TV Unit and Feature Wall Ideas for Qatar Homes
Fluted panelling, concealed lighting, marble centres and built-in storage, and how to get the cabling out of sight.
Updated by Al Arabia Carpets
The television wall is usually the first thing anyone looks at when they walk into a living room, and it is often the least designed surface in the house: a screen on a shop-bought stand with a bundle of cables hanging behind it.
Building the wall instead solves the cabling and the composition at the same time. These are the approaches we are asked for most often in Doha, and what each one is actually good for.
Fluted and slatted panelling
Narrow vertical battens fixed side by side have become the most requested TV wall finish here, and for good reason: the ribbed surface catches light, adds real depth, and photographs well in a room that is otherwise flat.
It also pairs naturally with concealed lighting. A strip washing down behind the screen picks out every rib and turns the wall into the light source for the room in the evening.
- Dark walnut and oak flutes read as formal and suit larger majlis and living rooms.
- Pale oak and natural finishes keep a smaller room feeling open.
- Running the flutes full height, floor to ceiling, looks considerably better than stopping them at the unit.
A contrasting centre panel
Most of the strongest walls we build are not a single material. A marble or stone-effect panel behind the screen, framed by fluted wood on either side, gives the eye somewhere to settle and stops a large expanse of ribbing becoming busy.
The centre panel is also where the screen mounts, so it keeps the fixings in one flat, solid area rather than through battens.
Storage that is actually planned
A low cabinet run under the screen handles the equipment; lit display niches or shelving to one side handle everything else. Because the unit is made to measure, the interior can be planned around what you genuinely need to store rather than around standard carcass sizes.
Two things are worth deciding early: whether the cabinet fronts are handleless push-to-open, and whether any equipment needs ventilation or an infrared line of sight. Both are simple at design stage and awkward afterwards.
Getting the cabling right
This is the part that separates a built-in unit from a stand, and it is worth being specific about it at the survey.
Tell your fitter everything that will be connected, now and plausibly later: screen power, HDMI from a receiver or console, network, aerial or satellite, and a soundbar or speakers. Conduit is cheap to install while the wall is open and effectively impossible to add once the panelling is fixed, so it is worth allowing more capacity than you currently need.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high should a TV be mounted?
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Roughly at seated eye level, with the centre of the screen a little above it. In practice this puts most screens lower than people expect. Measure from your actual sofa rather than working from a standard height, and mark the position on the wall before the unit is built.
Does a built-in TV unit need electrical work?
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Often not. The existing socket can frequently be enclosed within the unit, which avoids electrical work entirely. Where the screen position puts the socket in the wrong place, it is relocated before the panelling goes on, in coordination with an electrician.
What is fluted panelling made from?
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Usually MDF or a wood-composite batten with a veneer or laminate finish, fixed to a backing board. Solid timber flutes are available and cost considerably more. For an interior wall in an air-conditioned room, a good composite is stable, consistent in colour and hard to distinguish from solid.
How long does a TV feature wall take to build?
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The cabinets and panels are made in the workshop first, so disruption at home is short: most units are installed in one to two days. Allow a few weeks from agreeing the design to the installation date, depending on the finishes chosen.
