How to arrange your living room furniture to incorporate a TV

The living room is undoubtedly one of the most trafficked spaces in a family home. Often embracing a cosy, comfortable atmosphere, the living room is where families can gather to play board games, catch up on their days and… binge-watch Netflix and enjoy all eight movies in the Outlander series in the same day.

While the love for your 65-inch flat screen may run deep, sadly televisions are not the most attractive machines and even though making it the focal point of your space is practical, it might not necessarily be the best design decision. But let’s be honest - no one wants to hide their TV in the corner, so what’s the perfect balance? If you’re looking for effective ways to arrange your living room furniture to ensure you can view the TV without craning your neck, here are some creative measures to incorporate your television into the layout without taking away from the overall design of your space.

Create multiple zones in a large space

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If you're lucky enough to have a large living room, accentuate it. Don’t place your TV in the middle of the room, make use of the extra space by creating individual zones for different activities. In one section, place your television and sofa, using the back of the sofa to create a wall. This section can be exclusive to TV viewing, then on the other side of the room arrange a massive bean bag to create a separate playroom for the kids. If you have even more space to utilise, consider adding a desk to create multiple working and living spaces your entire family can enjoy.

Integrate your fireplace

Integrate Fireplace

For centuries, the fireplace was the centerpiece of the living room, providing warmth and light for families before the days of on-demand television and electric heating. Decades later, the living room’s main purpose is entirely different.

If you have a fireplace in your living room, try and make it work with the layout of your space. If it’s in working condition, make it the focal point. You can still include your TV by placing it on a tv cabinet situated on an angle. This way viewers can enjoy the TV and the warmth of the fireplace, when it gets cold, at the same time.

Even if your fireplace isn’t in working condition, instead of using furniture to cover it up, embrace the elegance. Hang your television above, decorate your mantle with subtle living room accessories and then set up the furniture around accordingly.

Utilise wasted space

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Make use of all the nooks and crannies in your space, no matter how small. If your living room is equipped with a funky layout, finding the perfect space to situate the TV can be a challenge. Instead of blocking a window, consider sliding your TV into an unused corner. Either hang it on the wall or place it on a small cabinet on an angle to make use of awkward, unused space.

If this scenario doesn’t really work for your living room, consider installing a hammock swing chair in the corner. This can create an intimate TV viewing alcove, where you can enjoy the newest season of your favourite show.

Think about lighting

Think About Lighting

Lighting can play a huge role in the overall mood of your space and makes a real difference when planning the arrangement of your living room furniture and television. In the design phase, consider using all three types of lighting: general, task and accent.

General lighting or ambient lighting provides complete illumination. Consider a chandelier or wall-mounted fixture over the television to provide overall lighting for the space. Task lighting can be used to illuminate specific tasks, which can be utilised over a reading chair or games table. Accent lighting adds drama to the room and is typically a part of the decorative scheme. Use this type of lighting to spotlight plants, sculptures or paintings.

Make use of a small living room

Small Living Room

If you live in a small house or apartment in the city, you may be short on space, which can make it challenging to fit a TV into your floor plan. However, there are still ways you can incorporate a TV into the space without it feeling awkward. Consider the scale of the room, if you have tall ceilings, utilise wall space to hang your TV. If you’re out of wall space, find a compact credenza to throw your television set on. Try and minimise clutter in a small living room, with too much stuff, it can feel cramped and uncomfortable.

Don’t block out the windows

Image of a Living Room

If your living room has a wall of tall windows and is flooded with natural light, it can make TV placement a tad difficult. This situation can also make enjoying TV frustrating when you're facing a glare for 50% of the day. To eliminate this, try installing window treatments. Draperies with liners can make a real difference and help to remove the glare you may be experiencing. You will want to avoid putting your TV in front of the window at all costs, but sometimes you may not have a choice. To cut down the level of glare, you can place your TV opposite of your window wall.

Surround your television

Living Room

One way you can help your TV blend into the room is by mounting it on the wall and surrounding it with paintings, prints and photographs. To take this one step further, accessorise with table lamps, plants or candles. This will make your TV look like a part of the group, less like an eye-sore and more like a piece of artwork.

For more living room inspiration, shop Ivory & Deene. For almost 20 years, our family run business has been providing families across Australia with stylish and affordable accessories that can be used throughout their living room. If you are looking for specific accessories to highlight your television or have questions regarding our store, don’t hesitate to reach out. Send our friendly team an email at hello@ivoryanddeene.com or give our office a call at (+61) 03 6776 1674 and someone will be in touch shortly regarding your enquiry.