How to Hide TV Cables for a Tidy Living Room

A new TV, carefully placed, can still look unfinished if a bundle of black cables drops from it to the floor. The fix is rarely difficult. It is mostly a matter of deciding how much effort you want to put in, then doing that one thing properly. Below, the options are ordered from the quickest to the most permanent.

First, sort what you have

Before hiding anything, unplug everything behind the TV and look at it. You will often find a cable for a device you no longer use, a power strip doing nothing or an extra-long lead coiled up for no reason. Then:

1. Remove anything that is not needed.
2. Label each remaining cable at both ends with a small tag or a strip of tape. It saves guesswork later.
3. Measure the run from the TV to the nearest socket and to any boxes or consoles.
4. Replace very long cables with shorter ones where that is simple, such as HDMI leads.

Fewer, shorter cables are easier to hide than any clever product.

Quick fixes, no drilling

Bundle and tie

Group the cables that travel together and fasten them with reusable hook-and-loop ties every so often. A single tidy bundle is far less noticeable than four loose cables.

Cable sleeves

A fabric or split plastic sleeve wraps several cables into one tube. Choose a color close to the wall. It does not make the cables disappear, but it turns a tangle into one clean line.

Use the furniture

If the TV stands on a cabinet, route cables through the back of it. Many units have a cut-out for this; if not, a small hole at the back of a shelf, drilled neatly, does the job. Place the power strip inside or behind the cabinet, raised off the floor, and keep it ventilated.

Middle ground: raceways

A cable raceway is a slim plastic channel that sticks or screws to the wall and hides cables inside. It is the best option for renters and for wall-mounted TVs where in-wall routing is not possible.

• Pick a raceway wide enough for every cable, with a little room to spare.
• Run it straight down from the TV to the baseboard, then along the baseboard to the socket.
• Paint it to match the wall. Most are paintable; a light sanding helps the paint hold.
• Use the corner and joint pieces rather than bending the channel.

Adhesive strips can pull paint when removed, so test a small piece in an inconspicuous spot first if you rent.

The neatest result: in-wall kits

For a wall-mounted TV, routing cables inside the wall gives the cleanest look. The safe way is a power bridge kit designed for TVs: it includes a recessed outlet behind the screen, a matching inlet near the floor and a rated cable between them, plus open ports for HDMI and network cables.

Safety first: do not run a regular power cord or extension lead inside a wall. Building codes generally do not allow it, and it is a fire risk. Use a kit made for in-wall use, follow its instructions, switch off power at the breaker before cutting near any electrical box, and check the wall for wires and pipes before cutting. If the job involves wiring a new outlet into the house circuit, that is a task for a qualified electrician.

In-wall routing is easiest between studs, in a stretch of wall with no fire blocking. A stud finder tells you where the framing sits; our guide on how to mount a TV on the wall covers finding studs in more detail.

Which option suits you?

Small details that finish the job

• Fit a short power strip with a long lead so the bulky part sits out of sight.
• Use a cable box or tidy tray for the strip and its adapters.
• Mount a streaming stick or small box behind the TV with a short extension cable, if your TV has room.
• Leave a little slack at the TV end so a tilting or swinging bracket can move freely.

Let the wall breathe

Once the cables are gone, the wall around the TV becomes part of the room again. A calm backdrop, such as one of the ideas in our piece on nature-inspired wall murals, can make a screen feel less like the only thing in the room.

The steps, in short: remove, label, shorten, then choose one method and do it neatly. Tidy cables are not glamorous, but you will notice them every evening if you skip the job.