Roger Morph 
When it comes to decorating a living room, do you find yourself falling into the common trap of making your TV the focal point? This is a judgment-free zone, and plenty of people make the same interior decorating decision. Let’s be honest. Curling up on the couch with a comfy blanket and a warm drink while watching the TV sounds pretty relaxing. But here’s the thing: TVs aren’t décor; they aren’t even a piece of furniture.
If the thought of shifting the focus away from the TV in your living room has you a bit nervous, don’t worry because we’ve got tips and information that will help. Here’s a look at why your TV doesn’t need to be the focal point of your living room.
Create a Comfortable Space for All
Above all, the living room should be a comfortable space for everyone in the house to hang out and relax. Because everyone is different, the TV may not be everyone’s preferred focus. The room needs to be versatile enough that it can appeal to everyone. That means enough comfortable seating, space to move about, and an inviting atmosphere.
Make the Living Room Ideal for All Hobbies Not Just Watching TV
This goes hand in hand with making the living room comfortable for all. While watching TV can be relaxing, you may also have other hobbies and need a place to engage in them. Whether you have a creative hobby like drawing on a sketch pad or enjoy reading a good book, or you are just trying to find the Ideal online sweepstakes casinos on your mobile device, not every hobby involves a TV.
Depending on the hobbies you and other family members may engage in, a dedicated spot in the living room may be necessary. Jigsaw puzzles are wildly popular right now for good reason. They are excellent for your fine motor skills, problem-solving skills, and memory. However, you need a solid, flat place to work on the puzzle. If everything in the living room is focused on the TV, you may not have a place to work on a hobby such as this.
Put the Focus on Entertaining and Take the Emphasis Off the TV
We as people tend to spend a lot of time on mobile devices and watching TV, which can impact our socializing and communication with others. Making the TV the focal point of the living room indirectly states that this is your priority. Why not design a living room that encourages entertaining?
You’ll find plenty of tips and advice online on creating the perfect space for entertaining. It involves seating that faces each other to encourage conversation, ensuring seating is properly spaced, and providing tables or end tables for snacks and drinks.
Designing a space ideal for entertaining means you won’t have to shuffle furniture around at the last minute or bring in folding chairs when guests arrive. Ultimately, it’s all about deciding what to conceal or reveal.
A Big-Screen TV Can Be Quite the Eyesore
There are also the aesthetics of a big-screen TV. There’s no need to mince words: a huge TV can be an eyesore. This is especially true for an oversized TV that is 65”, 70”, or even 80”. At that point, it likely takes up the vast majority of a wall in the living room.
Rather than starting with the TV and placing items around it, why not start with a living room design concept and then figure out where a TV could fit in? If you’re trying to convey a particular look or theme in your living room, it’s clear that a TV won’t add to it.
One smart way to integrate a TV into the design concept is with an entertainment unit or shelving flanking either side of the TV. Making it look like a piece of furniture and using the space around it to continue the design concept will help it blend in better.
Watching Too Much TV Isn’t Good for Your Health
Even if all of the above reasons haven’t hit a chord with you, the fact that too much TV watching is bad for your health should make you think twice.
Watching too much TV or binge-watching shows can lead to problems with your posture (in particular your spine); it can exasperate insomnia, create a sense of loneliness, spark symptoms of depression, and even cause anxiety. The more time you spend sitting on the couch watching TV, the less time you spend being physically active too, which can eventually lead to serious health issues.
Research has also shown that too much TV watching harms your brain. Over time, your cognitive function, memory, and brain health can all start to deteriorate.
Experts suggest you limit screen time to about two hours per day, so choose your shows wisely and find other ways to stay busy at home. If that sounds too limiting, engage in physical exercise while watching TV. You can walk in place, do laps around the living room, tone up with some small weights, or engage in any other activity that gets your heart pumping.
It’s Time to Take the Focus Off the TV
Having a favorite show, enjoying movies at home, and catching up on the news are all normal activities and reasons people turn on the TV.
But you can do all of this while making sure the TV doesn’t become the focus of the living room—and inadvertently the center of the time you and your family spend at home.
