apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

What about hiding the television completely?

Do you want it to dissappear or pop out?

I'd like to see a matte or eggshell graphite gray rectangle behind the screen and speakers. When I see it, though, I can't guaranty that I will like it...

part of me wants to use the chalkboard paint behind the tv and then paint a faux wood frame around it...

Why don't you frame the television by painting a rectangular box around it on the wall rather than painting the whole wall. I've seen this done in red and it is fairly interesting. Then throw a console/dresser under it for storage and placing things on and call it a day.
Another option I've seen is a wooden "background" from BO Concept; it mounts between the wall and the TV mount.

As I read the question, my first instinct was to go with a soft medium gray... or a green. Depending on the rest of your decor.
I think it's a good idea.

découpage

how about a wall map or something of that ilk?

I think if you paint the square behind the TV, think about framing the square with some narrow wood molding painted to match. Then, you can mirror the same framed square idea in a matching heighht in another part of the room, maybe framing a peice of artwork or a sconce.

Paint a night sky. You'll think you're at a Drive-in Movie. :)

I second the idea of a chalkboard rectangle behind the TV and speakers framed in a moulding matching the rest of the wall color. get some chalk and have a party where your friends can "decorate" for you by writing you messages on the chalk wall.

You don't want chalk dust near all of the expensive electronic equipment.

I'm surprised painting the whole wall didn't work out. Maybe a patterned wallpaper? I disagree with AT that red or brown would be good choices to go with your black equipment. It depends a lot on your furniture and taste, but I'd do a blue/gray. Good luck!

For entertainment rooms, the key is low contrast. You don't want to have whatever is happening on-screen competing with brightness around the tv. Think of movie theaters- you'd never see white walls because they would distract from the screen. So, a deep tone would focus your attention, while decreasing the emphasis of the set's bulkiness.

i'd put a floor to ceiling 'stage' curtain infront of the whole mess... red velvet of course.

Thanks for the good suggestions. The rest of my condo is still a blank slate, a very dark brown blank slate: http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/4839/76927804lo0.jpg

I'd like a dark tone so that this stuff blends in rather than stands out on the wall. A few weeks ago the entire wall was RL Acacia Green: http://rlhome.polo.com/rlhome/products/paint/items.asp?haid=50 , I loved how the whole wall disappeared in the dark leaving just a big picture floating in the air, but the huge dark olive green wall just didn't work for me the rest of the time and felt out of balance since this wall is 1/2 of one side of a rectangular room. After some other poor color choices on my part, I decided to wipe the slate clean by painting the entire space RL Architectural Off White.

So from the above, I'm thinking my best choices would bee:

1) Dark brown to match my floor and furniture?
2) Dark red to tie in w/the artwork and pillows?
3) Dark gray or silver to match the stainless and brushed steel fixtures scattered all about?

I cried when my husband brought home what seemed like a mammoth black flat panel television just as I had finished the final touches on our previous living room. It just seemed to leap out from the wall and was terrible! Our (His) Solution: Painting the wall a charcoal grayish/brown color. It was dark at first but eventually I got used to it and the TV did not seem so huge and just seemed to blend in with the wall. We also had a brown leather couch and chair and the color seemed to go well. At first I was really hesitant (I called it his bachelor pad) but it grew on me and was a really nice solution. I wish I had some pictures to send but we just moved out...I'll see if we have anything from before we left. Best of luck!

Do you remember the name of the charcoal color and/or brand?

Is it me or does anyone else not like a big screen hanging on the wall?

I think that a charcoal grey, or something similar would be nice, and I like that low faux baseboard molding that you've taped off to include into it, above your actual baseboard molding, but then, if you do that, I'd like to see that little extra faux baseboard go all the way about the room, but if you leave the real baseboards and all the trim white it's going to look like white sneakers worn with grey flannel trousers, which may not be that great, so I'd think about a different trim color, like perhaps a warm grey?

AE--

It's just you. ;)

Charcoal, graphite, cement, a muddy gold (like chamois), a deep muddy plum... I think you have a lot of choices. But, for best daytime viewing, a really neutral "photo gray" will keep onscreen colors the truest, and reduce eye fatigue.

Otherwise, anything from a deep midtone to something as dark as your floor. But while I'd see matching the value of the floor, I'd change the actual color of the wall. The only choice so far I'm not feeling is a red, unless a really earthy, toned down, deep barn red. Red and black seems really dated to me these days.

Btw, love the rest of the apartment.

Hmm, the "stage curtain" comment got me thinking... upholster or drape that section of wall in a warm taupe velvet, similar to your chair colors. Well-placed holes in the fabric to acommodate the wiring, of course.

I'd have do some googling to figure out what you mean by upholstering the wall section (literally, attaching some fabric to it?), but I think you just inspiration I was looking for -- texture, eg. the Ralph Lauren suede finish in taupe matching the chairs, or maybe the river rock finish in a warm concrete grey, or maybe even river rock in the dark brick red.

Check back in a couple days and link to a pic w/one of these options implemented...

Stephen--

It could be done by wrapping small (or larger) squares of thin wood with fabric (over batting), or covering the whole wall with batting, then covering it with fabric stapled top to bottom. I've also done it by creating a thin frame the size of the wall and wrapping it like a canvas (again, over a layer of batting). When I did that, I had the panels all sewn together first. Once stretched, I hoisted the whole thing upright and tacked it discreetly to the wall with small brads through the outside frame.

I was actually also going to suggest one of the RL textured paints!!

Maybe also papering that wall with a dark grasscloth.

This river rock texture is perfect. I went big, just in case I'm still in this unit when I get that 71" plasma, b/c it's definitely a one-way ticket -- the texture would have to be sanded off and reapplied if I needed a little more space.

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/6393/59240441he7.jpg

I think your idea w/the fabrics is perfect for the wall directly opposite this one w/the plasma and speakers b/c I'd like to soften it up anyway to cut down on sound reflections.