TV Wall Design Ideas That Don't Look Like a TV Wall
Updated: 4 days ago
The best TV wall doesn't look like a TV wall. It looks like a library, a piece of joinery or a calm cabinet, and the screen is just one element in it. Frame the TV with shelves, wood or a dark cabinet, hide the cables and devices inside, and the black rectangle stops being the center of the living room.
By Maya Sheinberger | 21.07.25
A television is the largest black object in most living rooms, and when it hangs alone on a white wall, it takes over. Over the years, I've designed many TV walls, and almost none of them were designed around the screen. They were designed around storage, books, objects and light, with a place for the TV inside.
Key takeaways
Surround the screen with shelves or joinery, so it becomes one part of a larger composition.
Choose the finish around the TV on purpose. Black or charcoal makes the screen almost disappear, while white shelving keeps the wall light and lets the objects lead.
Hide the devices, the router and the cables in closed cabinets.
Light the wall with a track or recessed lights, not with a single spot on the screen.
Let the TV wall do another job: storage, a bench, a hallway wall.
How do you make a TV wall look built in?
The simplest way is to build the wall around the screen. In the DI apartment, a 150 sqm duplex in the heart of Tel Aviv, the TV wall combines woodwork with white iron. It is both decorative and practical. Closed cabinets hold the everyday items, and open shelves display the family's objects.
In the AA apartment, the media wall has a wooden frame around the television and a long, low shelf that doubles as a bench. The frame gives the screen a border, the way a picture frame does, and the bench gives the wall a second use.
Iron shelving: a TV wall that reads like a library
Thin iron shelves are one of my favorite ways to soften a screen. In the TA apartment in Tel Aviv's Yad Eliyahu neighborhood, a minimalist white iron library with thin shelves covers the TV wall. It holds the TV, books and objects, and two white tracks light the library and the sofa.
The RB apartment uses the same idea in black. A large custom shelving unit made of black iron covers the wall facing the public space, with skinny shelves for objects and a dedicated place for the screen. Black track lights run alongside the bookshelves. In the RA apartment, a modular bookcase of hexagonal iron columns and iron shelves combined with blackened oak holds the TV, books and objects.
Should the TV wall be dark or light?
TV wall | Color | Effect |
TA apartment | White iron shelving | The wall stays light and airy |
DI apartment | Woodwork and white iron | Warm, calm and family-friendly |
RB apartment | Black iron shelving | A graphic line across the room |
E apartment | Dark metal library | The screen blends into the charcoal tones |
M apartment | Black multi-purpose cabinet | The screen almost disappears |
A dark TV wall hides the screen. A light one hides the shelving. Choose according to the room: in a bright room with white walls, a black cabinet creates depth. In a darker room, light shelves keep the wall from feeling heavy.
In the E apartment, a dark metal library frames the TV wall and continues the apartment's palette of charcoal and wood. I wrote more about how it fits into the apartment's built-in storage in my guide to floor-to-ceiling built-in joinery.
Can a TV wall replace a hallway wall?
Yes, and it's one of the smartest moves I know. In the M apartment, a penthouse in Tel Aviv, we demolished the hallway wall. Instead of a built wall, I designed a cabinet that combines the electrical cabinet, the air-conditioning system, a multimedia cabinet for the audio and video devices, the TV wall and general storage for the home. The cabinet doesn't block the whole hallway. You can walk and look past it on both sides, so the space feels bigger, and the hallway area is used very efficiently. The black, dramatic color slightly hides the TV screen.
What to plan before you build a TV wall
The screen size and its height, so it sits at eye level when you're seated.
Sockets, network points and a route for the cables inside the joinery.
Ventilation for the devices in closed cabinets.
The lighting: a track or recessed lights along the wall.
What the wall will hold besides the TV: books, objects, closed storage or a bench.
Frequently asked questions
How do you hide a TV on a wall?
Frame it with shelves or joinery in a dark finish, and keep the cables and devices inside closed cabinets. The screen then reads as part of the wall.
What is the best material for a TV wall?
It depends on the style. Thin iron shelving feels light and graphic, wood joinery feels warm, and a black cabinet creates depth and hides the screen.
Should a TV wall have open or closed storage?
Both. Closed cabinets hide devices and everyday items, and a few open shelves display books and objects without making the wall look cluttered.
Can a TV wall be part of the joinery?
Yes. In the M apartment, the TV wall is part of a multi-purpose cabinet that replaced the hallway wall and hides the home's systems.
How do you light a TV wall?
Use a track or recessed lights along the wall to light the shelves and objects, and avoid a single strong spot aimed at the screen.
Planning a living room or a TV wall in Tel Aviv or central Israel? I'd love to hear about your project.
Maya Sheinberger is an interior designer with more than 17 years of experience. After five years at a leading architecture firm, she founded her independent studio in 2012. She holds a B.Des with honors from the College of Management. Her work has appeared in more than 150 publications in Israel and abroad, including eight Archilovers Best Project awards, and one of her apartments features in the book The New Minimalist Style.
Photography @itaybenitphotographer · Styling @maya_livnat_harush
