Mounting your TV on the wall improves its visibility, and it frees up valuable surface space in your living room, media room or bedroom. But what about all of your companion equipment? Your cable box, DVD player, game console, streaming or Blu-Ray devices, etc. have to live somewhere, too. And they have to be nearby. One great solution is a TV wall mount combined with a shelf.

Adding an On-Wall Shelf to Your Mounted TV

This is a floating shelf unit. It’s sleek, strong, and versatile. It mounts directly below your TV and can hold components up to 15 pounds – perfect for secondary viewing spaces that require only one or two components like a home gym, kid's space or small room where space is limited. The shelves are adjustable to fit your specific equipment, and you can also stack shelf units to house more items. The SOA-AVS1 is good-looking, too – made of smoke-colored, tempered glass.

There are many different types in different styles. Modern styles are nice because they blend in with your TV, making the TV and AV equipment almost look like one unit. More traditional styles are nice because they smoothly blend the high-tech side of your lifestyle with any architectural style or décor.

Worried about ugly wires hanging down your wall? Never fear. The SANUS floating shelf has a built-in cord concealer. Better yet, SANUS offers inexpensive options to easily hide all those annoying AV wires and cables.

Worried about getting dragged into a major project? It takes just 15 minutes to install the SOA-AVS1.

Or You Can Design Built-Ins around Your TV

A built-in media or entertainment center can fill an entire wall if you like. However, this is a deluxe option and often takes careful planning with your builder. On the other hand, with some DIY skills, you can turn almost any wall into a built-in media center. You can incorporate the TV wall mount with shelf concept, or use other built-in shelves to accommodate AV components.

Or You Could Stick with a Freestanding Entertainment Center

It’s easy to find commercially-made TV stands and entertainment centers in every size, style and price range. But you can let your creativity loose here, instead. One popular entertainment center idea is the “fauxdenza” – an old bookcase, hutch or dresser, repurposed to accommodate your TV and associated electronic goodies.

Need some inspiration? Check out this blog article that shows 20 ways to decorate around a TV in any room. But don’t stop there. Pinterest alone will have you overwhelmed with interesting ideas. Want to make your own AV shelves instead? You’ll find several online DIY tutorials to show you how.

By combining a TV wall mount with shelf units, you can make your TV the center of attention, or make it recede into more interesting surroundings, or make it disappear altogether when you aren’t using it. The bottom line is that you don’t have to set your TV on a piece of furniture … you can mount it on the wall and mount AV components with it, to achieve an efficient, tidy and coordinated look.