How to Decorate a Living Room Wall Around a Wide-Screen TV

Decorating your living room wall around a wide-screen TV often presents a challenge due to the sheer size and heft of a large TV, even if it's a flat panel. There are certain steps you can take to balance out the large television with decorative accessories that will complement it. Your living room can be decorated tastefully while doubling as the entertainment center of your home.

Things You'll Need

• Plants
• Paint
• Shelves

Instructions

1. Paint the wall behind the TV as an accent wall, using a color that complements the rest of the living room's decor. Paint the wall three shades darker than the paint throughout the rest of the room so the color stays neutral but still stands out.

2. Place the TV against the wall, using an entertainment center if you have one. If not, use natural architecture such as a fireplace mantle or install floating shelves around the TV. Use black shelves for a black TV or wood shelves that match the stain of the other wood in the room.

3. Hang framed pictures or artwork around the TV. Keep the TV at the center of the arrangement. Place a grouping of three larger, bulkier items such as vases, statues or candles on one side of the TV. Avoid using small figurines as they will be dwarfed by a wide-screen TV.

4. Add a large floor vase with a plant or an indoor tree to the other side of the TV. This will fill the space around and above the TV while fading into the background as an accessory, not competing for your visual attention.

Tips & Warnings

• If an entertainment cabinet is too pricey, consider creating your own. Simple, inexpensive bookshelves can flank the TV on both sides. Drill a piece of plywood to the shelves forming a "bridge" above the TV. Your local hardware store will cut the wood for you based on measurements you provide. Stain the plywood the same color as the shelves and you can decorate the shelves with plants, pictures and pillar candles.

• Don't overdecorate around the TV. The accessories will be distracting while you are watching TV.

References

• TV Home Improvements
• Decorating around a Flat Screen TV
• How to Live with a Big Flat Screen TV