Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How To Hang A Shelf Over The TV

Ding dong, the bare spot above the TV is dead.

Tv Shelf Vert Closer2

Remember how it used to look like this for a few years?

TV 1 Before From Couch

And then we graduated to a bigger tv and kept an eye out for the right media cabinet for another year or so.

TV 7 After From Couch

And then we finally got here with the help of a $59 cabinet that we found at a thrift store…

Before Shelf

Whew. So glad it’s NNM (nekkid no more). Don’t mind that power strip on the ground, I’ve since shoved it behind the media cabinet to hide it.

After Shelf

Dang it feels good to be a gangsta have a shelf there.

Tv Shelf Vert Closer4

We actually debated a bunch of options for above the TV (hanging frames/art, something 3D in the “wall decor” category, hanging a ready-made shelf, making one of our own so we could pick the length, depth, and the brackets, etc). The last idea won out thanks to keeping an eye out for anything in any of those categories for the last few years, not finding anything that worked/we loved, and finally taking matters into our own hands and making something that fit the wall perfectly.

The good news? It only took us a few hours and around $20.

Tv Shelf Detail 1

As for how we made it, we picked up a 10″ wide poplar board from Home Depot and just cut it to length and supported it with some store-bought brackets, also from Home Depot. Oh and the overall finished shelf length is 56″ since the media cabinet under it is 60″ (we thought that was a nice compatible length).

When it came to the color of the shelf and the brackets, we primed and painted them both white (the brackets were originally silver), just because we didn’t want the shelf to be bold/contrasty (we wanted it to layer into the room like the white frames over the sofa, the white mirror over the desk, etc).

Tv Shelf From Side

We also decided that putting the brackets on the top of the shelf instead of under it would keep everything on the same plane – instead of having potentially distracting brackets poking out from the bottom of the shelf and encroaching on the TV. It’s totally one of those to-each-his-own things, but we like the brackets up top in here since we have brackets under the shelves in the kitchen (Ikea sells some shelves with brackets on top, so it’s apparently a pretty common thing).

We just didn’t want the shelf itself stealing any attention from any zombies, white walkers, or dignified Brits that we might be watching on the TV below it (feel free to guess what three shows we just referenced). #nerdsforlife

Tv Shelf Detail3

Then we just used heavy duty anchors that were guaranteed to support a lot more weight than we’d ever put on that shelf to secure each of the brackets. We also added some extra strength adhesive to the bracket bases before screwing them into the face of the shelf for added insurance. Many people screw and glue things from above and it holds nice and firmly, so it’s not necessary for the brackets to be under the shelf in order to support it. Let’s just say that at least three Clara’s could theoretically hang on it…

Oh man. Could you lick these flowers, or is that just me? They’re called rhinocerus ranunculus.

Tv Shelf Detail2

I can’t tell you how much better it is to sit on the sofa without having weird “ugh, this wall has been blank for years! Dude GET ON THAT!” thoughts.

Now I can just sit with my feet up and dust my shoulders off, Jay-Z style.

Tv Shelf Vert Closer

As for what’s living it up on our new shelf, I leaned a few frames that we already had up there (and even used poster putty on the base of them to keep them nice and secure). Inside of them we have:

  • a “squeeze the day” page from an old Boden catalog that I’ve always loved
  • a blue botanical print from Ikea a while back
  • a polaroid of John and I at one of our book signings (we realized we didn’t really commemorate those in any way – and I even used some Clara art to make a cheerful yellow mat behind it)

Of course there are also those pretty fresh flowers that’ll die in a week or two and then I’ll find myself sitting on the couch thinking “ugh, those flowers are dead. Dude GET ON THAT!” – but the good news is that I’m now the proud owner of pretty West Elm paper flowers (more on that here) so those’ll hopefully pick up where the real ones left off.

Birthday Flowers

And then I’ll just get to sit on the sofa and concentrate on the zombies. As it should be.

Oh but before I go, blam:

Tour Liv Before2

Can you believe that’s how this wall of the living room looked on the day that we moved in?

Now it’s all “look at me now.”

Tv Shelf After Shot

What do you guys have over your TV? A mirror? A plant? A zombie action figure (you know, to complement the real ones on TV)?

Comments

  2. Erin {Home Everyday} says

    This looks beautiful. I love that you can switch out things there whenever you wanted. Right now everything there looks so bright and springy. Also, I like how the brackets are on this shelf. Nice work!

    Reply

  6. Jenny says

    Wow, So simple and yet what a big difference. I love your clean, fresh style. I was wondering, what is the height of your ceilings? I am wondering if this sort of thing would work for my space above our tv,but I think our tv cabinet is taller and that would make our shelf too high. Is yours eye level for John or higher than that?

    Reply

  7. Dina says

    We have a shelf over our TV!! It holds a few frames and a few sesonal things that we can change out easily.
    We love it; hope you do, too!

    Reply

  10. Lisa says

    Looks wonderful! Love the ranunculus. I just planted 4 ranunculus in my backyard yesterday and got a few fake ones for a vase in my bathroom. My new catch phrase is ranunculus is radonkulous!! #alsonerdforlife

    Reply

    • Plein Jane says

      Lisa has the right spelling of the flower — ranunculus, without the “o.” It’s my absolute favorite, but it has such a short growing season! A clerk at Whole Foods once compared the petals to the feathers on a chicken’s neck, and it’s true! I love all the layers. We have some fuscia and white ones in our dining room right now, and I always stop to pet them on my way through.

  12. Meghan says

    you guys never fail to inspire me! i love how simple and affordable this shelf is….i know what i’m doing this weekend!
    p.s. love your curator’s collection on joss & main :)

    Reply

  14. Karen T says

    It’s nekkid behind our TV! It’s actually in the corner of the room, and I can’t figure out what to put behind it. It’s been driving me bonkers. Any ideas?

    Reply

  15. Renee says

    This one’s “not my jam.” It looks like a shelf hung upside down with hardware exposed. A floating shelf wouldn’t have worked?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yeah, I’m sure 100 people would shelf up their walls in 100 different ways, so it’s all personal preference. We actually prefrered the idea of upper brackets over a floating shelf, just for a little less of a super-mod look, so we went that route :)

      xo
      s

  17. Rosanne says

    I love it! I don’t have anything above ours, but you’ve got me athinkin’. We have cathedral ceilings and it a big empty space above, I have a shelf on the opposite wall, what if I move that….hmmmm, gotta go!

    Reply

  19. Kirsten @ Through the Front Door says

    It turned out fantastic! I’m a sucker for ranunculuses, so that’s just an additional plus in my book :) I struggled with what to do above our tv for such a long time too, and ended up going the same route. Since I couldn’t find anything that worked perfectly in the space, we ended up building a floating shelf, and then putting the funny individual pictures we took of all of our friends/family at our wedding on it. It was a win win because I had no idea how I’d otherwise put up 14+ tiny photos somewhere in our house that didn’t look ridiculous (kirstenerickson.blogspot.com/2013/03/television-tales.html)

    Keep up the fantastic work!

    Reply

  21. Rebecca @This Nest is Best says

    Particularly since our last name is Lemon, I have always loved your Squeeze the Day print! And those flowers are gorgeous! The first time Mr. Lemon heard of that type of flower he came home and said “Did you know there is a flower called ‘Ridiculous’?” I had a good laugh on that one :)

    Reply

  22. LauraC says

    Didn’t know a shelf was missing until you added it! ;) Looks really good! The last picture is especially nice because it’s kind of a new angle and you can see into the sunroom through the living room.

    Reply

  27. kathy says

    I just love all your rap music references. remember the only reason my fiance finds it acceptable for me to read your blog everyday is bc of $herdog’s love for eminem, it automatically makes you that much cooler ;) xo

    Reply

  28. kristi@SimplePrettyThings says

    Cute shelf. Not sure I’m digging the upside down brackets but perhaps you’ll start a new fad! I’d probably just go for the floaty shelf thing. I love the fresh flowers. I’d probably end up staring at them instead of the TV ha!

    Reply

  29. Megan I says

    LOVE! We have the same blank wall above our TV. In my head there’s a beautiful built-in on that wall, but since that’s not going to happen in our near future, I think the shelf is a great idea. Thanks so much for the idea! And P.S. – I was just eyeing ranunculous the other day. Love!

    Reply

  31. Lauren says

    Very nice!!! I like how you used the brackets on the top of the shelf (instead of underneath). One thing I couldn’t help but notice was your woven storage baskets…. is it me or is there a lot of competing browns going on with the floor, tv cabinet, and baskets? Have you ever thought about painting the storage baskets or something? Just curious :) Love your room!!!!!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, the floors are on my naughty list. We’d love to refinish them in a rich dark mocha tone someday! It’s just not in the budget right now. We did paint the bottom of those baskets in Clara’s room though, so that’s always another possibility :)

      xo
      s

  32. Alisa says

    God, I love Karmin. She’s amazing. I have cut leather I got from Tesoros (hopefully you popped in there when you were on South Congress in Austin!) that I mounted on a piece of watercolor paper and stuck in a frame over my tv. The leather is abstracted so sometimes when my husband is watching something I don’t like(not that we EVER run into that..) I stare it down trying to figure out what it “is.”

    Reply

  33. Lindsay says

    Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Downton Abbey are my top TV shows as well :) #damemaggiesmithridingdragonsinthezombieapocalypse

    Reply

  34. John says

    Looks good, but maybe some trim would make it a stronger statement. I know you were going for the minimal look though. Just an honest difference of opinion, and you can rap!

    Reply

  35. Stacey says

    The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Downton Abbey. . . Am I right? Am I right? Am I?!!!

    My man and I have been known to watch an entire season of Dexter in one weekend. We watched GoT II in one day while we were in bed with the flu. Next up for us is the next half of Suits II.

    Oh. . . And pretty shelf, btw! xxx

    Reply

  36. Peggy McKee says

    I saw that someone else said the shelf brackets have been installed upside down. I assume you have no other bracket supporting the shelf from below. If so, the weight of the objects on the shelf will push it down. Since the screws are held by the bracket, the shelf may pull away (down) from the screws and fall.

    In other words, only the screw are holding the shelf up–not the bracket. IMHO the shelf also needs a bracket below.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no worries, I mentioned in the post that we used heavy duty adhesive as well as screws into the poplar. People screw & glue into wood from above all the time and it holds :)

      xo
      s

  39. Ashley says

    Ok. Here’s the deal. I need you to come to my house and hook a sister up with some “empty spaces” consulting. I’m like, 20 minutes away from you. I will pay you in ceramic animals!!

    Reply

  40. Amber says

    I’ve been debating whether to hang stuff over the TV – you may have just convinced me!

    Also, I have to say, I’m a little disappointed there weren’t a ton of ceramic animals in your Joss & Main curator’s collection!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, don’t I know it?! I was on the hunt but the pickings were slim (I’m a cheap-o so I didn’t want to curate a collection of $100 ceramic animals, so the price had to be right, haha!).

      xo
      s

    • kristen says

      maybe i’m an ultra cheap-o, but most of the stuff in the collection is out of my league, price-wise :(

    • YoungHouseLove says

      While we don’t get to set the prices, we did our best to select inexpensive accessories. There are 27 things in the sale for $26.95 or less :)

      xo
      s

    • Pamela says

      Not the fault of YHL, but I’m getting annoyed with Joss and Main for their erratic pricing. You pay $30 for your fish print, but they charge $41. You pay $129 for an Adirondack chair and they now want $169. You pay $236 for Clara’s rug and they now charge $269. I’ve called them out on this before, but I think that if YHL is associated with the sale, J&M should charge the prices you paid.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’re not 100% sure how things work, but we hear that places like TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Joss & Main, and Overstock (even Target depending on the location) have flexible sale prices. They seem to go up and down randomly (wish it was the same across the board, but I think that flexing has to do with keeping costs down and being able to offer super-deals sometimes). Maybe they can clarify more about how it works?

      xo
      s

  42. Sarah says

    This looks great! We have a blank spot above our TV that I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with. Love this solution!

    I spent the weekend taking the wall behind our sofa from blah to bam – with lots of fabric covered canvas panels – 8 to be exact.

    Reply

  43. Lisa says

    This looks great! Such a (relatively) simple project that really brightens up the space. I’ve been trying to think of how to rearrange our living room, and this makes me…want to keep thinking! We have only two (really 1 1/2) walls to put things along, as the others include the door/windows to the enclosed front porch and the other has french doors opening into the dining room. Minus the 1/2 because one of the remaining walls includes the staircase.

    Ah, rowhouse life! Time to check around the hood to see how the neighbors have handled their living rooms…

    Reply

  44. mary @ B&G JOURNALS says

    i am still in awe of that great dresser transformation—it was the perfect find and i’m just a touch envious. in the best way possible. and i love that you went with the shelf. i always gravitate to gallery walls, but i definitely think when you have too many of those going on in different niches of your home, it takes away from the impact of the others and becomes boring. you found the perfect solution and it looks awesome! pinning this bad boy.

    Reply

  47. Erin says

    Our TV is mounted to our wall and so I have this bare TV stand screaming at me to decorate. I’ve tried putting pictures there, but I find my self staring at them rather than the TV and then compulsively want to change them up all the time. Any tips on something less distracting? :-)

    Reply

  48. Karen Q. says

    Awesome improvement! I’m totally diggin the upper brackets- it adds such a custom look to it- what a great idea! Be-a-utiful!

    Reply

  49. Leah says

    It looks great! I’ve been staring at the blank space above my TV for 3 years now, trying to figure out what to do there. The problem is that our TV stand is at an angle from the wall (not quite like a corner, just one side is away from the wall a bit), so I don’t know if a flat against-the-wall shelf would look “off” or not. So I just keep staring at it and telling myself I really need to do something there!

    Reply

  50. Maggie B. says

    Love it! We just moved into a house a few months ago and are realizing we have more projects on our TO-DO list than weekends and nights to accomplish them! I love these little projects that perk up a space and make it feel complete =) Also, I went to High School with Nick from Karmin, I love that they are main stream now and so many people are as in love with them as I am!!

    Reply

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