TV mounting ideas – ways to hang your set that enhance your decor

Finding suitable TV mounting ideas that will do the room schemes in your home justice is an important part of decorating. 

While it's true TV manufacturers – Bang & Olufsen, Samsung and LG, to name a few – are working hard to make TVs more attractive with incredible picture quality and slice-thin frames, mounting your television in a stylish and harmonious way is key to your living room TV ideas. 

Be it for the living room, bedroom, bathroom or garden, there are a number of ways to style TV set ups. Quirky and characterful or modern and streamlined, they will enhance your interior scheme and make watching your favorite TV show – or dancing along to an exercise video – more enjoyable and easier on the eye. 

We've pulled together a few of our favourite ways to mount your TV onto the wall, be it by hiding your TV snugly behind a bookcase or panel, or showcasing it on the wall with unapologetic confidence for all to enjoy its Netflix-gushing glory. All of which are essential for if you've bought one of the best 40 inch TVs and especially one of the best 85 inch TVs.

Top TV mounting ideas designed to inspire

1. Create a TV media wall 

Opt for a media wall, which sees a TV recessed into the wall – positioned at the optimum height - above an electric fireplace, as shown in this living room, with a fireplace by Solution Fires. 

‘We’ve noticed media walls become a show-stopping, modern interior design trend for modern living spaces,’ says Andy Hitchman, managing director of Solution Fires. A media wall enables you to set your TV - plus any home TV satellite boxes or cables, within your existing wall, before positioning an electric fireplace directly underneath,’. ‘Not only do media walls save space, but they can elevate and transform the entire look of the room. They are also a relatively affordable option for anyone wanting to bring a bit of luxury to their living room.’

2. Add characterful decor to detract your eye from the TV 

One of the greatest ways to hide your TV and lose it in your décor is to mount it on a media unit surrounded by a selection of interesting objet d’art, plants and other eye-catching décor. 

‘The alcove in this living room originally had a floor unit there - with the TV on top - and it took up too much floor space,' says designer Nicolas Marcs of Kabulture. 'I built a unit the depth of the alcove and put the TV on the wall to fix this. I did a Shou Sugi Ban treatment on the wood and decided to paint the alcove black to make the TV less of a focus. I then added faux plants, books and accessories to further distract from the TV.' 

3. Choose your paint colors carefully 

To display your TV on the wall so it’s less noticeable, the easiest trick is to choose the ideal paint color and create an atmospheric backdrop. As the season changes, now’s a great time to experiment with paint colours to find the perfect match, but we think dark, matt finishes such as Farrow & Ball’s Stiffkey Blue and Dulux’s Sapphire Salute work particularly well alongside black, flat-screen TVs.

‘Where I can’t hide a television away in cabinetry, I do my best to minimise its impact on the overall aesthetic of a room,’ says interior designer Gemma Hill, founder of Bayswater Interiors. ‘Whilst you want the TV to be easy to see when watching your favourite programme, you don’t want it to be the focal point of a room under normal circumstances. 

'We use a variety of methods such as choosing Samsung’s The Frame TV, which can display artwork when not in use, or opting for a TV that fits behind a mirror so that it’s hidden when not in use.

Living room color ideas will really aid you when it comes to mounting the TV. ‘The simplest trick if you have an existing TV is to make it less noticeable on the wall by painting behind it in a dark color so that you ‘lose’ it visually and it is no longer the focus,’ Gemma adds.

4. Mount a waterproof TV on the bathroom wall

TVs will not only serve you well in the living room and your open-plan kitchen, but they can look good and provide entertainment when considered alongside other modern bathroom ideas, too. A complete bathroom refit presents the ideal opportunity to consider a TV bathroom. ‘It’s wonderful to include a screen at the end of a bath tub, but make sure the viewing distance and angle are spot-on,’ says interior designer Stephen Dick of Residence Interior Design.

The TV in the bathroom of this London home is waterproof and carefully selected to match the modern feel of the surrounding décor. 

'The screen is fed from a cabinet next door, with a selection of satellite, terrestrial and streaming TV available, all controlled by the waterproof remote,' continues Stephen. 'The sound is provided by high-quality loudspeakers in the ceiling, which are connected to the music system as well as the TV.’

5. Hide the TV behind a bookcase 

Where space is tight, finding intuitive ways to mount your TV and hide it in the decor is the perfect solution. We love the clever use of space in this compact living room, designed by Thorp Design Here the TV is hidden behind a faux bookcase and can be lifted to reveal the TV fixed onto a bracket behind. 

Within a set up like this you'll need to find the correct mount for your TV and get creative with bespoke cabinetry. You can choose to manually lift up the bookcase facade or have it automated by a professional. 

6. Play with shapes in your design 

TVs often feature alongside fireplace ideas because their sleek tech-y-ness is contrasted by the detailing below. Balance always adds calm to a living room scheme, and what better way to create a harmonious look than by reflecting shapes around the room, as shown here in this living room designed by Inside Studio. 

'We designed the room in such a way for the TV to be in unison with the space grounding the weight and bold presence of the TV with a linear candle niche,' says interior designer Alisa Bowen of Inside Studio. 

'Further niches to the side soften the wall with accessories and soft lighting and the carefully placed mirrors on the side wall help to balance the geometry of the TV. Finally, the diagonal brass insets on the bespoke wall help to introduce an unexpected level of breaking the boundaries.'

Picture by Commercial Photography. 

7. Choose an interesting backdrop for your TV

As the focal point of the room, modern living room furniture ideas often tend to be centered around  the TV, so it makes sense to make the TV and area around it an eye-catching focal point. 

'When considering the finish of the TV unit, play with colour and texture,' says designer and SBID member James Furzer of JFD Architecture. 'Use textured or metallic paint if you like to play it safe, or if you're feeling bold, explore the use of timber slats, tile or stone finishes or even a concrete or venetian plaster. Avoid the use of wallpaper on these areas as they can pull the feature back to the 90’s if done poorly.

Recessing the TV into the wall - or building the TV unit out around the TV - helps to create a clean home for the device. 'It allows the use of backlighting to set scenes when entertaining guests,' continues James. 

'These are easily achievable even within the smallest of spaces. Should you wish to create something more bespoke, you can play with the use of wooden logs alongside the fire or even recess areas for some photographs, ornaments or flowers.'

8. Switch your TV screen for a retractable projector screen 

If you just can’t find room for a fixed TV screen in your life, there’s always the option of a retractable projector. This works particularly well if you’re a film buff and love the sense of occasion ‘Friday night film club’ creates.

‘We had the pleasure of redesigning this beautiful home in an Art Deco building in London,’ says interior designer Anna Burles from Run for the Hills. 

‘To avoid the TV being so prominent in an apartment with a small foot print, we proposed a projector with a screen. The projector was placed behind the sofa and the screen placed above a gallery picture wall. This got around the bete noir of a TV in a small apartment being the focal point and retained the luxurious feel of the home.’

9. Invest in the ultimate ceiling mount 

Having the TV mounted into the ceiling is becoming an increasingly popular option in renovated homes. Not only will it free up wall space, but it makes for a stunning statement too. It doesn’t come cheap however, and you’ll need to consider the ergonomics from the offset if you’re serious about a feature like this.

‘This kind of lift mechanism requires a lot of planning, both in terms of the space required - around 2-300mm depth, depending on the exact spec-  but also in terms of the way it’s supported and fixed,’ says James Ratcliffe of Homeplay, ‘as they can weigh 250kg and up. These TVs are bespoke-fit pieces and can be customised to be a simple hinge, or a hinge and drop or a hinge, drop and swivel. The drop ‘option’ is almost always required so that the TV is lowered to the correct viewing height. 

‘Cable management is important on a job like this so that cables are serviceable and reliable. There is also a control box that needs to be made accessible close by. So a lot of design and planning needs to take place in order to deliver the finished result.’  

How can I make my TV mount look good?

There are a number of ways to choose from when wondering how to mount your TV to a wall so that it looks good. Choose from creating a gallery wall, mounting your TV into a bookcase area, styling the area around the TV with objet d’art and plants and more. 

Mounting a waterproof TV into a bathroom will add spa-style to your scheme, while for the ultimate in luxury you can opt for a ceiling-mounted TV.   

What should be under a TV on the wall?

Furniture stores are filled with attractive TV media cabinets, dressers and console tables designed to sit underneath your TV. Whether you choose to mount your TV onto the wall or stand it on a piece of freestanding furniture like this, there are endless options when it comes to style. 

Choose from ultra modern cabinets designed to more traditional units, designed to house all the extra kit that comes with your TV such as a Sky box, Apple TV, cables, soundbars, Blu-ray DVDs and more.