Let’s be honest: A television is often the centerpiece of our living room. But admittedly, your living room can be designed to be a beautiful gathering place, but chances are that it’s mainly the spot where you watch TV. And despite any efforts to conceal it, television screens can still be a bit of an eyesore in an otherwise flawless space. How can you integrate a TV into any room without missing a beat in an overall design scheme? Most interior designers answer this dilemma with a well-executed TV wall.

“Creating a dedicated TV wall allows for intentional design and function from the start. It ensures proper planning for vertical space, wiring, and media equipment, while also allowing you to make design choices, like wall finishes, built-ins, or complementary furniture arrangements, that enhance the look and feel of the space,” says Margaret Donaldson, founder and lead designer at MDI Luxury Design in Charleston, South Carolina. “Rather than being an afterthought, the TV becomes a seamlessly integrated element of the design.”

Designers have plenty of experience designing TV walls, creating a process that is more specific than just determining where to mount a television. Creating a beautiful TV wall involves considering both the vertical and spatial layout of a room, as well as how it relates to the placement of furniture. The key, says Donaldson, is to account for the TV early in the design process to plan for details like size, connection requirements, and cable concealment. 

On the hunt for clever TV wall designs that blend both form and functionality? We’ve put together a stellar collection of ideas, filled with inspiration from Apartment Therapy’s archive of home tours. We’ve spotlighted the best TV walls from homes our editors have explored, as well as ideas from several design pros who are eager to showcase their work on brilliant TV walls.

*With additional copy by Sarah Lyon.

Nearly every interior designer will tell you that a well-designed TV wall is always a good idea. They help integrate technology into the home with mindfulness and intention, resulting in spaces that feel calm, inviting, and tranquil. Plus, the rise of TVs that double as art when not in use is creating a new trend where “hidden” TVs are more popular than ever.

“Many clients are seeking calm, cohesive environments, so concealing or transforming a TV’s presence helps maintain that sense of peace. Balancing functionality with aesthetic sensitivity is key — ensuring the TV complements, rather than competes with, the surrounding materials and decor,” says Sarah Barnard, founder and principal designer of Sarah Barnard Design.

That said, there are a few potential cons to adding a TV wall to your home as well. Like any renovation or home improvement project, they can involve a significant investment of time and money. Additionally, renters will be limited in what they can do, depending on their lease agreement (not to fret — renter-friendly options are included in this list). 

Here are a few of the main pros and cons of adding a TV wall to your home, according to interior designers. 

• Makes the TV an intentional part of the room’s design. 
• Reduces visual clutter. 
• Balances form and function.
• Helps create living spaces that feel calm, tranquil, and thoughtfully curated.

• Renters may have limited options depending on lease agreements.
• Some options can be expensive and require a significant renovation budget.
• You often need to hire experts depending on the type of TV wall you want for your space (to ensure structural stability and correct installation).

Ready to get started on a custom solution for your own space? Read on for everything you need to know about designing the perfect TV wall, along with 25 examples to help inspire you.

Add some architectural interest to your TV wall with a built-in mantel and seating below a fireplace. This is an excellent option for spaces where hanging the TV above the fireplace is inevitable, so you simply have to lean in and make the TV a part of the room’s focal point. Utilizing a Frame TV or an artistic screensaver can help transform your TV into a stunning piece of art. 

On-screen artwork can help any TV resemble a masterpiece, but it’s not always realistic or accessible. If you’re stuck with an older model that doesn’t support smart features like screensavers, painting the wall behind your TV is a great alternative. It helps the TV blend into the background of the room when it’s not in use, preventing it from becoming an obvious eyesore in the space. 

If your style leans more minimal and laid-back, then don’t be afraid to let your TV wall reflect that. A simple mounted media cabinet and large-screen TV help this coastal-cool living space feel relaxed, inviting, and perfectly pared back. The key, here, is in the little details. The beachy motifs, natural materials, and furniture placement all contribute to the less-is-more look that works so well. 

Oversized, large-screen TVs are the go-to for many people, but they don’t have to be. Just because you can get a 65-inch flat-screen doesn’t mean you should. Sometimes, smaller is better, as demonstrated in this living room design by MDI Luxury Design. Of course, some gorgeous on-screen artwork doesn’t hurt either. 

Wall treatments, such as picture frame molding, can be an excellent way to give your TV wall a truly custom look. Take, for instance, the luxurious TV wall design by MDI Luxury Design. With no other option but to hang the TV above the fireplace, the built-in bookshelves and picture frame molding help to make it feel like an intentional part of the room’s design. Depending on the style of molding, it can also be a DIY-friendly project as long as you’re willing to get your hands a bit dirty.

Add some warmth and texture to your TV wall with wood paneling. This wood TV wall by Blue Indigo Designs helps to soften the look of the oversized flat-screen TV, while ensuring that it remains front and center in the space so you can always catch your favorite TV show or sports game in high definition.

What’s more intentional than a custom inset for your TV? “We love when a TV is inset into an unexpected material, like a stone slab or warm wood paneling,” Donaldson says. “This creates a sophisticated, built-in feel and elevates what might otherwise be a utilitarian feature.”

Bookcases can house more than just your favorite tomes — in this case, it plays host to a slightly extended (yet firmly mounted!) monitor. Whether it’s shelving units or a more traditional bookcase like this one, built-in storage is a solid choice for a dual-purpose TV wall, as is in this New York City apartment.

No built-in budget? No problem! A media console below the TV and shelves slung above the TV mimic the look of more extensive built-ins, at a fraction of the price (and time!). Plus, it’s a renter-friendly way to “build” your TV into the room, without breaking your lease agreement. This Brooklyn rental demonstrates how a little ingenuity can go a long way. 

Frame TVs are all the rage right now, especially those that display gorgeous art. Why not play that aspect up? Curate a gallery wall around the television using various frames in similar styles and colors, as seen in this New York apartment. Side note: You don’t need to buy a brand-new, expensive frame TV to get the look. There are plenty of budget-friendly frame TV DIYs that you can try to turn your existing TV into a smart TV dupe! 

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is distract — and whimsical wallpapers and paint jobs can help you turn a statement TV wall into a standout living room feature. The freehand-painted accents in this New York City apartment will inspire you to think outside of the box.

Ask any designer, and they’ll tell you that positioning the TV above the fireplace is a major design faux pas. Why tarnish the architectural focal point of a room with an oversized piece of technology? That’s why hanging the TV beside the fireplace can be a good alternative, as seen in this Chicago apartment. It allows the fireplace and artwork to take center stage, while leaving plenty of room for the TV.

Another room that proves a fireplace can be a focal point and also separate from a TV wall. Creating a TV wall adjacent to the fireplace wall was the best approach in this Chicago apartment; this configuration creates a space that feels balanced and ensures the large, comfortable couch sits across from the TV, making binge-watching sessions that much more relaxing. Plenty of artwork and wall decor help fill the space, leaving the fireplace as the main architectural feature of the room. 

In some rooms, the TV is ultimately destined to be the focal point of the space — so why not lean into it? Hanging it above the fireplace, creating an accent wall behind the TV, and using differentials like marble tiling can elevate the look of a standard mounted television instantly. It certainly did for this sitting room in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

If you love the idea of making your TV the focal point of the space, here’s another clever (and more affordable!) way to do it. Simply grab a can or two of paint and get creative with the wall behind your TV. Consider painting a mural, adding a painted “frame” where the TV will hang — or, creating faux wallpaper using a paintbrush or stamp. The options are truly endless!

If you’re feeling like your television is disrupting the flow of the room’s design, where you’re choosing to mount it may be to blame. In most cases, televisions are mounted high — but why not embed them closer to eye-level when you are sitting? Save your straining neck and also keep the visual impact of a TV wall to a minimum, as was done among these impressive floating shelves in a New York City apartment.

The owners of this Brooklyn townhouse nailed the eclectic library vibes in their living room. They surrounded their TV with built-ins filled with books (on books!), which prevents your eye from focusing too much on the big black screen in the center of the room.

It may seem obvious, but ditching the TV’s legs and mounting it just a few inches above a console is worth the hassle. Doing so elevates the whole look; this eclectic Austin home creates a floating illusion via a dark accent wall behind this mega-size monitor. When the TV is off, you’ll hardly know it’s there. Add matching dark furniture to pull everything together.

If you can’t seem to make a TV look good in your space, work to minimize its footprint (and go for micro!). The living room in this London house shows off a ’70s-inspired interior, with vintage decor pieces and a funky fireplace, all elements that are less impacted by this 27-inch monitor size (on a rolling cart that disappears when guests arrive!).

With oversized cabinets, sculptures, and lamps, the TV in this historic LA home blends in seamlessly. The decision to corner this compact television into a kitty-corner atop vintage cabinets ensures that guests aren’t bound to be distracted by its presence; in fact, they may not even have it in their line of sight when seated.

The artwork above the TV in this Scandinavian-inspired Netherlands apartment is like a gallery wall, but it strictly consists of unique 3D mirrors. Reflections and increased light make the room feel bigger while taking focus away from the television.

Why not get rid of your TV altogether? It may seem easier said than done, but this NYC renter shows how it’s done well. Simply swap out the TV with a pull-down projector screen. You can pull it down for movie night and push it back up into the ceiling to make more room when you’re not watching. If you have a tight living area, this is the perfect space-saving solution.

As evidenced by this historic Charleston home, wall-spanning canvas art can work perfectly when it’s strategically positioned behind large TVs. Not only does it create a lovely focal point, but it’s also much less effort than a gallery wall. 

Any small living room that’s blessed with a fireplace is likely to span the entire length of the space. Add a long console table, like the one in this minimal Northern California house — and add a couch opposite, so you can slouch back into comfort while catching up on your favorite shows.

Whimsy is definitely not lacking in this colorful Oakland apartment, where a renter-friendly solution to camouflage a bulky TV comes together with an obvious solution. A colorful striped tapestry over the screen that sits on top of a wooden console allows the feature to blend in with the rest of this living room’s fun decor and effortless vibes.