3 min readAs much as we’d all love to design a home (and maybe even a life) free of screens, that’s just not realistic in 2026. Instead of pretending we live in another century, we asked designers how to make our screens coexist stylishly with the rest of the home. Turns out, there are plenty of ways to style TVs in a way that allows them to blend seamlessly into the room.
Ahead, we spoke with five designers who have mastered the art of decorating around a TV, and they all agreed: it’s easier than you might think. So, whether you just upgraded your screen or simply want to make your setup feel less like an eyesore, you’ve come to the right place. Keep scrolling for designer-approved tips, tricks, and inspiration for making a TV actually look good in any room of the house.
Cover the TV With Something Cool
If a black screen simply doesn't jibe with your home’s aesthetic, take a page from designer Amy Meier’s playbook. She says, “The TV shouldn’t be the heart of a home, yet a large black screen often becomes the focal point. That’s why I like to conceal TVs for my clients, so their spaces prioritize connection and conversation, while still allowing for movie nights.”
Her solution? Enlisting an antique-looking tapestry that lifts like a Roman shade. “This lets you reveal the screen only when it’s needed,” Meier adds
Decorate Around the TV
For her foodie clients who wanted to be able to watch TV while they prep dinner, designer Erin Shakoor had to get clever.
“They requested a wet bar, beverage fridge, and wine storage, but because the TV would share the same wall as all of those elements, I needed to completely hide all of it,” she explains. She did, however, leave the TV screen alone so that the family could actually enjoy it. Instead, she hid everything else by way of two custom surfaces by decorative painter Steven Hettrich.
“Both plaster surfaces, which you might expect to see in a living room or bedroom, create a one-of-a-kind finish that aligns more with the sleekness of the Samsung Frame TV, which doubles as artwork.”
Scale Your Screen
When it comes to television screens, few will argue against bigger being better, but a massive screen will definitely ruin the vibe of pretty much any living room. That’s why designer Nicole Hollis suggests scaling the TV to both the walls and the furniture.
“The scale of the screen should not overpower the room,” she notes. “Use a smaller TV and ground it to the space with a cabinet or table underneath, and sconces on each side to both balance it, add a decorative element, and create ambient lighting.”
Play With Proportion
The client’s only requirement for the above living space was a large TV, so the designers at Two Muse Studio were left with no choice but to figure out how to make one work. Their solution? Having some fun with the proportions of the rest of the room’s furnishings.
“We extended one side of the fireplace surround to visually counterbalance the size of the screen, and chose to frame the doorway with sconces rather than the TV itself, subtly directing the eye away from it,” notes cofounder Alexa Lameiras. The firm also included an oversized plant to introduce height and organic movement to offset the boxiness of the screen and fireplace. They also kept the mantle styling to a minimum.
Place It Above the Fireplace
Any stylish living room’s seating arrangement can (and probably should) center around the fireplace. After all, nothing creates a sophisticated vibe like a burning fire housed in an elegant surround. That said, having a fireplace should not mean that you have to sacrifice movie night. Here, in this living room designed by Eddie Maestri, he enabled both to coexist.
“Screens are inevitable at this point, and trying too hard to conceal them can become more cumbersome than the screen itself,” he notes. If you want to conceal it, feel free, but sometimes, just embracing it with good style works even better.
“Placing the TV above the mantel allowed us to align it with the primary architectural axis, so it reads as part of the composition rather than a secondary focal point,” he adds. “The scale of the mantel, the restraint in materials, and the surrounding millwork all work together to soften its presence, so it feels integrated instead of intrusive.”
