Wall-Mounted TV Over a TV Cabinet: What Four Years in My Renovated House Taught Me

This is the English edition of a video from my Japanese YouTube channel, iestaLife. I review gadgets and home setups from my home in Japan.

Quick take

When I fully renovated a 50-year-old house, I wall-mounted the living-room TV and put a low TV cabinet right under it. After about four years of living with it, this is one of my favorite corners of the house. Three things made it work: a swing-arm wall mount, cables routed inside the wall, and a cabinet that hides the clutter.

Wall-mounted TV floating above a wooden TV cabinet — The TV floats just above the cabinet.

What I tested

This is a long-term look at my own living room, not a product test. The TV is a 65-inch Panasonic VIERA from about four years earlier, on a swing-arm wall mount I installed myself during the renovation.

What I found

Turning a 65-inch TV on a swing-arm wall mount — Swinging left and right takes one hand.

Get a mount that swings. Mine swings left and right easily, and tilts with a bit more force. Our dining table sits at an angle to the sofa, so I can aim the screen at either spot in seconds. Swing mounts exist even for 65-inch TVs. Pulling the arm too far back limits the swing, so I keep it moderately forward, floating over the cabinet.

Cable opening and outlet in the wall behind the TV — Cables go into the wall behind the TV and come out behind the cabinet.

Route cables through the wall. The antenna cable, the recording hard drive’s adapter and the TV power all sit behind the screen, then pass through a hole in the wall and come out at the back of the cabinet. From the front you barely see a cable, and the empty floor is easy to clean, even with a robot vacuum.

TV cabinet with a slim subwoofer in the open center section — Doors on the sides, a slim subwoofer in the middle

Pick a cabinet that hides what’s inside. Game consoles, a Blu-ray recorder and an Apple TV live behind the doors. The open center holds a slim subwoofer to add a little bass. It would sound better outside the cabinet, but I chose a cleaner look and an easier-to-clean floor. My PS5 was too big to fit, so it hides next to a plant.

Sound without extra speakers. I chose a TV that focuses on its built-in speakers so I wouldn’t need a soundbar, and we lowered the ceiling just above the TV area to make better use of sound reflections.

Who it’s for

Anyone planning a renovation or new build who wants a wall-mounted TV but finds a lone black panel on the wall a bit empty. A cabinet underneath, with a few small objects on top, makes the wall look finished even when the screen is off. If you are adding an accent wall behind the TV, consider fixing the mount before the wall is finished; I did that right before the tiles went up.

Watch the video

The video is in Japanese, but the mount and wiring are easy to follow visually. The mount starts around 1:05, the in-wall wiring around 2:40 and the cabinet around 5:20.

Limitations

This is one room in one house in Japan. In-wall wiring is easiest during a renovation, and the right mount depends on your wall structure and TV weight. I did not identify the exact mount or TV model in the video, so I have not linked specific products.

More reviews in English