Bespoke Media Walls and Built-in TV Units: Custom TV Cabinetry Designed for Your Room

At Built In Solutions, we design and build bespoke media walls and built-in TV units for homes across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire. Every piece is made to measure in our workshop and installed in your home in a single day.

The Right Solution for Your Room

The television is the focal point of most living rooms — yet in most homes it sits on a freestanding unit that was never designed for the room it occupies, with cables trailing across surfaces and equipment stacked awkwardly beside it.

A bespoke built-in TV unit resolves all of this. The television is housed at the correct height for comfortable viewing, every cable is routed internally, and the surrounding cabinetry is designed as a single cohesive composition. A bespoke media wall takes this further — a floor-to-ceiling architectural installation that transforms an entire wall into a considered, functional focal point.

Bespoke Full-Width Media Wall in Farrow & Ball Railings

A striking, 4-metre full-width bespoke media wall finished in the dramatic, deep charcoal tones of Farrow & Ball Railings. This higher-end contemporary cabinetry installation seamlessly combines open library shelving, handleless lower storage cupboards, and a central television recess with a warm, natural timber countertop backdrop, all beautifully framing a modern integrated linear electric fireplace.

Full-width bespoke media wall — floor to ceiling, television centrally positioned, integrated electric fire below, Farrow and Ball – Railings painted

Recent Media Wall and TV Unit Projects

Contemporary built-in TV unit — flat panel handleless doors, central TV recess, concealed cable management, White lacquer finish

Traditional period style media wall — inset panel doors with moulding, Ornate cornice, TV recess with bookshelf either side

False chimney breast media wall — Gazco electric fire below TV, Sage Green painted, alcove units either side

Shaker style built-in TV unit — inset flat panel doors, TV recess, books and display objects

Built-in TV Units and Media Walls — What Is the Difference?

A built-in TV unit is a focused piece of furniture — a cabinet or run of cabinetry designed primarily around the television, with storage for AV equipment, shelving for display, and cable management built in. It may span part of a wall or fill an alcove. The television is its primary purpose.

A bespoke media wall is an architectural installation — floor-to-ceiling joinery covering the full width of the wall, incorporating the television within a larger composition of shelving, storage, and often an integrated electric fire. The television is one element within a considered whole rather than the sole focus.

Both are made to measure in our Oxfordshire workshop and installed in your home in a single day. The right choice depends on your room, your brief, and what you want the wall to achieve.

Bespoke media wall — floor to ceiling with television, shelving and storage in a single cohesive composition

Structurally Integrated TV Cabinetry

The difference between a built-in TV unit that looks genuinely integrated and one that looks like a box placed against a wall comes down to how cable management and technology housing are approached from the outset.

Bespoke Media Wall Cable Management Solutions

We design cable management into every TV unit and media wall as a structural element — not a retrofit. Every cable route is built into the carcass before manufacturing begins, so power, HDMI, optical, network, aerial, and satellite cables all follow dedicated channels within the furniture rather than trailing across surfaces or disappearing into cable tidies.

Dedicated vertical trunking channels manage the main cable bundles without pinching or restricting airflow. We use Velcro straps rather than plastic zip ties for cable organisation — easier to modify if equipment changes, and a significantly cleaner finish that reflects the quality of the surrounding joinery.

AV equipment shelving is offset to create service loops behind each unit and maintain the airflow needed to prevent thermal throttling. Amplifiers, receivers, and streaming devices all generate heat — offset shelving ensures that heat has somewhere to go rather than building up within an enclosed cabinet.

The result is a finished installation with no visible cables anywhere — not managed after the fact, but eliminated entirely by design.

Cable management detail — routing channels within TV unit carcass, all wiring concealed before installation

No visible cables anywhere — not managed after the fact, but eliminated entirely by design.

Heavy-Duty Shelving for Large TVs

Modern televisions are significantly heavier than they appear. A 65-inch television weighs between 25-35kg, and a 75-inch or 85-inch screen can weigh considerably more. We specify the television mount and structural support around the actual weight of your specific screen.

For recessed television positions, we build a dedicated structural frame within the carcass to carry the load independently of the surrounding shelving.

Custom Farrow & Ball Vardo teal floor-to-ceiling entertainment center featuring an 80" recessed TV, low shaker drawers with leather handles, and integrated LED shelf backlighting. — **Bespoke media wall in Farrow & Ball Vardo with recess for 80″ TV** A striking example of higher end contemporary joinery featuring a full width custom built media wall painted in the vibrant, rich teal tones of Farrow & Ball’s Vardo (No. 288). This bespoke library and entertainment unit is configured with a large central recess framing an 80″ television, integrated LED backlighting behind open book display shelving, and a row of low shaker style storage drawers accented with leather pull handles.

Bespoke Farrow & Ball Vardo media wall with an 80″ recessed TV and dimmable smart LED lighting.

AV Equipment Ventilation

Enclosed AV equipment storage requires ventilation. Amplifiers, receivers, streaming devices, and gaming consoles all generate heat when operating, and an enclosed cabinet without ventilation will cause thermal throttling — equipment running hot, performance degrading, and lifespan shortened. We design ventilation into every AV storage solution — open rears, louvre vents at cabinet tops, or discrete ventilation gaps. Where future equipment upgrades are likely, we incorporate cable trunking so cables can be replaced without dismantling the furniture.

Media Wall Styles

The right style depends on your room and your taste — see our full breakdown of styles for what suits period and contemporary properties. Below are the four approaches we build most often for media walls and TV units

Contemporary Media Walls

Contemporary media wall — flat panel handleless doors, central TV recess, asymmetric shelving, Hague Blue painted

Flat-panel handleless doors, clean horizontal lines, and no visible hardware — a contemporary media wall sits quietly within a modern interior rather than competing for attention. Works particularly well in new builds, recently renovated properties, and open-plan spaces.

Shaker Style Built-in TV Units

Shaker-profile doors with inset flat panels give a TV unit the character of considered furniture rather than a built-in box. The most versatile style — Shaker media walls work equally well in period properties and modern homes. A central TV recess with Shaker cupboard doors either side and shelving above is our most popular configuration.

Shaker style built-in TV unit with breakfront cabinets— inset panel doors, , TV recess, Soft White painted

Traditional and Period Style Media Walls

Traditional Period-Style Media Wall with Breakfront Cabinet Architecture

An exquisite example of heritage-inspired architectural joinery showcasing a large, traditional fitted media wall in a clean white finish. This higher-end cabinetry system utilizes a classic breakfront layout, stepping the central television section forward to create structural depth. The unit is finely detailed with elegant fluted pilasters, decorative corner rosettes, inset paneled cupboard doors, and traditional crown moulding scribed perfectly to the period ceiling coving.

Custom white traditional media wall featuring a prominent breakfront central TV section, fluted pilasters, inset panel doors, and integrated crown moulding. — **Traditional period style media wall with breakfront cabinet design** An exquisite example of heritage inspired joinery showcasing a large, traditional fitted media wall in a clean white finish. This higher end cabinetry system uses a classic breakfront layout, stepping the central television section forward to create depth. The unit is finely detailed with elegant fluted pilasters, decorative corner rosettes, inset panelled cupboard doors, and traditional crown moulding scribed to the period ceiling coving.

Traditional period style media wall — inset panel doors with applied moulding, Fluted pilasters with roundels, period property setting

For Victorian, Edwardian, and older properties, a period-style media wall uses inset panel doors with applied moulding, detailed cornicing, and period hardware.

A traditional media wall painted in Farrow and Ball Wimborne White — breakfront on both cabinet sections and bookcase, fluted pilasters with roundel stops, inset beaded panel doors, and open bookshelves. Victorian cornice and Ogee base moulding throughout.

Media Walls with Integrated Electric Fires

For media walls incorporating a Gazco eReflex electric fire, the fire and television are designed as a single cohesive composition — the fire housed at low level with the television above, cabinetry either side, and the whole piece reading as a purpose-built architectural feature. For full details on Gazco fire integration, clearances, and false chimney breast construction, see our dedicated page on TV units with built-in fires.

False Chimney Breasts and Full-Width Media Walls

Many new-build properties have no chimney breast and no natural focal point on the main living room wall. A false chimney breast — built entirely from full carcass construction, designed to look architecturally authentic — creates the focal point the room was built without.

A well-designed false chimney breast is indistinguishable from an original. The proportions, the projection from the wall, the cornice detail, and the relationship between the chimney breast and any cabinetry either side are all calculated to feel authentic within the room’s architecture.

For rooms with an existing chimney breast, the breast becomes the natural home for the television and fire, with the alcoves either side housing shelving and storage. We design the alcove units and the chimney breast treatment as a single composition.

A well-designed false chimney breast is indistinguishable from an original — the proportions, the projection, and the detail all calculated to feel authentic.

False chimney breast media wall — television above Gazco fire, alcove units either side, painted in White

How to Hide TV Cables — the Bespoke Joinery Solution

Bespoke White low-level entertainment console in an Oxfordshire lounge featuring a central linear electric fireplace beneath a freestanding television. — **Low level fitted living room cupboards with integrated electric fire** A beautiful piece of custom low profile furniture designed for a contemporary home in Oxfordshire. This white bespoke media unit spans the length of the wall, featuring integrated push to open lower cupboards on either side of a wide set linear electric fireplace. The flat counter surface provides a clean base for a freestanding television, decorative family photographs, and soft ambient table lamps, offering a clutter free storage solution for a modern lounge.

Media wall installation showing no visible cables — clean finished surface with television placed on the flat cabinet top

One of the most common questions we receive is how to hide TV cables — particularly in older properties with solid masonry walls where chasing cables is difficult or impossible.

The answer is bespoke cabinetry. Rather than trying to conceal cables within a wall that was never designed to accommodate them, built-in TV cabinetry routes all cables internally through the furniture itself. The television is mounted to a purpose-built structural panel, and every cable — power, HDMI, aerial, network — runs through dedicated channels within the carcass to emerge at a single concealed service point.

No chasing required. No visible cables. No cable management systems added after the fact. For period properties with uneven walls, the cabinetry is scribed to sit flush against the existing wall surface — eliminating the gaps that make installations look unfinished.

Perfect Integration: What is Scribing?

Many homes across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire have beautifully uneven walls, settled floors, and ceilings that have moved over decades or centuries. Standard modular furniture leave visible gaps at every junction with the wall — gaps that less experienced installers mask with silicone joints that discolour and crack over time.

We scribe every panel to the exact profile of the surface it meets. Rather than filling gaps after the fact, our installers cut each panel edge to follow the precise contours of your plasterwork, skirting boards, and ceiling — sealing every junction completely. The result is furniture that looks as though it was built as part of the original property.

The Anatomy of a Bespoke Media Wall & TV Unit

Every media wall and TV unit we make is full carcass construction — every unit built as a complete structural box with solid back panel, base, top, and sides. Cable management and AV equipment housing are designed as structural elements within the carcass before manufacturing begins — not added as an afterthought on site.

Media Wall Technical Specifications

Full Carcass Construction — 18mm high-density moisture-resistant engineered board throughout, with a completely solid back, sides, top, and base. Every unit is structurally independent of the wall behind it.
Hand-Scribed Fitting — each panel edge scribed to follow the exact contours of your walls, floors, and ceilings. No gaps, no mastic beads at any junction.
Structural TV Mount Panel — a dedicated structural panel within the carcass carries the television load independently of the surrounding shelving. Specified around the actual weight of your screen.
Cable Routing Channels — dedicated internal channels for power, HDMI, aerial, optical, and network cables, routed from the TV position to a single concealed service point — built in before manufacturing begins.
AV Equipment Ventilation — open rears, louvre vents, or ventilation fans designed into enclosed AV storage to prevent thermal throttling of amplifiers, receivers, and gaming consoles.
Blum Soft-Close Hinges — fitted as standard on all cupboard doors, engineered for decades of quiet, precise operation.
Workshop Lacquer Finish — every visible surface finished in our dedicated workshop with a hard-wearing professionally sprayed lacquer in any colour.
Gazco eReflex Integration — where an electric fire is part of the design, correct clearances, ventilation, and cable management for the specific Gazco model are built into the carcass structure.

Why Full-Carcass Media Wall Construction Matters

A media wall carries a large, heavy television and houses heat-generating AV equipment — both place demands on the furniture structure that standard flat-pack alternatives are not built to meet. Full carcass construction provides the structural rigidity to carry the TV mount load without flex, and the solid back panel gives cable routing channels a surface to run against internally.

Face-frame media walls, where the television is mounted to a lightweight frame fixed to the wall, transfer the full weight of the screen directly to the plasterwork. In period properties with lime plaster walls, the fixings loosen over time, the mount shifts, and the television is no longer level — a problem full carcass construction eliminates entirely.

The Difference That Matters

The term ‘bespoke fitted bookcase’ is used by everyone from national modular brands to genuine made-to-measure craftsmen. Here is what the difference actually looks like in practice.

Bespoke vs Modular - Comparison chart

	Full Carcass	Modular
Construction	Full carcass construction — solid back panel, top, sides, and base on every unit	Open-backed frames or face-frame fixed to the wall
Wall Fit	Every panel hand-scribed to the exact profile of your walls, floors, and ceilings	Filler panels or mastic beads to cover gaps at every junction
Sizing	Made to the exact millimetre of your alcove — every panel cut to size	Standard module sizes adapted to fit with filler strips
Cables	Cable management routed internally through the carcass — no visible wiring	Standard rear cutouts — cables managed after installation
Finish	Workshop-applied hard-wearing sprayed lacquer in any colour	Paper foil wrap or melamine edging
Installation	Pre-built and pre-finished — most installations completed in a single day	Assembled on site — cutting and finishing in your living room

Premium Workshop Finishes

All our painted media walls and TV units are finished in a hard-wearing workshop lacquer in any colour — including the full Farrow and Ball and Little Greene ranges, Dulux, Fired Earth, or any other paint brand. For clients who prefer it, we can also apply Farrow and Ball or Little Greene’s own paint products directly.

Popular media wall choices include Elephant’s Breath and Purbeck Stone for warm neutrals, Hague Blue and Railings for dramatic darker tones, Mizzle and Pigeon for considered greens, and Pointing and All White for clean whites — all from Farrow and Ball.

Our Design and Installation Process

From your first enquiry to the day of installation — here is what to expect.

1. Free Home Consultation

We visit your home, assess the wall, discuss your TV size and AV equipment, and talk through the design options — style, cable routing, storage, any electric fire integration. No charge, no obligation.

2. Design Drawing & Fixed Quote

A detailed design drawing showing exactly how your media wall will look — shelf positions, cable routing, door configurations, dimensions. You approve every detail before we build anything.

3. Workshop Manufacturing

Your media wall is built in our Oxfordshire workshop — every carcass assembled, every cable channel routed, every surface spray-lacquered before it arrives at your home.

4. Installation in a Single Day

On installation day our team scribe and fit everything precisely to your room. Most media wall installations are completed in a single day.

5. Full Guarantee

All our work is fully guaranteed so any issues are resolved without a fuss.

What Does a Bespoke Media Wall Cost?

A simple built-in TV unit with shelving and storage starts from around £2,000. A full-width media wall starts from around £3,500. A false chimney breast with flanking units from around £5,000. A media wall with integrated Gazco electric fire from around £6,500 including the fire unit. We always provide a fixed quote before work begins.

Frequently Asked Questions About Media Walls & Built-in TV Units

What is a media wall?

A media wall is a floor-to-ceiling built-in installation covering the full width of a living room wall — incorporating the television, storage, shelving, and often an integrated electric fire within a single layout. It creates a complete focal point rather than a collection of separate furniture pieces.

What is the difference between a media wall and a built-in TV unit?

A built-in TV unit is a focused piece of furniture designed primarily around the television. A media wall is a full-wall installation where the television is one element within a larger layout of shelving, storage, and often an integrated fire. Both are made to measure — the distinction is one of scale and ambition.

How do you hide TV cables in a built-in TV unit?

Cable management is designed into the furniture as a structural element before manufacturing begins. Every cable route is built into the carcass — power, HDMI, aerial, and network cables all routed internally to emerge at a single concealed service point. No visible cables in the finished installation.

Can you integrate a Gazco electric fire into a media wall?

Yes. We work primarily with the Gazco eReflex series for electric fire integrations. We design the furniture around the specific fire model — correct clearances, cable management, ventilation — to produce a clean result.

Can you build a media wall in a room with no chimney breast?

Yes. A false chimney breast — built entirely from full carcass construction — creates the focal point the room was built without. A well-designed false chimney breast is proportioned to feel authentic within the room rather than obviously added.

Can you scribe a media wall to uneven or irregular walls?

Yes — and we always do. We scribe every panel to the exact profile of the wall, floor, and ceiling it meets. A media wall properly scribed to an uneven period wall looks as though it was designed for the room from the beginning.

What TV sizes can you accommodate?

Any size. We design the television recess around your specific screen dimensions and weight — not a standard size that may not fit correctly. We specify the mount and structural support around the actual weight of your television.

How long does installation take?

Most media wall and TV unit installations are completed in a single day. Larger installations with electric fires may take two days. We manufacture everything in our workshop beforehand — the furniture arrives pre-built and pre-finished.

How much does a built-in TV unit cost?

A simple built-in TV unit starts from around £2,000. A full-width media wall starts from around £3,500. A false chimney breast with units either side from around £5,000. A media wall with integrated Gazco fire from around £6,500 including the fire unit.

What our Customers say

Built in Solutions made a bookcase unit for my client and I was really impressed by the outcome.

It was made to a high specification and with maximum attention to detail. It was delivered in the timescale given and exactly as promised. Detailed drawings were provided and end result was fantastic. I would highly recommend this company.

First class work - a lovely piece of bespoke carpentry (TV shelf enclosed in bookcase) and all on time. Thanks again. Extremely likely to recommend.

We have been delighted with the design and craftmanship of Built In Solutions. The quality of the materials and joinery are excellent and their ability to resolve a practical issue mean that we would be very happy to recommend them whole-heartedly.

I am an interior designer and asked Built in Solutions to manufacture built in cupboards with shelving above from drawings I provided.

They were happy to work to my design and I found them very professional and easy to collaborate with. I was impressed with the whole build and instalment process and the finished result was excellent in terms of quality and expected look.

Everything about the work done was of the best quality and precision. The end result is exactly what was promised and finished to the highest of standards, certainly worth waiting for.

We had a breakfront cabinet designed for the length of one of our living room walls and it is everything we had hoped for and more.

It's transformed our room. The service that we received was amazing from suggestions, design, delivery and fitting. I would highly recommend Built in Solutions.

I now have a gorgeous run of fitted wardrobes. Outstanding finish, and everything was also left completely tidy and clean. Extremely impressed and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Built in Solutions team.

We absolutely love our new reading nook and our wardrobes! They are even better than we imagined and our friends are extremely envious.

Working with Built in Solutions was really easy and everything went as planned. We are now planning some more work to transform other parts of our house!

Built in Solutions designed and built a bar for us which sits nicely in our coffee area. The quality of the product and customer service was excellent.

They spent the time to work with us to make sure we got what we wanted and we are very pleased with it.

Built in Solutions made wardrobes for the alcoves in our bedroom.

The service was brilliant, they were on time, tidy and very pleasant team to have in the house (even watched the baby for me for a few mins!).

The quality of the workmanship is excellent, my wardrobes are beautiful, Marie Kondo would be jealous.

Why Choose us?

Truly Made to Measure

Every cupboard built from scratch for the exact dimensions of your space — not standard cabinets adapted to fit with filler panels.

Full Carcass Construction

Every unit built as a complete structural box — stronger and more durable than face-frame alternatives, built to last for decades.

Any Colour Finish

Hard-wearing workshop lacquer in any colour — Farrow and Ball, Little Greene, Dulux, or any other brand. Manufacturers' own paints available on request.

Period Property Specialists

We scribe every panel to the exact profile of your walls, floors, and ceilings — no visible gaps, however uneven the surfaces.

Free Home Visits

Free home visits across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire — no obligation, fixed quote before anything is built.

Made by Craftsmen

Every piece of furniture we make is built by hand in our Oxfordshire workshop — cut, assembled, and spray finished by the same small team of craftspeople who have been making furniture with us for years. There are no subcontractors, no flat-pack components shipped in from elsewhere, and no compromises on the quality of what leaves the workshop.

When our installation team arrives at your home, they know exactly what they are fitting and how it was built. That continuity — from the first measurement through to the day of installation — is what makes the difference between furniture that looks right and furniture that looks as though it was always meant to be there.