Decorating a Mantel with a TV

The big black box. The tube. Idiot Box. These are just a few of the names that are given to the one thing that we {mostly} all have in our living rooms but have no idea how to decorate around. It sticks out like a sore thumb, and the whole “feel” of a living room is based around it. One of the biggest challenges in home decorating is Decorating a Mantel with a TV.

I am no different. Every house I have lived in, I have loved decorating, yet have gotten frustrated when it came to how to decorate around my television. I mean, I didn’t want it to stand out and look ridiculous, yet I couldn’t “hide” it!

When I moved into my current home, I got what I had always wanted- a FIREPLACE! Yippee! I was pumped! I had always wanted a fireplace, and I could see myself sitting in front of it in my robe drinking my hot chocolate and…watching TV. Sure, it is not ideal- don’t get me wrong, but in this home, there was no other place to put the TV except over the fireplace. It was the only place that made sense. So, we did it. And…I had to decorate that mantel! UGH! How was I going to decorate my beautiful mantel with a big ole black TV hanging above it?! Well, this is the million dollar question that I get asked ALL THE TIME. Today, I bring to you- answers!

Have no fear- you can still have a beautiful mantel with a TV over it. Here are some different examples and ideas of how you can go about Decorating a Mantel with a TV on it!

Decorate minimally. This one simply has 2 symmetrical items on each side to somewhat “frame” it, but it is very simplistic. It doesn’t take attention away from it, but it provides simple but ample decoration.

Decorate with the TV. Make it blend in with the rest of the decorations. This TV is barely noticeable when you look at this picture. It almost looks just like a black picture in the midst of lots of other lovely decorations. To some, this space may seem overdone. It is a matter of taste, for sure. I do love the built ins. I have seen a lot of built ins on each side, but I haven’t seen many shelves above like this. By the way, I love this room. The colors and patterns are fabulous!

Frame it! I love the look of a framed TV. It just makes it look “finished”, I guess you could say. This one was beautifully done, and it looks like it was made for this space and not done afterwards. I also like the simplicity of this fireplace with all of the white trim work and shelving and minimal decorations.

Leave it Bare. You can always chose to not decorate your mantel at all. This one actually looks beautiful, and it is totally free of any decorations. This room as a whole is very traditional, and in this space, the mantle looks just fine without anything on it.

Decorate with the Space Available. Since these are pictures of my own mantel, you can see that I choose to decorate the space that is available to me. I do this simply because it is my style of decorating. I love “stuff”, or in more professional terms, decor. Don’t get me wrong, I try not to over-do it, but I enjoy vignettes, and I feel like utilizing the space on each side of the TV, as well as under the TV provides a beautiful frame.

I hope this gives you some inspiration in tackling that TV filled mantel. While it can be a bit of a challenge, there is still hope for a beautiful mantel, even with that ole tube smack dab in the middle!

{Sources for these pictures, besides my own, are unknown. If they are yours, please contact me, for I would love to provide a proper source link.}

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