It’s that question we all face at some point when decorating our homes, how do we incorporate the big black box into our everyday decor?  In my home, we’ve done it two different ways (see #4 and #6 below), but everyone’s situation is different.

Some people have both a living room and a family room, which allows one to be more formal and the other for casual TV watching, however many need to squeeze that television into just one main living space. Everyone has to deal with their television, where to put it, and how to design around it, so I rounded up nine different options for television placement in a main living room.

1.  Curate Around It.  Position the flat screen above a console and gather a group of artwork to surround the television with prints, photographs, or other favorite framed works of art.  Adding multiple rectangles (in either symmetrical or asymmetrical format) takes the spotlight away from the big black screen and also allows you to showcase meaningful images.

Sarah Richardson

Better Homes & Gardens

2.  Flank It.  Bookcases both skinny and wide enclose a television and visually frame it with their vertical placement.  Flanking a television with free standing or built in bookcases and surrounding it with decorative objects balances the weight of the big screen and reduces the television’s dominance in a living space.

Pottery Barn

Lonny

Camber Construction via Houzz

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My friend is redoing her master bedroom and can’t decide what to hang above her bed.  I told her there are a medley of options available, from mirrors to artwork to nothing at all.  Her dilemma got me thinking … so I came up with ten different ideas for what to hang or display above a bed in a master or guest bedroom.

1.  Mirrors, Large and Small.  A mirror is a natural choice since large or small, they create an instant focal point above the bed.  You can always balance out a large scale piece with smaller artwork off to the side above the nightstands.

 Paper City Mag

Courtney Giles

Style at Home

2. Black and White Photographs.   A series of black and white photographs framed above a bed is always a sophisticated classic – the bigger the better!

Better Homes & Gardens

Style at Home

Angeleno Interiors

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I get a lot of emails asking for quick tips or advice on DIY projects or design dilemmas and when I get a chance, I like to answer some of them here instead of with an email reply.  This latest one is from CC, and she writes,

Dear Kate,

“I have a 1960’s Thomasville china hutch that originally belonged to my grandparents.  I will never part with it for sentimental reasons. It is solid pecan wood and in great shape.  With that said, I would love to paint it but I feel horrible guilt, crazy, I know!  I am a grown woman with children of my own and yet I still worry about my mother’s opinion.  Please share with me your thoughts on what to do with my hutch.

Thank you, CC”

CC also shared a picture of the room where the hutch sits, and she’s converting her formal dining room into a sitting room for reading and visiting with friends.  The space is 10 ½’ wide (shown) x 13 ½’ long and she will be adding some additional seating. 

Answer:  Hi CC!  First let me say what a nice solid piece that is, lucky for you!  My first piece of advice is to remove the spindles on the side doors which make the piece feel dated.  Consider replacing the spindles with a single glass pane or even removing the side doors entirely. 

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