Neustadt
This wood and white living room designed by Amber Lewis is perfectly restrained without being boring. The TV floats above the white and wood credenza. There is little embellishment, save for the dual finish of the furniture itself, the wood bowl, and plant, but the vignette looks beautiful.
Stylist Susanna Vento • Photo by Petra Bindel
Stylist Susanna Vento went with the minimalist white with some color pops theme in her own home. She incorporates the TV into a gallery wall using an asymmetrical arrangement of fun prints and family photos around the television. That there is a turntable below adds balance.
Bolig Magasinet
Here the television hangs above the arrangement of artwork leaning against the wall on the credenza rather than hanging around it. That is probably the result of the slanted ceiling, but in any case, it works.
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A simple floating open shelf acts as a base for the television, while three simply framed pieces hang around it, plus some antlers for three-dimensional earthy interest.
Lonny March 2012
The TV seems to be a bit of an afterthought here, but it works above the dark chest, with a vibrant gallery arrangement stealing the spotlight on the adjacent wall.
Anne Sage
L.A.-based blogger Anne Sage goes for a narrow plain cabinets below the TV, with colorful artwork around it, and a mod brass light fixture above.
Stacey Kouros Design
The television is large but the niche in which it hangs is larger. I love how the cabinetry runs all the way across, and stays simple and low, giving the television plenty of breathing room.
Creative Director Christina Loucks•Photo by Heidi Geldhauser
The beautiful Danish modern credenza and fun articulated brass table lamp steal the spotlight in the lower half of the space, while the shelves above the TV draw the eye upwards.
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Simplicity reigns in this Nordic room with low white cabinets topped with a nice slab of oak. The TV hangs just a few inches above it. The leggy floor lamp and branches provide movement, drawing the eye to either side.
Lonny •Photo by Jessica Sample
In Jessica Alba’s office at The Honest Company the TV has been framed in wood. I’m not sure that was necessary—it may be drawing more attention to it than acting as a camouflage.
New Darlings
This neutral living room belonging to the bloggers behind New Darlings has a lived-in feel with a Danish modern vibe. The neutral colors and clean lines mean the TV can hang where it needs to. The plants, wall hangings, and patterned rug take the focus off the expanse of black.
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By painting the wall a deep, dark blue, the black television blends in. Incorporating the TV into a gallery wall with artwork hung practically level above and beside it keeps things on an even keel.
Lindye Galloway Design • Domino • Photo by Jasmine Star
Orange County California interior designer Lindye Galloway skips the fanfare and simply mounts the television over a snazzy chevron credenza. The room is tailored and neutral, so the large black rectangle isn’t much of a distraction.
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Shop StyleCarrot affiliates for TV units consoles, credenzas.
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