TV Wall Ideas
Your TV shouldn’t be an eyesore or clash with your room’s decoration. Fortunately, we have some expert ways to make the TV seamlessly blend into your overall homes style without looking out of place.
Mounting your TV to a wall can free up space in your home as you don’t need a TV stand and you can use the surface on which the TV once stood for other purposes. You’ll also be able to choose the perfect location and angle for your TV.
TV wall mounting options are not an issue – there are lots of options based on the size of your TV. And there’s a wide range of TV styles to match your home. Let’s explore how we can make your TV wall perfect for you.
How to decorate a living room TV wall
Most people have a TV in their home and over time it has become more the norm to have it placed on the central wall of the living room or bedroom. With that in mind, the problem then arises what to do with the wall surrounding the TV. Decorating around a TV may seem like a simple task however it’s actually one of the most asked questions about interior design.
When it comes to decorating a living room TV wall, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. There are a bunch of interior design ideas out there, so it really depends on which one actually floats your boat. Here are a few ideas you can consider:
- You can build a gallery wall. Often furniture is arranged around the TV making it the main focal point, but the trouble with this arrangement is that when the TV is not in use you will be left staring at a big black rectangular box and not much else. You can counter this by making your TV part of a gallery wall, simply surround the TV with framed art, prints and decor.
- Use a long and low TV unit below the mounted TV to display decor such as books, ornaments or framed photographs. You could even have a wooden planter box which can be re-filled with various plants as the seasons change.
- Flank the TV with symmetrical accessories. Symmetry is one of the interior designers biggest go to’s when designing fabulous looking rooms.
- Make built in TV units the main attraction
What colour wall should go behind the TV?
When it comes to chosing the best colour for your TV wall the first rule of thumb is to look at colours you actually like. However there are still a couple of considerations you might want to take into account. For instance, if you are leaning towards a purely black wall it’s worth remembering that black will absorb the light and won’t provide the range of tones that other non-black colours would. With this in mind it’s worth considering shades of dark jewelled tones, deep navy or really dark greys.
Darker coloured paints can often dry lighter than they originally appear when applying them. In order to combat this you may want to chose a colour a shade or two darker. It’s also a good idea to paint small swatches on your wall using paint samples and view them at varying times of the day to see how the natural and synthetic light changes the paints appearance.
As you can imagine, your window’s position and size will also have a great influence on how your chosen colour will look. If your window is facing north, the colour of your wall will tend to look cooler and deaper when compared to a room with a window facing south. If your window is facing east, the colour will look brighter and warmer in the morning and bluer later in the day and the opposite will be true if the window faces west.
How to hide wires for TVs on walls
How to hide wires for TVs on walls
When you’re mounting a TV or fitting plug-in wall lights, it’s unlikely you’ll want to see the cabling trailing along the wall. Concealing the cabling in the wall can make a whole world of difference, not only to keep things looking neat but also to limit any potential hazards for both little ones and pets. This is a simple task that can be done by your installer, but with some DIY skills, you could also give it a go yourself.
To get started, you’ll need a stud or wire detector, drill and screw bits, a multi-tool with flat saw attachment, string, spirit level, tape measure, rawlplugs and brush wall plates.
- Safety check and mark on the wall. Use your stud or live wire detector to examine the area you want to place your TV. Once done, use a pencil to mark on the wall where the wires will go and where the studs are.
- Examine the socket area and cable length. If there are plug sockets lower down the wall and you want the cable to reach down to the same level, be thorough in examining the wall all around the area to determine whether it’s safe to use the drill and cut. You’ll also need to check the cable length and use the measurement to work out where the entry and exit points will need to be.
- Decide where the wire openings should go Once the TV position is decided and any obstructions identified, you’ll want to determine where the openings will be best placed.
- Install the wall plate. Ideally you’ll want to place it so that the TV itself will cover the entry point. It will also need to be positioned above the most direct route down to the socket area.
- Cut the holes for entry and exit. Double check theres no obstructions then using the marks you previously made cut the holes you need.
- Position the wires. Detach the TV wires and get them ready to feed them through the wall
- Position and attach the face plates. At this point you can attach the face plates to the entry and exit points on the wall
- Preparing the cable. The cable can now be fed through the wall. Use a weight tied to one end of a long piece of string. Drop the weighted end down from the top entry hole and let gavity do the work, making sure the other end of the string still shows at the top.
- Feed the cable up the wall Once the string is through, tie the weighted end to the end of the cable and pull the string back though from the top until the cable appears. Pull enough cable length through to comfortably attached to the TV. If there’s more than one cable to fed through repeat the process until they’re all in position. The cables can now be connected to the relevent points on the TV and socket while fully hidden behind the wall!
Types of TV Wall Mounts
There are a number of different types of TV wall mounts to consider – below are the top 3:
Low-profile mounts – Basic mounting
Low-profile TV mounts hold the screen close to the wall. This creates less of an obstacle in areas where there is a lot of foot fall and reduces the risk of bruises to people or TV damage.
Tilting mounts – More adjustability
Tilting mounts let you mount the TV above eye level or tweak the angle to suit the situation, something you may want to do if you’re watching TV from the floor one day and the sofa the next.
Full-motion mounts – Most versatile option
Full-motion mounts allow you to tilt, swivel, pan and extend the TV. This means that you can pull the TV away from the wall and turn it to the left or right to face the viewer.
How much does it cost for a professional to mount a TV?
Installing your mounted TV can be a time consuming and frustrating job. For an inexperienced or unconfident DIYer it can often seem a daunting prospect, will the wall hold the TV’s weight? Will it be installed correctly and safely? To take the hassle out of the installation why not hire an experienced professional to take care of it? Find a local pro offering TV wall mounting services, TV installations and more. Our pros can bring the skills, experience and tools to get you up and running in no time. The cost will vary based on the type of mount that is required. The heavier/larger the TV the more expensive the mount is likely to be but the average cost of TV mounting is around £80 – £120.
How much to decorate a Living room?
Are you after someone to decorate your living room after a mounted TV installation? Do you need a proffesional’s touch to get your TV wall looking just right? Speak to the decorators in your area by completing the form below and get up to 4 quotes.