For many families, the entertainment area, or space where they house the TV and other electronics, is the focal point of their living room, family room or other entertaining area. After all, it’s the place that houses the big screen. In addition to the television, home entertainment centers offer a stylish way to store your gaming equipment, cords, and other electronic gadgets. Many pieces even have sufficient shelving to display some of your favorite collectible items and decorative pieces. Not to mention—today’s consoles and centers are available in trendy designs to make a style statement in themselves.

The wide selection of TV and media consoles and entertainment centers comes in a variety of sizes and configurations to accommodate your storage and display needs, as well as the space that you have available. When you shop for your media console or entertainment center, you can go big or small, modern or traditional, and so much more. Read on to learn about media furniture options, starting with small and stylish choices and expanding to options that can cover a large part of your wall.

Media Consoles

If you’re not hanging your flat screen above your fireplace or on a wall, you’ll need a media console to hold your TV. A media console is defined as a small table or cabinet that displays your TV, and can also store other electronics. Media consoles can be plain tables, or they can contain drawers or open shelves. Some may not have the shelving capacity of a large wall unit, but almost all can store a few accessories or display some decor items.

The console continues to be the top choice for many people—perhaps due to its smaller size and versatility. For instance, media console furniture is a popular option for the following scenarios.

• Those who have a small living space and are looking for an alternative to an oversized entertainment center.
• People who like a more minimalistic design, especially modern media centers with simple open shelves and glass tops.
• Homeowners and renters that want to put a TV in a bedroom, guest bedroom, home office or other space, without making it a focal point of the room.

Another idea for mounting a TV in a bedroom is to use a TV frame, a piece that is designed to mount on the top of a dresser, just like a dresser mirror would attach. However, instead of a mirror, you can mount a flat screen television. A TV frame may come with mounting hardware so you can mount your TV to the dresser without ruining your walls, and built-in wire management helps you organize cords to the back of the unit, so you can keep your bedroom clutter free.

TV stands come in many design styles — from traditional and rustic to craftsman, transitional and modern — and each style is represented in a large range of media console tables and cabinets. Consoles are a good choice in a room with a farmhouse or rustic theme. Most are wooden, and the wood can complement other furnishings or contrast with them.

Along with style options, there are a variety of size options. Typically, you would select a console that’s a few inches wider than the TV on each side. However, you can put a smaller TV on a larger console if there’s a vase or some other decor item to lend a sense of balance.

Only have a corner to spare? They’re also an excellent option if you want to locate your TV set in a corner. A corner console can provide just enough storage, and tuck perfectly into any corner in your living or family room for a custom-like fit.

A Console with a Hutch

If you love the look of a console but want extra storage capacity, many consoles come with a hutch that surrounds the TV. These units have blurred the distinction between consoles and media centers; they afford generous storage in the form of drawers and shelving. Some hutched consoles are quite elegant with intricate scroll detailing. You can also find sleek and minimal styles to suit more contemporary tastes.

A media console with hutch can provide plenty of room for your TV, concealed storage, as well as space for accents.

Fireplace Media Consoles

People used to gather around the hearth, but now they’re more likely to cluster around the TV. With an electric fireplace media console, your family and guests can do both! An electric fireplace console is an entertainment center with an integrated fireplace, an electric plug-in unit that displays an artificial flame and operates with or without heat. These units can be ideal for the following spaces:

• Chilly rooms, perhaps in a lower level, where you can benefit from some extra warmth from an electric fireplace.
• Master bedrooms for a cozy and romantic ambiance.
• Apartments, other rentals benefit from easy to move and install electric fireplaces.

Some of the biggest advantages of electric fireplace units are their versatility and ease of use. While they provide heat on chilly evenings, you can alternatively enjoy the ambiance of the fireplace without heat—a great benefit during warmer weather months. Some come with remotes so you can change the temperature as easily as you change channels! And if you’re thinking about safety, relax! Electric fireplace consoles don’t affect your electronics or your furniture. There’s no smoke, smell or ashy mess.

Entertainment Centers

If you are looking for a larger piece than a console for your entertainment unit, there are plenty of options. If you have a sizable wall, what better use for it than a spacious TV entertainment center! Pick a unit that’s the right size for your room: not hogging the whole wall, and not so small that it looks dwarfed. Most entertainment centers contain a large central opening for the TV. Others have shelves rising on each side and nothing above the television itself.

Choose one that fits your set. There should be a few inches on each side within the TV opening. The television should generally be at eye level when you’re seated.

Some entertainment centers have drawers, some have open shelving and some feature a combination of the two. Others have curio-like cubbyholes enclosed by glass. Your choice depends largely on what will go on your shelves. If you have wiring, gaming consoles and cable boxes, you’ll probably want a way to hide them. Some units even have sliding or shutter doors so the TV can disappear when you’re not watching it.

Wooden entertainment centers can blend in with furniture, but fans of modern or contemporary styles may prefer mixed media units featuring a combination of wood, glass and metal.

Console, Entertainment Center or Entertainment Wall?

There was a time when the console was the only choice for a TV stand. There was no such thing as hanging a set on the wall, so you had to place it atop a piece of furniture. Today, there are options. You can still use a console, but it’s becoming more common to frame a hanging TV with an entertainment center or an entertainment “wall”. These walls contain lots of shelves for sound bars, other electronics and also creative decor.

How to Decorate an Entertainment Center or Wall

Open shelves and shelves fronted with glass provide a wonderful opportunity to express your creativity with decor. One key to a fashionable shelving unit is to place neither too much or too little on the shelves. You want to personalize your space, without making it feel cluttered. Most attractive arrangements use about 50 to 75 percent of the space. A minimalist interior design might show even more unoccupied shelving.

In many ways, styling an entertainment center or wall is like designing a bookcase. You can create interest by using a mix of objects, like small books, small sculptural pieces, small framed pictures, candles, vases and other collectibles. These decorative pieces can bring pops of your favorite color into your space. You should also bring in different textures for visual appeal. Clusters of like objects, especially if they’re collectibles, give your entertainment center some definition.

An entertainment center or wall is a place to house a television set, but it has the potential to be so much more! If your TV viewing area looks like it could use a pick-me-up for the upcoming prime viewing season, a furniture upgrade may be exactly what’s called for!