The Best Ways to Stylishly Work a TV into a Small Apartment

Arranging furniture in a small space can be a daunting task. Lack of wall space, traffic flow, and seating configurations are a lot to consider. At first glance, there might not seem to be anywhere that the TV makes sense— or maybe you’re apprehensive about making your TV the focal point in the room (it is a black mirror most of the time). There are tricks of the design trade to help guide you when placing the TV so it doesn’t overwhelm the room and distract from your décor. You just have to be clever and a little creative. Here’s where to put a TV when space is at a premium.

Use your TV as a room divider

Your TV can provide so much more than entertainment, it can also add architecture to a room. No matter how small your apartment, you can create two livable spaces — say, a living room and a bedroom — using the TV as a room divider. Just check out the example above from an apartment listing on Innerspec (via Digs Digs). Bonus points if it swivels because then you can watch in both rooms. Just make sure you secure it properly and try to hide as many of the wires as possible.

Arrange a gallery wall around your TV

Treasured frames, prints and wall hangings can help you hide the TV in a gallery wall, so that it blends in with the rest of your eclectic decor, like seen here in the former apartment of Joanna Goddard of A Cup of Jo. Either wall-mount your TV or leave it free-standing on a console against a wall; then, arrange all of your art around it as if the screen were simply just another frame. And don’t be afraid to use the space below, too — perhaps low shelving for storage or a vintage table decorated with plants, candles, books or whatever accessories best fit your style.

Tuck the TV into a corner

Corners tend to be some of the most underutilized parts of a room, particularly in a small space. Take advantage of every nook and cranny by wall-mounting your TV in a corner, like in the home above from Oasis Design & Remodeling, or displaying it on a corner TV stand. That way you won’t risk it overwhelming the room.

Hide your TV when it’s not in use

Here’s a cool fix for a big TV in a small apartment: Mount it on the wall with a full motion swing out arm. You can extend it when you’re ready to binge on Netflix and retract it out of view when you’re not using it. Or, if you have a small screen, consider putting it in (or on) a small rolling cabinet and roll it into a closet (or at least out of the way) when it’s not in use. Out of sight, out of mind, right? There’s also the crazy clever solution from one of our Baltimore house tours: Make your own sliding artwork rig with some barn door hardware.

Give your living room a break

The “Should you have a TV in your bedroom?” conundrum is as old as time. And normally, I’d opt to keep the bedroom screen-free. But if you have wall-space galore in your bedroom, and can’t make it happen in your living room, I say go for it. With a few huge floor pillows and some retro folding TV tray tables (for snacks!), it’s easy to transform a bedroom — or any room — into the perfect TV-viewing setting. BONUS: When guests come over, they’ll marvel at how cultured you are, with wall space devoted only to your library and budding art collection. if only they knew of the Below Deck marathon you have planned for bedtime later.