we don't have anything on top of ours either, its good to have a bare surface sometimes.

I would paint it and make it an accent piece.....

Every horizontal surface does not need decor , leave it or if painting it will go better with our stuff paint it.

interesting feedback on painting this piece. Had not thought of that. It is a gorgeous solid wood piece. If I painted it what color would you suggest?

I would either lower the TV slightly or add a sound bar, and then avoid more. (You *know* you're going to collect a few DVDs or remotes there anyway, heh.)

Before thinking about painting the console, i'd think about what, if anything, will go inside. For example, if you plan to put 7 decorative vases (or three stereo components), that's one (low) level of busy, while if you intend to fill it with multicolored paperbacks, that's another (high). With low busy, I think that the interest of the wood is nice, assuming it fits the style of the space. With high busy, you might want to give the console a more uniform surface -- what color depends on all the space we can't see. Could be a medium gray, or a shiny black, or even a tan color that's just a couple of shades off from the wall. Just depends on how much attention you want it to draw.

I'm not afraid of painting wood, but I don't see any reason to do that this lovely console.

Please don't paint it! It is beautiful as is!

First you need to turn off MSNBC, it is ruining the look of the room. Once that is done, leave as is.