TV And Fireplace Wall Dilemma Solved!

I get a lot of questions regarding tv and fireplace wall dilemmas in my consultations and in comments here on my blog. Today, I’m sharing a recent Designed in a Click® consultation that had just this design problem.

Often these low media consoles that now dominate the market, create more problems for people. While giving them some flexibility on the size of tv they might have now and on down the road, they tend to leave the big black tv just pasted to the wall with all this empty space around it that looks unfinished.

And since you’re staring at that wall, it needs to look nice and well-designed!

Such was the case with this tv wall dilemma.

Here was the wall in question. It’s rather large, with high windows and the console and tv are sort of dwarfed on such a space.

BEFORE - What to do with this big blank wall around the tv? carlaaston.com - Designed in a Click® Design Consultation

BEFORE - What to do with the big blank wall around the tv and the niche above the fireplace? carlaaston.com - Designed in a Click® Design Consultation

The seating group was working for her but it looked like she definitely needed to make this wall more appealing overall. I asked for her wall and window dimensions so I could sketch it up to scale.

She also had a situation with the odd triangular niche above the fireplace. Not sure what was the builder’s intent there since it was a triangle shape, but it needed to be dealt with, for sure!

Here’s what I suggested:

For the tv wall, I would do a large entertainment center.

It looks like you could use some storage and some display space for photo frames, etc. so going with something that sort of resembles a built-in would be good. You can take this with you when you move or sell it, so a piece of furniture like this is probably best.

I like this cabinet from Pottery Barn, as it is white and won’t be too overbearing then in your space. The smaller size one works well for your wall and it fits nicely under the windows. This is well priced for this type of unit.

Want some more tv wall dilemmas to peruse? I have a few to share below.

Then, I'd add two floor lamps, one on each side of the unit, to kind of resemble the idea of sconces. I tried putting artwork there, but you have so many rectangles there on the wall, it just looked busy, and I think having that soft light there on each side would create a nice ambience at night. I've sketched it out to scale on the drawing, attached.

Here's a link to a floor lamp I'm suggesting. I like the gilded finish and the little circle detail. That would stand out nicely on your white walls.

Sketch of TV wall with entertainment center and lighting to fill the wall nicely. carlaaston.com - Designed in a Click® Design Consultation

Niche above fireplace

For the niche above the fireplace, I would either have it sealed up with sheetrock (and you’ll have to deal with the outlets, per your local code) and paint to just look like a flat wall OR you could buy some vintage shutters and cover the area.

This vendor on Etsy has some nice vintage shutters and there are some in a pretty green color too. I like that they are chippy and old, to differentiate from your new shutters there on the windows. You could hang a wreath on top of that over the fp then, or even a mirror, etc.

I've recommended this in the past to people, as we have a lot of niches around here. Just make sure the sizes of the shutters work for you so that it covers the entire niche. I have a sketch of this too.

BEFORE - Awkward niche above fireplace, what to do with that? carlaaston.com - Designed in a Click® Design Consultation

Cover the odd niche over the fireplace with shutters and hang a wreath or round decorative mirror on top! carlaaston.com - Designed in a Click® Design Consultation

Vintage shutters found on Etsy can cover up that niche easily.

Need more examples of how to deal with tv walls for your home? I’ve got lots to share, in the posts below.