The truth is no one loves televisions in interior design, but they are often the primary function of a space. If you are forced to work with your television in your space this is the post for you. The living room in my home also functions as a family room so, the television has to stay. Here are 5 budget-conscious tips to design around your television using a built-in media:
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1. PAINT IT A NEUTRAL COLOR
Even though the existing walls are white, we decided to paint the built-in white to give cohesion to the room. The room is pretty small so this ensures a clean and timeless feel. Consider using Pure White from Sherwin-Williams. This white is perfect because it’s the right balance of warm and cool. Using a neutral color is a smart move to style successfully. It will ensure your design will remain timeless. Also, this will give you more freedom for styling your media.
2. STYLE WITH OLD AND NEW
Shelves are your best friend! They can work with you to create a mood for the room. When I first built this media, I seeked to curate the most perfect pieces to style like an art exhibit. Over time I realized this space serves as the main gather spot and should reflect our family. It is a good idea to combine treasured artifacts, vintage pieces, along with the latest finds. You must use caution when working with built-ins. They can be a trap to collect clutter. Keep it simple and refine the number of items to style with. Take a 360 look at your room and ensure your are not overdoing it. By using neutrals, you open the door to play with texture.
Here are some good options:
3. ADD ACCENT LIGHTING
You should highly consider incorporating lighting into your media. This will ensure your objects remain visible past sunset and provide a professional quality. Tip: use a dimmable LED set to control brightness. The last thing you want is bright lights competing with your moody movie night! We used the Aiboo LED Under Cabinet Lighting Kit from Amazon.
4. USE SYMMETRY TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
Symmetry does not always mean static design. Since the room serves as a family and living room, the TV wall can go as far add a formal quality to the room without overdoing it. When styling the shelves, make sure to create a dynamic composition while balancing the object placement . Do be afraid to bring things forward, push them aside, or turn them over to create breathing space. If you feel you have too many shelves to decorate, add clear glass jars and vases to avoid it looking busy.
5. USE THE CABINET STORAGE
One of the benefits from using cabinets is they provide ample storage. Store your consoles, modems, or even those old DVDs. The base of the built-in is made up of builder-grade upper cabinets. They are not too deep and allow you to save living space. We went with oak cabinets because they are very inexpensive and allowed us to paint, or stain, them as needed.
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