The Look of a Wall Unit for Less

I’ve walked into many homes where they still have a projection television. I get
it—it still works fine, so there’s no need to buy a new flat-screen just yet.
But it’s quite a challenge to decorate around these TVs because of their scale.
They tend to stick out like a big metal box—dare I say, eyesore—in the middle of
the room. Wall units can be very expensive, but you can easily buy individual
furniture pieces that will give you the look of an entertainment center for
less.  

The easiest option is to flank the television with two
bookcases, which can be wide or narrow depending on your space limitations. This
simple trick will blend the television in with the rest of the room’s decor. To
give this more of a cohesive design, I like placing large scale wall art or even
a display shelf centered above the TV, to fill in the empty space and unify the
two bookcases.  

If you prefer something more modern, you can install a
column of floating shelves on either side of the television. The goal is to
reflect the attention away from the black screen. By the way, even if you have
a conventional CRT television set (cathode ray tube, aka "old-school TV" at this
point) sitting on a media base by itself, these ideas will still work.

For a more streamlined look and additional surface space, choose a
bookcase no higher than two shelves. It won’t dominate the space visually and
can function as a table by allowing you to display decorative accessories on
top, such as picture frames, candles, etc. Remember, you can buy some with
doors too, in case you prefer to hide everything or use them as additional
storage.      

Who would have thought, huh?  The solution to creating
the look of a wall unit is a bookcase!