The 4 Clever Layout Tricks Designers Use to Make a TV Less Dominant in Your Living Room

While movie-watching is a big part of what we use our living rooms for, gone are the days when they need to act as the focal point that the whole living room layout is based around. TVs are important, don't get us wrong, but no one wants an ugly black box bang in the center of their space.

It's all well and good, stylishly hiding your TV, but most of these ideas require a hefty budget, an interior designer who knows a thing or two about bespoke solutions, and a fair amount of patience. TVs disguised as paintings, 'wall mirrors', or ones that appear from behind hidden cabinetry are all inspired ideas, but what about an easier, more instant fix? How can you use the rest of the furniture, the layout of the room to make the TV less dominant?

1. Place It Low

While media wall alternatives can disguise a TV entirely, focusing on positioning your TV, and the layout around it, rather than installing a bespoke solution, is an easy fix.

A simple trick to keep the TV out of sight is to position it low, either tucked on a shelf or standing on a low console. This keeps it out of the center of your scheme and encourages the eye to take in other areas of the living room first, such as a fireplace or seating area.

'To make a TV less dominant in a room, my number one piece of advice is to place it low,' explains Leanne Kilroy, founder of Good Bones London. 'Yes, there are clever ways to hide TVs behind doors or within cupboards, but the simplest way to keep it out of the line of sight is to place it low to the ground with more visually interesting things, such as artwork or books, above and around it.'

2. Create a Different Focal Point

While the TV is still very much on show in this family room designed by Olpol & Co (it sits proudly at the center of a built-in shelving unit), the main focal point makes it feel far less dominant. A foolproof way to command a room, the striking canvas above the fireplace attracts attention, making the TV feel far less obvious.

This layout, focusing on the fireplace, ensures the TV isn't the star of the show. 'We put the TV on a bracket so that it can be neatly tucked against the wall, and then easy to pull out when it is needed,' explains Olivia White-Hamilton, founder of Olpol & Co. 'We used a subtle wallpaper, Galaxy Clover by Robert Kime, in the back of the joinery to distract from the TV and also filled the shelves around with books and objects.'

3. Place It at the Center (But Hide in a Cabinet)

While it's hard to imagine a TV at the center of a living room not being dominant, this colorful living room, designed by Studio Holland, proves that a clever piece of furniture is the perfect way to create a flexible layout.

By keeping the TV in a cabinet, you have the freedom to create a more sociable layout, with the furniture facing each other rather than the TV. In this room, the couches mirror each other, a far more elegant layout than them sitting parallel to the TV, which would feel like the go-to option if the TV was always on show.

'Hiding the TV is a bit of an unspoken rule at our studio,' explains Phoebe Hollond. 'Though sometimes nothing’s better than a good movie night, a big black TV is always an eyesore. When designing a space with a TV, we seek to hide it as much as possible. In this project, we created a bespoke tambour cabinet that hides the screen.'

4. Position It to the Side of Your Scheme

By not making your layout too symmetrical, your TV instantly becomes less obvious. Avoid placing it above the rooms natural focal point, like a fireplace or an accent wall, and instead place it off center, taking a side spot rather than the crowning one.

'This classicl living room retains all of its original features, including a marble fireplace, bay window, and cornicing,' explains designer Harriet Sinclair-Wilson, of Fable Interiors. 'By keeping the TV to the right-hand side of the fireplace, rather than above the mantel, none of the original features is lost, and the room's layout stays firmly on the focal point.'

'The seating isn't rigidly pointed at the screen,' she adds. 'It's a relaxed, conversational layout that makes the space feel social rather than like a home cinema room, which is ideal for a multifunctional room that needs to work for different occasions.'

'Keeping the TV low on a simple, understated wooden unit means it doesn't demand your attention the way a wall-mounted screen at eye level would.'

While hiding your TV is one way to make it feel less dominant, simple yet effective layout tricks can do just as good a job of taking the attention away from your TV.

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