I would fill it with interesting artwork in different frames. It will help take attention away from the tv... and is that another tv on the adjoining wall?

I like where you're going with the montage/collage. I say continue it and go even bigger with it. Anchor the tv/montage with a framed image that's at least 16x20 (or larger depending on the size of your tv) and go up and around with more images. Use traditional photos, unframed canvases, empty and brightly painting frames, shadow boxes, anything. Make sure to fill the space on the left of the tv too... You'll end up with an art gallery. And when you have guests and the tv isn't the focus, grab a "great art" dvd that can make the tv part of the art gallery....

Or alternately, attach some long shelves to the wall above the tv and fill with books, photos, etc. Use at least two shelves; go as high as about two feet from the ceiling with the highest shelf.

The rest of your living room is fabulous (tho the draperies are a bit short - Can you add a band of contrating/patterned fabric to the bottoms?)

I'd simply do more of the same with that far wall - Center the TV on the console and fill the wall with a gallery of framed artwork...
...or flank the TV with wall-mounted shelves to display a collection of pottery/ceramics.

Thank you, thank you for posting this question (I'm grappling with the same issue!). I love the collage idea. To toss another one in, what about some sort of interesting paint treatment-- a repeating stencil perhaps?

I would fill the space to the right of the TV with a vertical framed print that is roughly the dimensions of your TV. It would complement the frame of your TV to make it look like it was part of an ensemble. Above the TV, I recommend a gallery assortment of smaller frames. For more symmatry, use 2 or 3 identical frames, perhaps square, above the TV. The point is to think of the TV as part of the gallery wall, not as a obstacle to it.

If you go the artwork route I would recommend fewer, but larger pieces. What caught my eye was your red or orange pillows on the couch. How about a nice fabric/quilt (for lack of a better description) hung on the wall? A pop of color would distract from the tv.

moar tvs!

Great contribution from jokerman. I think that would look great.

That media cabinet is at a good height but way too long. I would do the following:

1. Smaller media cabinet.
2. Move the TV and cabinet to the center.
3. Move the manaquin to the left.
4. Keep the coat hanger on the right.
5. Move the clock above the TV.

This will make that wall appear "balanced" without looking overly symmetrical. You can also use this opportunity to get a nicer, larger clock.

I have no suggestion, just the request that you share photos after you finish since this is an interesting question.

A black and white photo essay in the shape of upside-down U around the TV would look pretty cool. Black frames with white mats and B&W photos always look beautiful (or color photos for that matter), and having a narrative arrangement around the TV would be interesting. 5 8x10 photos with the extra frame space around them wouldn't be too much work or expense.

A different way to approach this might be to mount he TV on the wall and fill the space on the table with items of varying height. Small sculptures, bowls, garage sale finds, anything to fill the space without adding clutter. But mounting the TV on the wall would be a nice way to fill the space without adding too many large geometric shapes to the space.

Actually, I believe the problem is the console. All your weight is on the opposite side of the room. Why not find a wardrobe on Craig's List, place strategic shelves for TV, DVDs or other stereo components, etc., then place art, tall plant or even your coat tree next to it.

your photoshop provides a cue, the clean black and white graphic cityscape had a great pop. It's a great room by the way beautifully furnished.

So, what about a wall sized graphic?

here's a goofy take to be shot down on the way to a better call: I'm a fan of paley era (60's) CBS offices, so why not consider a world map to cover the wall, with time zone clocks: the tv will be another exciting modern gizmo...

I'd just get a long picture rail and have a ball.

Just wanna say I think you've done a beautiful job so far! I love it.

I'm with the collage idea. Lots of eclectic stuff. A tidy bookshelf would be sweet, too. I think the key to distracting from your tv is to offer an array of interesting pictures/artwork/books, etc. Let it be a wall that expresses you and those in your household.

where did you get Flea's pants?

I would go with numerous prints, pictures and posters of varying sizes in black frames. The frames wouldn't have to match in style, just color and just black. The reason I say black is because the TV is "framed" in black and would be more likely to blend in.

Simple solutions: paint the wall a dark charcoal grey, center the tv, place a picture shelf above the tv (fill shelf with varying sized frames of artwork & photography), and move the coatrack into the corner away from the console.

i also have to wonder about the furniture layout overall though. it looks like it would be very difficult to comfortably watch tv in this room.

Step 1.) Throw television out window.
Step 2.) Enjoy life more.

That side of the room is very horizontal. I would not add another long horizontal picture.

Break it up with curved lines and color. Perhaps a cluster of orange-hued paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling to fill the empty space. Or a modern mobile. Whatever you choose, keep it on the left hand side of the wall/ceiling only to avoid horizontal repetition.

A GIANT CLOCK.

I love Phillip Littel's idea - a wall-sized graphic will definitely attract the eye and keep the television from being the center of attention.

If that's too much for you, the key is to add some height to that wall. Your wide TV and console need a vertical element to balance them. Move the coatrack into the corner (further right) and think about putting a large vertical graphic print to the right of the TV. Then get a tall potted plant (preferably real) for the left corner of the wall. You could add a small grouping of items over the TV if you want, but it may be too cluttered.

I like the wall collage idea. Make sure some of the art or frames have a fair amount of black, to tie into the tv when it's turned off.

entertainment centers get a bad rap but to me they de-emphasize the tv components if they are big enough and full of enough other cool stuff. a collage/pictures aren't weighty enough to fool my eye. Ikea's expedit is great and has plenty of storage for nice books, vases, etc.

I like the wall collage with mix-matched frames and images, and you could even still incorporate it if you mounted the tv in within the mix and go for some asymmetrical balance and form a loose grid with the tv as a corner point.

I like the direction you went with the smaller frames, but the city skyline black/white seems to float by itself if you did something like that and throws off the balance because my eye was immediately drawn to it over the others due to its relative brightness. So if you went that route, I'd do something a little more reserved.

I'm with a lot of the comments about mounting the television, it will give it a more cinema feel and perhaps a more "put together" look. Have you considered wallpapering the wall behind the TV? A pattern that wouldn't be too distracting if you were to actually watch the tube but something to bring interest to the space. Oh, and a nice plant. Who doesn't love some good plants in a house?

I like the collage on the side, but the print above the tv looks like too much.

Taking the whole end of the room into consideration, I would get a wall unit from Ikea that either incorporated or replaced the existing base unit you already have. I would make sure the new wall unit was the length of and possibly the full height of the wall and included a vertical cabinet on the end nearest your door to eliminate your coat tree. By installing a wall unit you achieve your goal of deemphasizing the visual impact of your tv, while increasing your available storage, concealing your coats, housing the tv and speakers, providing better display of your ceramics and books, and create space for any future electronic components, your plants, etc.

By putting small pieces of art all around the tv you are getting the opposite effect then you want. The art is framing the tv, and bringing more attention to it.

I made a quick photoshop sketch of my idea here: http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz226/vanessajeschke/roomHelp.jpg

I like the asymmetry of the tv placed to one side. I would find a giant (8ft height) print and lean it against the wall behind the console and to the right of the tv. To add more height and depth, I suggest hanging a mobile in the left corner, and add some tall vases on the console.

I have a wall somewhat similar to this, except my tv is up on a buffet, so I'll be interested to see what you do.
First off, 1- love the coffee table and planter thingy, where did you get them? Assuming you like your furniture as is, then here are my (maybenotuseful) ideas- Move the coat rack more into the corner. If you don't want to center the TV on the console, perhaps a potted flowering plant would be nice to balance the table out and give you a nice color pop? I'm wondering about mirrors somewhere around there... would bounce back the window light quite nicely, but I don't know how you would make it work for that wall (this is something I've been considering...). And I'm going to second a picture rail idea with lots of colorful frames. I'm a sucker for color against gray! It would give your wall a 3 horizontal bands, which may be interesting.

Wallpaper!

Have you considered mounting the tv on the wall? Then install a metal track with a sliding and hanging picture from the ceiling to hide the television. You could slide artwork to the side when you want to watch and slide it back to hide the TV when it's off. If the track were painted orange that could tie in with your pillows. Or you could paint it the same gray as your wall to blend. Or leave it metal... I'm not a huge fan of collages all over the wall and this is just another option to consider. I've seen this done very well a couple of times recently.

Jokerman's suggestions seem right on target, in my opinion. Although I would suggest that not all tiny speakers are bad. My dad has the Bose surround sound system with the little speakers and they sound great.

There are already a lot of good ideas here for your already-great space. Maybe it looks different in person, but from the photo your front door doesn't seem to jive with the rest of your style. Perhaps in your selection you can tie in some of that particular style or wood?

I'd put the tv on the wall, paint the wall a darker color and leave the wall plain. I think when you try to "hide" a tv it just jumps out even more. I'm over trying to hide the tv.

I have a similar set-up although my TV is mounted on the wall. I hung two Le Klint pendant lamps in that empty spac. Dramatic and it doesn't distract me when I'm watching TV.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kcweiss/4882732319/

Oh, and I'd move the coat rack somewhere else.

O.M.G.! That is Flea's pants!

hmmm..iono..but after watching endless amounts of hgtv i always heard you should keep it simple around tv so that when youre actually "watching" you are not distracted by oodles of artwork and such. With that, I have no clue on how to decorate the big hole above. But I do like your photoshop ideas.

I think too much "clustering" will be a distraction behind a TV. I do like the collage walls on empty walls, but on a wall that will already have so much going on when the tube is on will be a bit hectic in my opinion. I would go big and simple.
Maybe a wall graphic of some sort, I really like the look of the rest of your living room, with muted colors and the pops of orange. Maybe a nice orange tree graphic of some sort (sending you a photo). It also plays nicely with the orange coat rack since it sort of mimics a tree. It would balance the two out pretty nice having both and give dimension since ones 2D and ones 3D.

I loved jokermans ideas, having the t.v on the wall would look great! and a dark brown paint colour would tie in well witht he rest of the living space. AND PLANTS! Best idea ever! A tall plant in a great pot would be amazing with the current entertainment centre you have!
Dear jokerman, YOU ARE BRILLIANT!

i think the media cabinet looks great and is the proper length and height. the tv doesn't necessarily have to be on the wall. you're on the right track--just keep playing around with various patterns of framed art/photos as in your photoshop. bookshelves would look great too.

I would go with a collage of B&W photo art in black frames -- a couple-three big ones and a few smaller arranged in a graphical composition that included the television as an element. That way it would just be one more framed black image among the many.

If you own, I'd say mount the TV on the wall as long as it's not a shared wall (so vibrations don't knock it down).

If you are renting, I'd go with different sized frames all around the left and top of the TV. I'd do a mix of art and family photos...make it interesting. I also like the idea of a large piece of art above the TV.

Do remember it's not a sin to own a TV and you don't have to hide it no matter what anyone says here.

Simple, a couple of floating shelves. Then you'll have some space to set books, pictures, etc. Just make sure that the shelves are as wide as the media console.

Another vote to move the coat tree away from the console. The coat tree draws the eye to the TV.

@ jokerman

oh man, do I ever feel like an idiot. I guess that;s what I get for skim reading in attempts to get though the site before i go on break.

Now be nice since I am just moving in and all, but this is what I'm going to be doing next week.

It is big enough that it will offset the rest of the wall, yet simple enough not to annoy anyone while watching TV.

Not that the whole gaming theme would work for your space, but I'd say to check out Blik. They've got lots of neat affordable ideas for large spaces.

i would mount the tv to the wall but centered... then center the media cabinet move the coat hanger elsewhere. then maybe a floating shelf about a foot down from the ceiling filled with cool,hip bric a brac just to add some depth to the wall and take the eyes away from the tv when it's not in use.

A GIANT CLOCK.

Man, I had a horrible shock for a second before I read that properly, mlhdrain :)

The trick here is to put something large-scale on the wall that is low on detail, so that the fact that the TV obscures part of it becomes irrelevant.

You could use a panel covered with high-end wallpaper, a large graphic, a silk carpet or a patchwork quilt (which is what I have behind my TV). However given the rest of your interior I'd like to see a cowhide rug up there - texture and drama without interfering with the colour scheme. The only issue is that you might need to mount it on a shaped MDF or plywood panel with double-sided tape.

A wall is a surface and not a space. It's two-dimensional, not three-dimensional.

Paint the wall. Rid yourself of that low cabinet and that coat rack.

Put the T.V. out on the curb. It'll be gone by morning, solving your problem.

Your place is great. I would paint the white doors on the console, so they disappear. Center the TV. I saw an article about painting a dark stripe the size of the console up the wall, that makes the TV disappear into the wall. If your wall is grey, you could paint it Charcoal, or maybe deep deep orange. You get the idea. The Mannequin in the corner is a great piece, also diverts the eye from the TV. Ditch the coat hanger.

Another idea, since the front door opens right into the living room, create an entrance. Hang a long screen attached to dowels, I did this in a similar situation and it makes a perfect entrance w/o cutting anything off. Furniture stores have great ideas for sectioning rooms off.

Sorry this is below the belt --
When i look at the 2nd photo, for some reason, I immediately imagined 3 big elephants staring down on a frightened goat!
And what's with the lifeless mannequin in the living room?
I'm shutting up. Sorry again.

I have the same issue in my apartment only that I have 12 foot ceilings, so I have more space to design. I agree with everyone else and I recommend centering the TV on the console unless it is off center for viewing purposes. Artwork would be too distracting even if you make the pictures and frames monochromatic. For my wall, I was thinking about doing a collage of frames only. They would be different shapes and sizes, but they would be painted the same color. Ornate frames with a lot of detail would bring in different shapes and break up the straight lines. By hanging empty frames, they would be no artwork to look at when the TV is on. Also, if you center the TV, you can hang vertically 3 short (about 12-16") floating shelves on each side of the TV that are the same color wood as your console to allow you more space to add vases, flowers or a porcelain owl ( :D). I wouldn't do anything to hide the TV. What's the point of that? It's not ugly, and by the formation of your living room, it appears that you are not consumed with worshipping the television. Luckily for you, you have the opportunity to put up wallpaper or paint the wall. I have a slightly harder challenge since I am renting and cannot paint the walls.
Good luck, and I hoped I helped out in some way.

I really like a lot of the ideas you're getting. There is a nice variety of creative options. I am not an interior designer. I am a graphic designer and I often try to translate the principles that I use on paper into designing space. I did a quick mock-up of an idea I had for your wall. I tried to work inside of the space you specified.

www.box.net/twosmooth/1/48712976/485218312

Basically, I used the Rule of Thirds as a guideline to place objects. The objects are not to scale. Here are the highlights:

1. I added two wooden shelves that match the stands that the tv sits on. I like having the option to quickly change objects on the wall. You already have pictures on the wall, so shelves are a nice addition and the items can be swapped out.
2. I like the way the orange elements pop in the room. I added a poster with orange in it to accent that.
3. There are a couple of pieces with metal on them. I added metal vases and an accent piece to compliment those.
4. I saw a round clock on the wall above a doorway, but I added another one because flip clocks look cool.

Just some ideas. Have fun!

If you are looking for something cheap, buy some kind of textile in IKEA or whereever and hang it on.

Everyone, thanks for all the suggestions! A lot of very good ideas.

As a side note, I'm not really ashamed of the TV, just wanted what ever I did with the wall to work with the TV being there.

Thanks to @twosmooth and @Kale for the mock ups. Both look great. Most likely will use elements from both.

I agree with everyone that the TV should be mounted and the coat rack needs to be moved. I like the idea of plants and some elements on the media cabinet too.

@Jokerman, I had to compromise on the audio system. Wanted something stealth, but realized that would mean a less then stellar sound system. The center channel is located in the media cabinet since it has to be open to watch TV. The speakers are small, but have pretty good sound. I ended up with the Energy Micro 5.1s linked to a Pioneer VSX-21THX receiver.

Oh yeah…. those are a pair of Flea stuffed animal pants in the corner on the mannequin. I made them for Halloween a few years back. Seemed a shame to hide them away in a closet.

I'm dying to know where tv stand/cadenza thingy came from. Anyone know? Want.

If you really want to take the attention away from the television, ideally the frame would be silver or white. Whatever you do, DO NOT move the TV up higher... that really draws attention to it. Also add doors to the entire credenza that you can close to keep it clean when not in use. The dark artwork adjacent to the TV does tend to make it look like there are two TV s ... may want to feature that piece elsewhere.

I can't really tell if dimensions of the room would allow this from the photos, but I think the best solution would be to take the two chairs and move them to the end of the sofa by the door, so that they are perpendicular to the sofa. Then put the TV in the corner on a smaller media stand underneath that black and white photo. Tucked in that corner it wouldn't command so much attention. I also think that having the TV there would be much for comfortable for viewing purposes. It seems a bit far away on that other wall. I love the long credenza where it is, just fill that wall with art.

A dark wall paper (with a big bold pattern, t go with your lovely room) behind the TV will make it less obvious.
The credenza is beautiful!

I mounted a 7' sailfish above my TV. I suppose it's not for everyone, but I love it.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3453/3184043600_f8c1b7df1a.jpg

Love -- almost -- what is in the photo illustration right now. Just paint the balloon border black, fill it in with gray or or favorite color and finish painting the phrase "Fill This Space" in black. Don't hesitate. It will be great and fresh for a long time!

Hey Paul,

I've been looking for a console similar to that for a few weeks now. I'd love to know where you got it. Thanks!

The media cabinet is made by Mash Studios. It is the LAX Series "Entertainment Shelf." I got it from 2modern.com.

Ok, well actually it is two entertainment shelves side by side. I had one but it didn't fill the space enough. The two together work well in the space. It allowed me to hide all my electronics. One side houses the Blue-ray, Receiver, and center channel speaker. The other side holds the modem, wireless router, and a media computer. Lucky enough the edges of the two units are completely flat, so it looks like one giant unit and they sit flush to each other.

www.laxseries.com/live_and_relax/entertainment_shelf.html

A single vintage movie poster may be enough. I don't know if you must hang something directly above the TV in order to pull attention away from the screen.

I'm a fan of 3D. Unusual objects you don't expect to see on a wall - often cheap or free - can be elevated to the status of dynamic, one of a kind sculpture.

I love seeing a collection of found objects of similar patina, purpose or color being used to provide a break - visual and depth-wise, from the SQUARENESS of the t.v. Adding more flat squares is not the only solution here, all due respect to those who suggest dozens of frames.

A collection of antique hand tools, strange, unique designs of vintage wooden clothes hangers... even rusted pieces of twisted metal from a nearby abandoned lot can be arranged in such a way as to look thoroughly modern and well thought out -- easily as creative as a million dollar installation at a contemporary art museum.

@Bredlo agreed!

Thanks, mate. Splendid taste.