How to Decorate around a TV

I was feeling like the wall my TV is on was a little boring. I usually like gallery walls around a TV, but with the pictures on the stairs it was too much. Instead, I decided to go for trim, a library light, and painting the cabinet for a fun pop of color. I thought I’d give some tips for how to decorate around a TV while I show how I changed mine up.

how to decorate around a TV

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. I’d be over the moon happy if you subscribed to my YouTube channel! Videos are actually released on YouTube first (usually the night before they’re published on the blog). Thank you!

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budget breakdown

For this project, I had the chalk paint on hand. I spent $143 on the picture light, molding, and Frame art download.

option 1- gallery wall

For awhile now, I’ve had a gallery wall around the TV. I thought it was cute, but it felt heavy with the gallery wall on the stairs. So when we renovated the kitchen and added the interior windows, I took down the art and never put it back up.

If you don’t have a gallery wall in the same sight line, a TV gallery wall is a great option!

I have the Frame TV by Samsung. It’s great because it’s slim and sits right on the wall. Also, it displays art on the screen when the TV isn’t on and so it looks like art! I’m sure most people have heard of it by now, but it’s always fun when someone comes over and doesn’t know that it’s the TV.

before

After the gallery wall came down, we did a big kitchen renovation and added the vintage windows. The stone from the old fireplace and the chimney bump-out came down. So there was a nice blank slate! But it was boring. Here’s how I changed that-

step 1- the entertainment center

First, I began by painting the entertainment center. It was gray and matched the floors and even thought I had painted it a few years ago, I was ready for a change.

I went with Sea Glass Chalk Paint and since I had used chalk before, I was able to paint right over the last paint job. If I was going over wood or a shiny painted surface, I would have primed with slick stick before applying the chalk paint.

After the paint had dried, I used a spray on wax finish to seal the chalk paint.

Because there wasn’t much prep needed for this project, it was a two hour job to paint the entertainment center. Not bad! Especially with how much more I like the color now!

step 2- frame it in

Next, I used decorative molding to frame in the TV. This is a great way to show what’s important on a wall and add some beautiful details to the room. I like how it works with the vintage corbels and ties in with the matching trim the next wall over

These are easy to trim because you just need to do straight cuts. Then my husband used a laser level to make sure everything goes up straight and nailed it in place.

I love how the decorative trim turned out! Its classic and perfect for my 1905 house

step 3- add a light

And now, for above the TV, I wanted a Library Light. This will make the TV look even more like art. I didn’t want to hard wire it in, so I found an affordable picture light that turns on with a remote.

Then I used caulk on all the seams of the newly installed molding. This will give it a seamless look with the wall.

I painted all of the trim white. I used the same paint and sheen as the walls so I didn’t have to carefully cut in the paint around the decorative trim.

step 4- add art to the TV

Samsung Frame TV Colorful Art- 1 beach / 2 colorful circles / 3 pink building / 4 pastel oval / 5 bird on flowers / 6 blue bouquet / 7 pink butterflies / 8 rosette spoonbill / 9 rainbow stripes / 10 serene landscape

Samsung Frame Christmas Art- 1 pink Merry Christmas / 2 winter cityscape / 3 pastel cookies / 4 vintage ice skating / 5 skating at Union pond / 6 pink Santa / 7 pink sky landscape / 8 vintage Santa sleigh / 9 snowy yellow house / 10 candy cane triple Santa

Finally, I switched out the art on the TV with a digital download to pull together the colors in the room

how to add art on a Samsung Frame TV

Everyone suggests downloading the Smart Things App and selecting “Art Mode,” but I couldn’t find that button. All I could do is cast photos, but that doesn’t save it as art. Maybe the app used to work, but I found it spammy and couldn’t get it to work.

Here’s what worked for me. Buy the art online as a digital download. Download the JPEG of the art and save it on a USB drive. Connect the USB drive in to the One Connect Box (the box that comes with the TV).

Go to Art Mode and go down until you see My Collection. Select that. Scroll up and then go to “USB Mass Storage”. Scroll to the top where it says “options”. Select that and then it says “save.” Find the image you want as the Frame TV art, select it, scroll to the top and select “save to my photos.”

Scroll down to USB Mass Storage and then select “My Photos.” Your art will now be stored there. Select the art you want at the Frame art. If you go to the top of the photo, it’ll say “options.” You can select that and choose if it has the matte and if so, the color. Once you like it, select set.

And the art will now be on the TV when it’s in art mode!

I tried two options. Which do you like best? This art costs a few dollars online, so it’s a fun way to change up the wall easily!

after

And here’s the newly decorated TV wall- doesn’t it look nice?! It now feels like the TV is fully integrated into the decor on the wall.

Aren’t the colors so nice?! The rainbow stairs are balanced by the clock and the entertainment center pulls in the green color in both.

I feel like this wall has so much character now! And yes, there’s lots I still want to do in here like a coffered ceiling, more decorative trim, but this is enough for today. I love it. What do you think?