Filling Up a Large Living Room Wall

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We’ve lived in our new home for nearly a year now (time flies!) and while I’ve gotten a few things in place for the space (namely the sofa, ottomans, and rug), we’ve been at a huge stalemate in terms of what to do on the super long TV wall. I wrote about this last year, and while I really wanted a fireplace in the space for mantle type decor options, ultimately they were too small in scale for the space. After nearly a year of thinking, my husband and I decided we wanted the widest TV console/stand we could find for the least amount of money possible. NBD, right?

Initially we wanted to DIY some built-ins, but given how narrow our home is, we didn’t want to feel sandwiched between the cabinets in the kitchen and the built-ins in the living room.

Instead we focused on filling the width of our massive wall. Finding a 90″+ wide TV console that is stylish is no easy task. I feel like I searched every single furniture and online retailer in existence. Finally, I ended up on my least favorite website… Hesitation, I mean, Restoration Hardware.

See, here’s the thing about RH. IT IS EXPENSIVE (even if it is stylish). I asked for opinions on the quality of RH in my Instagram stories one day, and 95% of the responses stated that while they really, really liked their RH pieces…they kind of regretted the amount of money they spent on the piece and wouldn’t do it again. I hate regretful spending. Stresses. Me. Out.

Still, I tried to be open that this would be a potential one time investment of a crap ton of money for something that would always make me happy. And then I promptly fell in love with this beauty:

I tried to figure out ways to DIY it, I tried looking for similar and failed. And then I priced out the RH piece with their membership program, plus delivery, plus tax, plus my kidney…and it was over $3,500. I slept on it, I tried to convince myself it was worth the money for the look I wanted, and I just cannot do it.

That is too much for a piece of furniture. Plus I saw a photo of a damaged corner in an RH Outlet of this very stand and the top has MDF around all the edges. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Then I decided to peruse the Furniture Row website one evening on the sofa, and I saw this giant TV stand. Same type of door handles, only 3″ less wide at 97″ wide, and the exact same height as the RH version. The color is totally not black, but it is a dark, warm neutral wood that may grow on me,

And all for a third of the price…delivered.

So we bought it and gets here TOMORROW. UPDATE: it was delivered today and there was a giant issue in one of the corners…and back it goes. I’ll have to wait for a replacement. *Cue a tiny violin*

My immediate plans are to live with it as is, but if I just can’t take the warm wood look, I plan to stain it a black color (using my very successful espresso method) and add some gold to the door hardware. It may seem nuts to stain a brand new piece of furniture, but I’m ok with it. I think this was a happy compromise when you consider the stand is nearly identical, it’s a timeless look, and it’s THOUSANDS of dollars saved.

I also need to see how this piece jives with our black and gold etagere…I really don’t want to relocate this piece if I don’t have to. It’s ok to mix woods in a living room, yes? Ugh, mixing those two pieces is stressing me out. If I absolutely have to, the etagere can go in my office.

The RH piece and the way it’s styled will be our inspiration as we decorate this whole area. I’m on the prowl for some colorful artwork, buffet lamps or wall sconces, and we’re going to mount our TV. Then in those shelves on the ends of the TV stand I’ll be able to display some ginger jars, and I can lay a really gorgeous garland over the top of the stand for decor this holiday season.

I really love this artwork by Catherine Nolin. I discovered her recently on Etsy, and now I follow her on all social media. Her artwork is stunning. I’d love to own one of her originals some day, and I can’t say that about many artists. The way she uses color, furnishings, animals, and chinoiserie elements is breathtaking.

And this one:

Overall, I truly believe that sometimes taking your time with a space pays off because you get to really think about what you want, what will work, what will fit. If I had gone with my original fireplace and gold shelving plan, I’d be listing those on Craigslist to buy this stand. As much as it’s fun to get a room “done”, I think it’s much more fun to wait and not waste a ton of money.

Kind of bummed it didn’t work out on the first delivery attempt, so let’s all collectively cross our fingers that it comes in next week unscathed. If you have artwork ideas, I’m all ears, xo!