Decorating around electronics

The cords behind our TV have driven me nuts for a while now.  It seems no matter how many zip ties we used they would still creep down over time.  Not to mention our electronics didn't quite fit on the mantle and hung over the edge a few inches.  It was a disaster waiting to happen.  In an ideal situation we wouldn't have the TV above the fireplace, but in this room it makes the most sense due to lack of space.  We went back and forth as to how to deal with this issue.   We thought about building something custom or having an electrician come out and see if we could do some sort of remote control extender and store the electronics in a closet, but everything was more than we wanted to pay since we don't really plan on being in this house forever.  So after researching a lot of options, we settled on the Hemnes bookcase from Ikea.  The dimensions were right on and the color blended nicely with our white trim work.  It's also solid wood unlike most items at IKEA and most importantly the price was right.  

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I forgot to take a good before shot so I found this one from Christmas.  Speaking of Christmas, I'm really looking forward to not having to decorate around our electronics on the mantle next year!

The bookcase was pretty easy to put together.  I wanted to make it seem a little more custom so I painted the back black.  It makes it look more dramatic and was so easy to do.  I just rolled some black paint on the back piece before I attached it.  I think it would also look great stenciled or with some graphic contact paper.

As for those pesky wires, we just used cord covers like these from Lowes.  You just peel back the adhesive and mount them to the wall.  Then, I just painted it the same color as the wall to make it blend in.  If you look closely, you'll notice ours right to the left of the WWII books.

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If you had the space, I think one of these flanking either side of the fireplace would create some nice symmetry and provide extra storage.  Unfortunately our fireplace is on an angled wall and there is a window too close to the other side.

We just used a basic l bracket to secure it to the wall and make sure it doesn't come toppling over.

I added a wire basket from Amazon on the bottom shelf and filled it with my daughter's books.  She pulls them out every morning and "reads" them.  

On another note, I've also successfully gotten rid of all the orange in my living room.  It was fine for a time, but I just got tired of it.  I'm going with a more neutral vibe with tans, blacks, creams, and maybe a pop or two of emerald green.  The last things to be updated were these previously orange lamps.  A few coats of black spraypaint totally updates them.