I'd be worried about the TV slipping around. There are rubber nubby things on the bottom of TV bases for a reason.

I'm thinking "no" to doily under the TV, unless your TV is vintage and encased in fake wood and it is a part of your look.

As far as doilies are concerned, there is a doily resurrection going on right now, but like many resurrections, you've got to walk a narrow plank to make it work. Here are some ways that doily-like aspects work for me:
http://www.modernests.com/2009/01/trend-watch-doilies-resurrected.html

I suppose you can do a fun Marimekko fabric runner on the console under the TV, but I think your decor and your TV would be safest if left on a hard (non slippery) surface (since fabrics can slide).

Probably if you mounted the tv, the doily would look even better... if that's not an option... I think it's a really cute solution to add color and texture. :) (I'd keep the doily rectangular to repeat the rectangular shape of the tv... but any shape that makes you happy is great... besides you can change them easily whenever you like).

Too fussy. I wouldn't do this.

My boyfriend has a piece of antique furniture in his bedroom and we bought a table runner to lay across it. It saves it from my scratched if you need to move it. And I wouldn't be worried about it slipping around, as you don't normally move a TV. I think a great piece of fabric would be an awesome decor item. Good luck!

Laura
http://www.justalittlebit.net

Not sure of the purpose of the doily or coaster. Is it to protect the wood console, much like a bev nap?

I think the Lucite base (or whatever the base of the tv is made from) might draw attention to the base and look, well, awkward.

I'm not sure if a runner or placemat is common or acceptable but having had my console top ruined by our flatscreen tv, I definitely would advocate for some kind of barrier. A Chilewich runner might be a nice, modern doily alternative.

really? that seems like something my grandmother would do. and your boyfriend suggested this?

I don't have anything under my tv but I don't see why not? Try it, if you like it keep it.

I think a doily wouldn't serve a purpose other than looks (and I don't like that look). If you wanted a protector of some kind - or maybe some other color - I'd go with a modern runner. Maybe Marrimeko or Landsdotter type print?

You simply must do this and you must use colors that 'pop'.

Take pictures. I want to see.

Is it common or acceptable??? Seriously, just do whatever the heck you want! It is your house after all....

If you love fabric, give it a go. After a bit remove it and decide which look you prefer. It's not like you're going to glue it down. As to whether it would suit, it would depend on the rest of your decor; some people could really pull it off, I couldn't.

I think it depends on whether you want to draw attention to the tv or away from it. A doily, whatever color, will draw the eye to the intricate stitchwork, and bright colors will draw even more attention. Personally, I love doilies, partly because I make them, and I have little vignettes set up around my apartment with doilies underneath (kind of like a rug under furniture). They work really well for pulling together a small collection of items, but obviously wouldn't work in the sleek 'modern' aesthetic. They work perfectly fine in an average not-quite-cluttered-not-quite-sleek decor scheme, but it is ultimately up to you.

I'm an antique tribal textile collector, so I have fabric EVERYWHERE in my apartment - at the moment, my TV, which I never watch, has a great 1920's Hungarian embroidery draped over it. I much prefer looking at it to looking at a blank screen.

My modern leather sofa has a Turkish flatweave saddlebag over one arm and a Baluch bag over the other - grannie might have done the same, but not with these textiles.

Find your style and enjoy it!

do what you like! in case you end up not liking it, you can always frame the fabric & hang it on the wall. don't worry about what anyone else thinks; snobbiness has no place in the living room, but doilies might! xo

"really? that seems like something my grandmother would do. and your boyfriend suggested this?"

Actually, tashar, I believe that Laura has a charmingly retro thing called a "husband". Some people are just really dedicated to this whole vintage look.

As for the question at hand: Doily, no. Runner, yes, if it suits the decor. Otherwise just get some of that anti-slip rubber webbing that you put under rugs and cut it to size, which will protect the furniture, keep the TV stable and be virtually invisible.

I presume you're not intending to superglue said doily to the furniture. Give it a go and if you like it keep it, if you don't don't.

I think this is a general rule you should remind yourself of as you decorate the rest of your place - you can't get everything "perfect" (if such a thing exists) immediately, you need to try stuff out, some of it will be awful and some of it will be a pleasant surprise, but you need to let yourself experiment and not worry about what is "common or acceptable". If you like it, it's acceptable.

It is your place, you should do whatever you want - and tell the rest of us to shut he hell up if you like it.

Now, if just want my opinion, go for it - I'd even go with alternating out the color occasionally since you have to remove the doily eventually to dust it.

Yes 'is is common'. ^original question^

I found a really nice bamboo dinner place mat for our small set in the bedroom. You wouldn't know what it is, comes off as a doily.

I put a vintage scarf under mine. I think its cute, it looks way better than without.