MantelMount

A modern living room has to do it all: movie nights, Zoom calls, gaming systems. And right in the middle of it is the decision that quietly shapes how the whole room feels: Should you go with a TV stand or a wall mount? This isn’t just a hardware choice. It’s a choice about: How permanent your layout is How visible your “tech” is How easy it is to clean, rearrange, and upgrade Whether your room looks intentional—or like “TV happened here” The good news: once you evaluate your room like a system, the right answer becomes obvious. By the end of this guide, you’ll know which option fits your space, your walls, and your lifestyle—plus a few modern living room TV ideas that look good and hold up in real life. Related Reading: 25 Tips & Ideas to Decorate a Living Room TV Wall The fastest way to decide: what are you optimizing for? Before you compare aesthetics and costs, decide what matters most. In most homes, it comes down to four priorities: Space and flow: Are walkways tight? Is the room small or open-plan? Flexibility: Do you rearrange furniture, upgrade often, or move frequently? Visual calm: Do you want a clean, modern focal wall? Storage: Do you need space for consoles, routers, remotes, games, or a receiver? A usually wins on space and visual calm. A TV stand usually wins on flexibility and storage. The best TV setup for your living room isn’t the most expensive—it’s the one that doesn’t fight your habits. TV stand: why it’s the “forgiving” option A TV stand is forgiving. You can shift it left, swap TV sizes, adjust the seating, or move apartments without turning your wall into a repair project. If you’re even a little undecided about layout, a stand keeps your options open. It also solves a boring but important problem: all the things that need to live near a TV. Streaming boxes, game consoles, a router, an AV receiver, spare batteries, and the remote you always lose. Closed storage isn’t exciting, but it’s what makes a room feel calm. Tradeoffs: Stands can unintentionally dominate the room—especially deep, bulky consoles. And if you don’t manage cords, the area behind the cabinet becomes a dusty knot of cables. Stand tip: A slim console with closed storage is the fastest way to get a modern look without a major project. Wall mount: why it can instantly modernize a room (and when it backfires) Mounting a TV is one of the few changes that can make a standard living room feel more custom. Done well, it frees floor space, cleans up sightlines, and makes the TV feel “built in” instead of “placed.” In tight rooms or focal-wall setups, a is often the answer. But wall mounting is a little less forgiving. If you mount too high, you’ll feel it in your neck. If you mount before planning cables and soundbar placement, you risk the modern look’s biggest failure: a floating TV with a dangling black power cord and visible HDMI snake. And then there’s the wall itself. Not every wall is equally friendly to mounting. Should you wall mount your TV? Ask yourself these questions before deciding: 1. Do you know where the TV should go based on seating—not wall symmetry? People mount to the “center of the wall” even when the sofa is off-axis, glare is brutal, or the primary seat is to one side. A stand lets you cheat placement more easily. Mounting rewards certainty. 2. Can you mount safely on your wall type? In most living rooms, you want to hit studs. Drywall alone is not the place for wishful thinking with a large TV. Masonry, plaster, and unpredictable stud spacing can still work—but it becomes a planning exercise, not a weekend impulse. 3. Will you actually handle cables cleanly? A stand hides clutter. A wall mount exposes it. If you won’t manage cords, a mount can look worse than a stand. If you answered “yes” to all three, wall mounting is usually the better modern-living-room move. Modern living room TV ideas that look intentional A modern TV setup is mostly about restraint: fewer visible wires, fewer mismatched boxes, and proportions that make sense. Here are a few modern living room TV ideas that work in real homes: Pair a mounted TV with a slim console Going ultra-minimal is where people get burned. A low-profile console under a mounted TV anchors the wall, hides devices, and saves you from visible clutter. Choose the right mount type Fixed mount: cleanest look, least flexible (best when seating is centered and glare is controlled) Tilting mount: often the best all-around choice (helps with glare and slightly higher installs) Full-motion mount: best for multiple viewing angles, open-plan rooms, or awkward seating—but requires more cable slack and planning Visit MantelMount’s collection of pull-down TV mounts Treat cable management like part of the design If you want the “clean rectangle on the wall” look, you need a cable plan that matches your comfort level. Cable management options: Good: Paintable surface raceway to a console (minimal wall work) Better: In-wall rated pass-through for HDMI/low-voltage cables (plus proper power placement) Best: Pro-installed in-wall power + conduit for future cable changes Important note: power cables aren’t meant to be run loose inside walls. If you want truly hidden power, use code-compliant solutions or hire a pro. Don’t forget sound Plan for a soundbar or speakers before you mount. Soundbar placement can make or break the whole setup visually—and “where does the soundbar go now?” is a common post-mount regret. Best TV setup for a small living room This decision is less about style and more about circulation. When space is tight, a stand can force furniture to float awkwardly or shrink walkways. This is where space saving TV solutions matter. In small rooms, wall mounting usually wins because it reduces depth footprint and lets you use a slimmer console (or shelf). Exceptions where a stand is smarter: You can’t mount the TV at a comfortable height due to wall obstacles Your walls are unpredictable and you can’t mount into studs confidently Quick small-room layouts: Narrow room with a main walkway: Wall mount + shallow console keeps the path open Corner seating or diagonal layout: Stand often wins because you can angle and reposition easily Multi-use room (desk + TV): Mounting can help, but be careful—“high enough to clear a desk” becomes “too high” fast if it’s your main TV Which is better for an apartment? In most apartments, a TV stand is the lowest-risk option. You can still make it look modern with a slim console, closed storage, and cable discipline—without worrying about repairs. Wall mounting in an apartment can still make sense if: Your lease allows it (or you have permission) You can mount into studs confidently You’re comfortable patching and painting later (or hiring it out) Your room truly benefits from saved floor space A good compromise: mount the TV, keep a console below, and use a paintable surface raceway. It’s tidy, reversible, and far less stressful at move-out. The most common regrets (and how to avoid them) Here’s the short list of what goes wrong in real homes: Mounting too high: the #1 mistake Ignoring glare: a perfect night setup can be a daytime mirror Forgetting sound and devices: leads to awkward stacks and blocked sensors Over-optimizing minimalism: modern isn’t “nothing exists”—it’s “everything has a place” Which is better for a modern living room? Here’s the recommendation that holds up in most homes: If you want a clean, modern focal wall and can handle cables properly, , then add a slim console for storage and visual balance. If you rent, move often, or expect your layout to change, start with a good TV stand and modernize it with proportion, closed storage, and tidy cables. If you’re still on the fence, use this tie-breaker: Choose the option you can finish cleanly. A slightly less “architectural” setup that’s tidy will look more modern than a mounted TV with visible cords and nowhere for the gear.