A media wall brings the TV, the fireplace and the storage either side into one fitted piece. Done well, it tidies away the cables and the clutter and makes the chimney breast a feature rather than a problem.
Most of the decisions that make or break a media wall are made before anyone builds it. Here is what to think through first.
Start with how you use the room
Where do people sit, and how far are they from the screen? Is the fire used every evening in winter, or is it mostly decorative? Do you need space for a games console, a soundbar, books or the children's things?
The answers set the layout. A media wall built around a real fire has different priorities from one built around an electric fire insert, and both differ from a wall that is mainly about storage.
TV height and position
The most common complaint about TVs over fireplaces is that they are too high to watch comfortably. If the fire and its surround push the screen well above eye level from the sofa, it may be better to put the TV beside the chimney breast, or to choose a lower fire.
Sit where you normally sit and have someone hold a piece of card at the proposed height. It takes five minutes and saves a lot of neck ache.
Heat, fires and the rules
This is the part to take seriously. If the media wall is going around a wood burner, an open fire or a gas fire, the appliance installer and the appliance instructions set the limits, not the carpenter.
Approved Document J is the main guidance on stove and fireplace installations in England. Stove manufacturers test their appliances to specific distances from combustible materials, and those figures are on the data plate or in the manual. Timber, MDF and plasterboard on timber studs all need to respect them. An installer registered with a Competent Person Scheme, such as HETAS for solid fuel, can self-certify the installation, otherwise building control needs to be told before work starts.
Electric fire inserts are simpler but still have ventilation and clearance requirements in their instructions. Get the fire chosen and its paperwork in hand before the wall is designed around it.
Cables, sockets and conduit
Hiding the cables is half the point of a media wall. Plan where the TV, the router, the soundbar and any boxes will sit, and run conduit between them so cables can be pulled through later without taking the wall apart.
The Planning Portal explains that adding sockets to an existing circuit is not notifiable outside special locations, while a new circuit is. Either way, a qualified electrician should position the sockets and back boxes before the wall is boarded.
Storage either side
Most chimney breasts have an alcove either side, and these are where the useful storage goes. Low cupboards with shelves above are the usual arrangement. Doors keep the clutter hidden, open shelves suit books and display.
Think about what goes in the cupboards. A games console or a streaming box needs ventilation, and a remote control sensor needs line of sight, so a cupboard with solid doors may need a slatted panel or a cut-out.
Making it look built in
Chimney breasts in older houses are rarely square, and alcoves are rarely the same width as each other. A media wall built from standard units leaves uneven gaps that are filled afterwards. One set out from the room itself is scribed to the walls, floor and ceiling, so the gaps simply are not there.
Matching the skirting, picture rail or cornice already in the room helps the wall look as if it was always there. That is where made-to-measure joinery comes in.
The same approach is used for fitted wardrobes in sloping eaves, where the room is measured at several points before anything is made.
What to have ready when you ask for a quote
It speeds things up if you can share:
- A photo of the whole wall and rough measurements.
- The make and model of the fire, if there is one, and its instructions.
- The TV size and what will be plugged in.
- A picture or two of the look you like.
Need a carpenter?
LGR Carpentry and Joinery designs and builds media walls around existing fireplaces across Surrey and Sussex, including Guildford and Cranleigh, with storage and shelving either side if you want it. See more on the bespoke built-in furniture page.
Read more about bespoke built-in furniture and made-to-measure joinery, or see the work Luke does in Guildford and Cranleigh. You can also ask for a free quote.