Unit TV Modern Ideas: 9 Designs for the Living Room

Scarlett Hilton

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Modern white floating TV unit with a large screen and backlit shelving.

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Room size and how much you want hidden decide which of these units fits, and the ideas run from a sleek wall-mounted unit to a marble panel backdrop and a backlit panel.

Whichever you pick, check the width first: the USM Haller console here measures 60" W, so the TV has to fit it before anything gets ordered.

1. Sleek Wall-Mounted Unit

White wall-mounted TV unit with floating shelves and backlit television in modern living room.
The wall-mounted TV keeps the floor clear, making the room feel larger. · 📷 @edijimhome

A wall-mounted TV with a floating console below and a shelf above keeps the floor clear, which matters most in a small room. Open floor under the console makes the space read larger and lets a vacuum pass straight through.

I like this setup in white because the unit fades into the wall and the screen stays the focus.

Keep the decor on the shelf to a few pieces, such as a plant, a frame and a candle, so the wall doesn’t turn busy.

2. Modular Unit

Modern TV unit with marble backlit panel, wooden shelving, and white storage drawers.
Modular pieces allow for a customized entertainment center that can grow over time. · 📷 @mr_khan_interiors

Built from separate pieces, a modular unit lets you mix wood paneling, a marble back panel and white storage drawers in one wall.

Floating cabinets can be added one at a time, so the project spreads across several paychecks instead of one big bill.

Lay the pieces out on the floor first, or mark them on the wall with painter’s tape, before drilling anything. Integrated LED lighting is a separate add-on I would pick last, once the layout feels settled.

3. USM Haller Media Console

Beige USM Haller media console with chrome frame under a wall-mounted television.
The chromed steel gives this console a clean look that suits a plain wall. · 📷 @latelier50design

Chromed steel tubes and powder-coated steel panels give the USM Haller console a hard, clean look that suits a plain white wall.

The model I’d point to measures 23" H x 60" W x 15" D, so check that 60" width against your TV before ordering.

The color range runs wide, with options like Golden Yellow, Olive Green and Beige. Beige is the quiet choice; a bolder shade turns the console into the one loud thing in the room.

Investing in midcentury design is what makes this USM Haller media console a must-have. It was designed in 1961 by Fritz Haller and Paul Schaerer as part of a modern modular furniture repertoire for the brand, which was once a Swiss hardware and lock business.

— Architectural Digest

4. Wooden and Natural Finish Units

Wooden TV console and floating shelf with plants in a modern living room
Matching wood tones in the console and shelves create a cohesive look in the room. · 📷 @my_bohointerior_

Wood warms a room that has a lot of white, glass or screen in it. A wooden console with matching floating shelves reads as one piece, so pick the same tone for both instead of two near matches that clash.

Plants on the shelf suit the finish well. A wooden coffee table and a patterned rug extend the look, though I would stop at one pattern so the grain stays visible.

5. Unit with Open and Closed Shelving

Modern TV unit with a mix of open glass shelving and closed drawers.
Closed drawers hide clutter while glass shelving displays favorite items. · 📷 @advin_yes

Closed drawers hide the clutter, while a glass-fronted open shelf gives you a spot to display a few things. Splitting storage this way means remotes and cables go behind doors, and only the pieces you like stay on view.

Put the things you use daily in the drawers.

A floating ledge near the screen holds a lamp or a small frame without adding bulk. I’d keep the glass shelf sparse, with just a few objects, so the open section stays light next to the closed doors.

6. Backlit Panel

Modern cream TV unit with backlit marble panel and integrated shelving in living room
The backlit marble panel adds depth and acts as a glowing frame for the TV. · 📷 @akkhanbrothers.interiors

A backlit panel behind the TV works like a glowing frame, and in marble it adds depth to a plain wall. A low-profile console in a cream tone keeps the lower half calm so the panel does the work.

Real marble costs a lot, and the panel is the biggest expense in this idea. On a budget, I would choose a marble-look surface and keep the lighting warm and dim enough that it doesn’t compete with the screen.

7. Minimalist Unit with Hidden Storage

White modern TV unit with vertical slats and hidden storage in a bright living room.
Vertical slats on the doors add texture while hiding storage behind them. · 📷 @houseofgela

Vertical slats on the doors give a plain white unit some texture while the storage behind them stays out of sight.

Open shelving beside the closed section leaves room for a few objects, so the unit doesn’t feel like a solid block.

Keep the open shelves light, with 2 or 3 pieces, and let the slatted doors carry the pattern.

White on white keeps a small living room calm, since a low unit in the same shade as the wall fades back instead of cutting the room into blocks.

Closed doors hide the clutter, so keep the things you want out of sight behind them and let the TV sit on the clean top surface.

8. Marble Panel Backdrop Unit

Modern TV unit with marble backdrop and slatted wall in a minimalist living room.
The marble backdrop and slatted wall create a harmonious design with the console. · 📷 @surekhinteriorbyshubham_patil

Marble behind the screen, a slatted wall beside it and a long grey floating console below make 3 surfaces that need to agree.

Grey in the console picks up the veining in the stone, so the marble reads as part of the wall rather than a patch.

Real marble is the costly part, so a marble-look panel is the version I would price first. Check the lighting built into the slats before buying; I’d keep it warm and low so the screen stays the brightest thing.

9. Curved Silhouette TV Unit

Modern curved dark wood TV unit and coffee table in a minimalist living room.
Curved edges on the console soften the straight lines in the room. · 📷 @marcofurniture.com.au

Rounded edges on a dark wood console soften a room full of straight lines, from the wall-mounted TV to the window frames.

Repeat the curve once elsewhere in the room, such as with an oval or round coffee table, and the unit looks planned instead of lonely.

A rug under both ties them together, and it should be large enough for the front legs of the sofa to sit on.

Stay with one wood tone across both pieces so the shapes read as a set. Curves also mean fewer sharp corners to bump in a tight walkway, which I count in their favor.

Choosing the Right TV Unit

Start with the TV’s height. The center of the screen should land near seated eye level, so measure from your sofa cushion to eye height before you buy or drill anything.

Ventilation matters as much as looks. A TV needs open air around it, so skip any unit with a closed, tight cavity behind the screen, and check that the surface supports your model’s weight.

Cables ruin a clean unit faster than anything else. Ties or cable concealers cost little and keep wires out of sight, and a unit with a built-in channel for them is worth a few extra dollars.

Before you pick a size, list everything that has to fit inside: the cable box, a game console, a stack of DVDs, and the cords and controllers that come with them.

List them first, then pick the storage to fit the list, not the reverse.

Materials for TV Units

Material decides how long a unit lasts, so check it before you fall for a finish.

Plywood is strong and durable, which makes it the pick for a unit you want to keep for years.

MDF has a smooth surface that takes paint well, so it suits decorative pieces. Particle board is the cheap, light option, a fair choice on a tight budget if you accept it is the least tough of the group.

In a damp room like a basement or a bathroom-adjacent den, choose a moisture-resistant high-density fiberboard, which also grips screws better than ordinary particleboard.

Wood reads traditional. If you want something modern, light and slim, metal is the better fit.

Whatever you choose, the unit has to carry your TV and its accessories without sagging, so check the weight rating first.

Styling Your TV Unit

Decide between a full look and a bare one before you place anything.

Candles, vases, books and small curios give a unit a personal feel, while a single object or one potted plant keeps it minimal. I lean toward the single object in a small room.

Styling can also reach past the unit to the wall behind it.

A wall of stone veneer reads rustic, vertical fluted panels feel more contemporary, and one bold coat of paint behind the TV marks it off from the rest of the room.

Pick one of those treatments, not all three.

Finish by tidying the cables. A neat arrangement of plants, frames and books looks cluttered fast if wires hang below it.

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