TV Wall Decor Ideas for Indian Homes: What to Hang Around the Screen
Good TV wall decor ideas start from one fact: a switched-off TV is the biggest dark rectangle in the room, and everything you hang near it gets compared with it. For a 43 or 55 inch TV in an Indian living room, that usually means prints beside the screen, about 8 to 12 cm from its edge, with their centres level with the centre of the screen.
Most TV wall advice online assumes a fireplace, a built-in media wall and permission to paint everything charcoal. Our homes rarely look like that. The TV hangs on a bracket above a low unit, the set-top box and router sit on top of it, and there's always a switchboard exactly where you wanted a print. Often the wall belongs to a landlord as well.
Every layout below is drawn to scale with real Art Theory prints and real screen sizes, in centimetres. None of it needs a drill, and one of the options doesn't touch the wall at all.
Measure the screen before you pick a single print
TVs are sold by their diagonal, which tells you very little about the wall. What you need is the width and height of the panel, and two heights from the floor: its top edge and its bottom edge.
Take those numbers with a tape, then sketch whatever limits the wall. The switchboard, the AC unit, a window frame, the cable drop from the set-top box. That rough sketch will decide more than your taste does.
| TV size | Screen area (approx.) | What sits well beside it |
|---|---|---|
| 32 inch | 71 × 40 cm | One A4 on each side, or one A3 on the open side |
| 43 inch | 95 × 54 cm | One A3 on each side, or a row of three A4s above |
| 50 inch | 111 × 62 cm | An A3 over an A4 on each side |
| 55 inch | 122 × 69 cm | A3 over A4 stacks, or an A5 kit wrapped around the screen |
| 65 inch | 144 × 81 cm | Two-column stacks or a full kit, with at least 2.5 m of clear wall |
Those figures come from the 16:9 shape of the panel, worked out from the diagonal. Your TV's outer frame adds a centimetre or two, so measure your own set before trusting the table. Print sizes follow the ISO 216 A series: A3 is 29.7 × 42 cm, A4 is 21 × 29.7 cm and A5 is 14.8 × 21 cm.
Now the part that catches most people. Your eye compares heights first, and a 55 inch TV is about 69 cm tall. A single A3 beside it is 42 cm, so it ends up looking like a note stuck to the fridge. Put an A4 under each A3 with a 5 cm gap and each side becomes 76.7 cm tall. That's close enough to the screen for the wall to look planned, and it's the layout in the image at the top of this page.
TV wall decor ideas for the living room
If you're wondering what to put on the wall next to the TV, beside the screen is the safest answer. The art sits at the height you already look at, and it works whether the TV is on a bracket or a stand. Above the TV and all the way around it are both possible, with more conditions attached.
Matching pairs for a centred TV
When the TV is in the middle of the wall and nothing blocks either side, mirror it. One A3 on each side of a 43 inch TV, with a 10 cm gap, makes a group about 176 cm wide. On a 55 inch TV, the A3 over A4 stacks come to roughly 203 cm.
- Line up the centre of each print, or each stack, with the centre of the screen rather than its top edge.
- Keep the gap between the TV and the art identical on both sides. Even 2 cm of difference shows from the sofa.
- Stay within one collection so the pair reads as a set. The hero layout uses four Element Dark prints, two eclipse studies on top and two lone figures below.
One column when the wall isn't symmetrical
Plenty of TV walls have a switchboard, a window or a door frame on one side. Balancing that with a second print usually squeezes the art into a gap it doesn't fit.
Use one tall column on the open side and leave the other side bare. Three A4 prints with 5 cm gaps make a column 99 cm tall, taller than any screen up to 65 inches, so it holds its own against the TV. Keep it 12 cm from the screen edge. Its centre can sit a few centimetres above the TV's centre, since the unit takes up the bottom of the wall.
The empty half matters as much as the column does. For the gap maths on other combinations, the gallery wall spacing guide works through A4 and A3 groups step by step.
Art above the TV, if the TV sits low
We go back and forth on this one. A row above the screen can look sharp, and it can also make the whole wall feel top-heavy. Mostly it depends on how high the TV already sits.
It works when the top of the TV is around 130 cm from the floor or lower, which leaves room for a gap and a row without pushing the art up towards the ceiling. A designer quoted in Homes & Gardens suggests at least six inches between TV and art, and 15 cm is a sensible minimum.
Keep the row narrower than the TV, at roughly 70 to 80 percent of its width. Three A4 prints with 5 cm gaps come to 73 cm, which fits neatly over a 43 inch TV measuring about 97 cm across its frame. On a TV whose top edge is at 128 cm, a 15 cm gap puts the top of the row at about 172 cm.
Skip the row in any of these cases:
- the TV is mounted high, which is common in PG rooms and hostels where it's bolted up near the ceiling;
- an AC unit or a curtain rod already sits above the screen;
- the row would end above about 190 cm, where nobody looks while sitting down.
Not sure? Cut three sheets of paper to A4, tape them up for an evening and decide from the sofa. In a lot of rooms we end up moving the same three prints to the side of the screen.
A gallery wall around the TV
Wrapping the TV on three sides is the boldest option here, and it's the one that makes a large screen feel smaller. Keep the set calm and single-themed, because the TV adds moving pictures to the middle of it every evening.
This layout fits a 55 inch TV exactly:
- Two columns of A5 prints on each side, three rows high, with 4.4 cm gaps. Each side block is 71.8 cm tall, almost the same height as the TV.
- A 7.5 cm gap between the TV and the nearest prints on every side.
- A top row of 11 A5 prints running the full 206 cm, so its ends line up with the outer edges of the side blocks.
That's 23 prints, so a 25-print A5 kit covers it with two to spare. The Trip to Japan wall collage kit suits it well, because its soft, painterly palette doesn't compete with whatever's on screen.
Begin with the prints nearest the TV's corners, since they set every line you'll follow, and work outwards. An A4 printer sheet cut in half is exactly A5, so a few sheets and some masking tape give you a full paper mock-up before you peel any backing. The guide to hanging multiple posters walks through that template method, and every set is in the poster kits collection.
Pick art that can sit next to a black screen
Back to that dark rectangle for a moment. It's also the most useful colour cue on the wall, because whatever hangs beside it will either echo the black or fight it.
Echoing is the easy route. Black and white prints, or prints with large dark areas, borrow the TV's colour and make it look like part of the group. The Vogue collection has plenty of monochrome photography that does this, and the black and white wall decor ideas post covers how to stop that look from going cold.
Warm colour works too, as long as it has some depth to it. Lamp-lit interiors, wood tones and dusk scenes sit comfortably next to black glass. Thin neon brights and very pale pastels tend to look washed out once the screen is on, because the TV becomes the brightest thing in the room.
Frames give you another link to the TV. A thin black frame repeats the screen's own black edge, which is why a framed print often looks more at home on a TV wall than the same print unframed. Let It Simmer from the Koffee collection, shown above, is a warm picture held inside the same black outline the TV has.
One practical check. Art Theory prints have a matte, non-glare finish, so the paper won't throw back the tubelight. A glazed frame might, though. Sit on the sofa at night with your usual lights on, and if the window or the ceiling light shows up in the frame, move it to the other side of the TV.
No tape at all: lean frames on the TV unit
If your landlord is strict, or the paint is the kind that flakes when you look at it, skip the wall entirely. Two framed prints leaning on the TV unit look relaxed, and you can rearrange them in ten seconds.
- Lean a framed A3 at the back and a framed A4 slightly in front, overlapping it by a few centimetres.
- Use the side of the unit away from the set-top box and router, so cables and blinking lights stay out of the picture.
- Check that the bottom edge of each frame sits fully on the unit. A small piece of removable putty under the edge stops it sliding when someone dusts.
This suits a TV on its own stand best. The screen sits low, close to the frames, instead of floating high above them. Our framed posters guide goes deeper on frame colour and size, and there are more no-drill ideas for the rest of the flat in renter-friendly wall decor for Indian homes.
TV wall decor ideas for the bedroom
You see a bedroom TV wall from the bed, usually with the lights low, so it should be quieter than the living room. One column or one pair is plenty. A full wrap around a bedroom TV tends to feel like the screen is watching you back.
Soft, low-contrast colour suits this wall. Blues are a natural fit, and the Mlue collection has calm wave and leaf prints that sit well beside a dark screen. Unframed matte prints make more sense here, since a glazed frame can catch the TV's light at night and bounce it towards the pillow.
Leave out art above a bedroom TV. Lying back, your eye line is low, and a row up near the ceiling lands somewhere you never look.
Wires, switchboards and other things that crowd a TV wall
The cable drop is the least glamorous part of any TV wall, and it can wreck a good layout if you plan around it last.
- Put the art on the side away from the cables. If a wire runs down the left, the column goes on the right.
- A plastic cable channel painted the wall colour disappears far better than wires taped flat. Don't stick prints over it, because you'll need to open it one day.
- Keep paper and tape off the TV, its vents and the bracket. Screens get warm at the back and top.
- Leave a hand's width of clear wall around every switchboard, so nobody has to peel a print to reach the fan switch.
Wall finish matters as well. Pre-applied tape usually holds on smooth paint, but test it on a hidden spot first, because paint varies a lot from one building to the next. Textured and rough plaster need a different approach, covered in the guide to hanging posters on textured walls.
Mistakes that make a TV wall look busy
- Scattering small A6 prints beside a big screen. Next to a 55 inch TV they read as clutter.
- Letting prints touch the TV frame, which makes the art look squeezed in.
- Tops and centres that line up with nothing. Every print should align with the TV's top, bottom or centre line.
- Mixing two collections with different moods on one wall when the TV is already a third thing to look at.
- Hanging art directly behind the TV, where nobody will see it once the screen goes up.
Frequently asked questions
Should you hang art above a TV?
Yes, if the top of the TV is low enough to leave at least 15 cm of gap and the art still sits within a comfortable eye line. If the TV is already mounted high, or there's an AC unit above it, put the art beside the screen instead.
How far should art be from a TV?
For prints beside the TV, 8 to 12 cm from the screen edge looks connected without feeling cramped. Above the TV, leave at least 15 cm. Keep the gap identical on both sides of a centred TV.
What size posters go next to a 55 inch TV?
A single A3 on each side looks small next to a 55 inch screen, which is about 69 cm tall. An A3 over an A4 on each side, around 77 cm tall per stack, matches the TV's height much better. An A5 kit wrapped around three sides also works.
What can I put on the wall next to a mounted TV without drilling?
Prints with pre-applied tape go up without tools, but test the tape on a hidden area first because paint finishes vary. If you'd rather keep the wall untouched, lean framed prints on the TV unit.
Test your TV wall decor at night
You can check any of these TV wall decor ideas before a single print goes up. Cut paper to size, tape it to the wall with masking tape and switch the TV on at 9 pm with the lights you normally use. Look from where you actually sit, not from the doorway. If the paper still looks right after two evenings, the real prints will too.
One wall we still haven't cracked is a 65 inch TV on a three-metre wall in a narrow hall, where everyone sits closer to the screen than anyone planned for. If you've made that one work, send us a photo.
Shop the collection: Single posters in A3, A4 and A5
Read next: Poster size guide for every wall