It all started with a black Friday sale.  We had been thinking about getting a flat screen TV for a while and we found the one we wanted on an Internet sale for $1000 off.  We decided it was time and pulled the trigger.  The TV we owned at the time fit in an armoire in the corner, but that wasn’t going to work for the new flat screen.  Despite the sacred DIY rule to never remove a fireplace, we decided to remove our fireplace, which didn’t work and we weren’t very fond of anyway.   As soon as we got home from visiting family, the project began.  (Guys don’t procrastinate on a project when a flat screen TV is involved.)

It was messy, but the demolition only took a few hours.

I patched and painted the wall and found a perfect vintage buffet to use as a console.   For a while, though, I struggled with how to handle the large expanse of wall around the TV.  I was hoping to use some chunky antique corbels to support a shelf to hang over the TV, but that idea didn’t pan out.  One thing I did have on hand was lots of plates, plate hangers, nails and a hammer.  Light bulb!

My husband is like a human level, so he helped me eyeball the arrangement, so it was symmetrical.  It was a very cheap and easy way to deal with the open space.

The TV is definitely still a big black box hanging on the wall, but it looks a lot better with some pretty friends.