Project example: a 55-inch art-style TV hung flush between two drapes — what it looks like and what it costs

The scenario

The room is a mid-century house that was remodeled with an open plan: fresh white walls, new floors, a long oak console under the main wall and two linen drapes hanging at either side of a section of drywall. The wall between the drapes is where a framed picture would normally go.

The request is a 55-inch art-style TV that looks like a canvas when off, sits close to the wall, and has no visible cable. The set comes with a thin bracket from its maker, the wall is newly painted, and the owner keeps the leftover paint for touch-ups.

What the job involves

1. A paper template cut to the size of the screen is taped on the wall for a day; the height that looks right as art, and still works as a screen from the sofa, is chosen from it.
2. A magnetic finder and a hairline probe hole hidden under the plate's outline settle where the framing is.
3. With the plate leveled twice, lag bolts go into the framing and are snugged until it lies flat against the paint.
4. The set slides onto the rails with only a sliver of air behind it, and its lock screws are turned.
5. An in-wall rated power kit and a CL3-rated HDMI cable run down the stud bay to a plate behind the console, with the separate connection box placed in a ventilated cabinet.
6. Tape comes off the paint, the plate has covered the probe hole and the oak console is wiped down.

Hardware and materials

• Flat or low-profile fixed bracket matched to the TV's weight and VESA pattern
• Lag bolts, laser level and stud finder
• In-wall rated power kit and CL3-rated HDMI cable with plates
• Paper template and painter's tape
• Drop cloth and vacuum

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Mount a soundbar as well — +$65–$100. A bar on the console keeps the wall clean; one on the wall breaks the canvas effect.
• I need the mount supplied — +$55–$165. A flush bracket can be supplied if the maker's own has not been bought.
• Take down an existing TV first — +$55–$105. A previous TV on the wall is taken down and the holes filled as a separate line.

Why it is done this way

An art-style TV only reads as a picture when it hangs close to the wall and at a picture-like height, so the template and the flush bracket do most of the work. The compromise height sits slightly lower than a canvas, near the seated eye line, because the set is also a screen.

A flush bracket cannot be adjusted once the TV is on it, which is why the level and the studs are checked twice. The thin cable and a ventilated box position keep both the wall and the equipment tidy.

What would change the price

• A stud falls awkwardly under the plate and a sliding adapter or a wider plate is needed.
• A wall of plaster-finish instead of drywall slows drilling.
• A larger screen size moves the base range up a tier.
• The console is far from the wall, making the cable run longer.
• A new outlet or box is separate electrical work for an electrician.