21 Small Living Rooms With TVs That Actually Look Good (2024)

Room Design

Living Rooms

Decorating around a TV is a challenge for even the most skilled interior designers, but it can feel especially daunting to figure out how to place a TV in a small living room so that it actually looks good. While many people consider a visible TV a design crime that should be avoided if possible and covered up if not, others find it a necessary evil—there are those who find comfort in the looming presence of a large flat screen with its promise of endless hours of entertainment. No matter what your feelings are on this controversial topic, check out these ideas from a range of interior designers that will help you to make your small living room TV less of an eyesore.

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  Use a Black and White Palette

  

  The easiest way to make a blank black screen fade into the background of a small living room is to decorate the room in shades of black and white. In this Nantucket cottage from interior designer Kara Mann, the flat-screen TV blends in like an extra in a black-and-white movie—it's tucked seamlessly against the bottom of the slanted ceilings and anchored by a vintage trunk.

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• 02 of 21

  Camouflage It

  

  Blogger Liz Marie hung a Frame TV over the mantel in her farmhouse living room that doubles as artwork when not in use.

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• 03 of 21

  Paint the Wall Black

  

  Sissy + Marley made this wall-mounted flat screen fade to black with jet-black paint on the wall behind the TV that blends in with a low black console and black floors. White walls and a mix of white and pale-wood built-ins create a neutral graphic color block effect that de-emphasizes the TV screen in a clever way.

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• 04 of 21

  Embed It

  

  In this minimalist, all-white Los Angeles living room designed by Ghislaine Vinas, the TV is embedded into a seamless wall niche that makes it look like part of the architecture, while a color photo triptych creates a focal point.

  See Also

  15 Small Living Room Design Ideas You’ll Want to Steal - HGTV CanadaFrom Modern to Minimalist: Top Living Room Design Ideas - HGTV CanadaSarah Richardson's 16 Best Living Rooms Ever - HGTV Canada11 Of The Best Living Room Makeovers On Fixer Upper - House Digest

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• 05 of 21

  Hang a Large Painting on the Opposite Wall

  

  In this small railroad-style living room from Heather Hilliard Design, the striking glass doors at the far end create a focal point—the TV is hung neatly in the middle of a wall of built-ins, balanced on the opposite wall by a large painting.

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• 06 of 21

  Sideline It

  

  This basem*nt family room doesn't have high enough ceilings to hang a large flat screen over the mantel, which turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Instead, interior designers Emily Henderson and Priscilla Frost hung the TV on the dark wood-paneled wall to the left of the fireplace. The TV is still visible but doesn't dominate the room, allowing the rustic fireplace to remain the focal point and keep the screen at a more comfortable viewing height when seated on the large sectional sofa.

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• 07 of 21

  Surround It With Bookshelves

  

  In this London living room from Studio Peake, a wall of built-ins includes a tailor-made niche for a flat-screen TV. Colorful wall paint, furnishings, and a wall of bookshelves help to keep the TV from dominating the small space.

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• 08 of 21

  Add Black Decor

  

  A trick for making a TV work in a small living room is taking care that it isn't the only black object in the room. In this cozy living room from Jenn Pablo Studio, the black flat screen mimics the firebox and a Greta Grossman-designed Grasshopper lamp, adding contrast in a small space otherwise decorated with neutral tones and wood accents.

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• 09 of 21

  Backlight the Built-Ins

  

  Kendall Wilkinson Design surrounded a wall-mounted TV with a wall of built-in shelving with soft backlighting that helps to balance the room and ensure that the TV isn't the only source of light on the wall.

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• 10 of 21

  Create a Niche

  

  Laura Brophy Interiors created a perfectly symmetrical TV wall with built-in closed cabinetry to hide clutter and open shelving on either side of the TV niche to display objects. The soft beige and white tones of the room help to soften the tech hanging center stage, and the patterned wall behind the TV distracts the eye when the screen is off.

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  Use Bold Color

  

  Heather Hilliard Design used bold shades of red and navy blue that dominate this small living room, making it easy to slip into a flat screen on the side wall that practically disappears into the background when not in use.

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  Frame It Out

  

  Jessica Nelson Design chose a flat screen that fits the space above the mantel for a clean and well-proportioned look in this modern living room. A cloudy sky scene on the Frame TV flanked by windows lightens up the dark fireplace wall and a chunky mantel echoes the golden wood tones throughout the room.

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• 13 of 21

  Paint the Wall Dark

  

  Brexton Cole Interiors painted the horizontal shiplap fireplace wall in this small living room in dark navy that helps the flat screen fade into the background when not in use.

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• 14 of 21

  Add an Ornate Frame

  

  Blogger Liz Marie did not let a TV mess with her farmhouse aesthetic, embellishing a Frame TV with an ornate frame that turns it into an off-duty landscape painting—it celebrates autumn but can change with moods or seasons.

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  Keep It in Proportion

  

  Forbes + Masters floated a modest-sized flat screen on the wall of this highrise apartment living room, adding graphic wallpaper that creates movement and a low wood console styled with books and objects to add interest.

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  Add Texture

  

  A black wood slat fireplace wall creates a backdrop for a Frame TV hung above the black firebox that displays a black and white photo when not in use in this Southern California living room from Laura Brophy Interiors.

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  Keep It Minimal

  

  In this living room from Cathie Hong Interiors, a large flat screen is hung on an otherwise blank wall, but a pale wood console beneath it adds warmth. A colorful painting is on the opposite wall, plus sunny textiles and decor give the eye something to focus on when it's turned off.

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  Color Block It

  

  Laura Brophy Interiors chose a strict black-and-white palette for this small Southern California living room, with a color-blocked fireplace wall that allows the flat screen to look like part of the architecture.

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• 19 of 21

  Add Sconces

  

  Interior designer Michelle Salz-Smith of Studio-Surface didn't try to hide the wall-mounted flat screen over the fireplace in this small California living room, but kept it small so that it doesn't dominate the entire room. Minimalist sconces hung on either side of the screen provide balance and ambient light.

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  Add a Thin Frame

  

  Mindy Gayer Design Co. added a thin pale frame around her wall-mounted flat screen that gives it a more polished feel and makes it feel integrated with the built-ins. A wash of soothing blue paint on the wall of built-ins steals focus and adds softness.

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• 21 of 21

  Contrast It With White

  

  White Sands Design Build hung a small flat screen in this small downstairs living room that is surrounded by white painted built-ins decorated with objects and books.