TV Wall Ideas for a Small Living Room: 14 Layouts That Save Floor Space

The simplest option is often the best in a very small room. A wall-mounted console keeps the floor visible all the way to the skirting board, which makes the room look larger, and it is easier to clean under. Make it wider than the TV, so the screen does not look top-heavy. A soft strip of warm light underneath adds depth at night.

A slim console with cane or rattan doors softens all that black glass, and remote signals usually pass through the woven front, so the cable box and router can stay behind closed doors. Check with your own remote, as some devices need a direct line of sight.

Three short floating shelves beside the TV balance the screen and give you room for books and plants, without the depth of a bookcase. Keep them no deeper than your console. Metal-edged or very thin shelves look lighter in a tight room. Our guide to floating shelves around a TV has more layouts and styling rules.

One long shelf above the TV, with shorter ones down one side, frames the screen without a full cabinet. It works well in a room where a window takes up part of the same wall. Leave some space between the shelf and the top of the TV, since heat rises and you will want to reach behind it for cables.

Vertical wood or painted slats draw the eye upward and make a low ceiling look taller. In a small room, you do not need them across the whole wall. A strip at one end, in the same tone as the wall, adds texture without taking up space, and the wall stays calm. Adhesive-backed acoustic slat panels are also lightweight.

If the room feels boxy, a curve helps. A shaped slat panel against a limewash or plaster-effect wall takes the eye away from the screen, and floating shelves on the other side balance it. Our comparison of limewash vs paint covers whether that plaster look is worth it.

In an open-plan room or a studio, a floor-to-ceiling slatted screen can carry the TV and separate the sitting area from the dining table, while still letting light through. The TV's weight needs a proper frame behind it, and it is a job for a carpenter rather than a weekend. For lighter options, see our room divider ideas.

If you are short on storage, the TV wall is the place to find it. Closed cabinets above and beside the screen hold what a small home otherwise has nowhere to put. Painting cabinets the same color as the wall makes them recede. Add open shelves in one narrow column so the wall doesn't look like a kitchen.

A bookcase surrounding the TV lets the screen become one rectangle among many, so it stands out far less. It also makes good use of height. Flat-pack bookcases lined up and joined with a shelf across the top can look built-in if you add a strip of moulding; just secure them to the wall. See how to style a bookshelf for filling them.

A full wall of built-ins can be too much for a narrow room. Running shelves down one side with paneling behind the TV gives you the same fitted look with less bulk. It also works around an off-center window or a door. Beadboard or simple grooved panels add quiet texture.

A TV is a black rectangle, so a dark wall behind it hides it. Charcoal, near-black or deep brown makes the edges of the screen melt away, and a small room with one dark wall can feel cozy rather than cramped. Warm wood on the console and a pair of small wall lights keep it from feeling heavy.

If near-black is too strong, deep green and navy do almost the same job and give the room some personality. They are also forgiving of scuffs. Curtains in the same green or a close shade pull the look across the room.

A TV in a group of dark-framed pictures looks more like part of the wall. Line up the top or the bottom of the frames with the TV, and keep frames in a similar dark tone. If your TV has an art mode or shows pictures when idle, you can take this further. For layout help, see our gallery wall ideas for small spaces.

If the only wall that works is at an angle to the sofa, or the room also serves as a dining area, a full-motion mount lets you turn the TV toward wherever you are sitting. Corner placement can also free up a long wall for the sofa. Follow the mount's maximum weight rating and fix it into studs or solid masonry. Our small living room layouts show how furniture and TV can work together.