Very nice. But I see the concern given the big change. Can you/do you need to access what’s behind the louvered doors?

Wow, I think it is beautiful and looks very well made. First of all, it seems very "white" whilst the rest of your décor is in the warmer shades. Secondly, you were used to a blank space there and it will now take a bit of time to get used to the space being filled in.

I agree, once you get tv and décor items in the unit, you will begin to like it.

As suggested, you could try painting the room a lighter color, or cut out some pieces of cardboard that fit into the back of the unit, cover in white paper and paint the same

color as the walls, use double sided tape to attach to back. This may tone down the brightness.

Also adding drapery to the window(s) will help balance the room.

Another thought I had was to use a "taupe" color grass cloth for the back to tie in your

warmer colors in the room.

It's beautiful, obviously designed for this space, and yes, very large. It will hold a lot of toys, books, and tv equipment. Please consider painting the wall behind it the same color in flat white. Then it will look more built-in and less contrast-y.

Thank you all for the advice. I feel a bit better. I do think that lightening the wall color would help it recede and I do need to style it. Thanks for helping with my freak out

I love it. Yes, lightening the wall will make a difference, along with adding items to the shelves.

Lighten the wall color. Paint the louvered door, including the trim around it, the same as the wall color. Paint the back of the shelves the same as the wall color. Remove the chair from where it is crowding the unit. Style the unit with things that are not too small.

Is there going to be some hardware on the doors/drawers? I think once you have it filled up it will be great.

Yes, remove the chair. The built-in is truly lovely...one of the nicest I've seen.

partim had a great suggestion with "style with things that aren't too small." Also, keep the shelf styling simple and uncluttered.

I also think it looks fabulous!

I don't think painting the wall will help, but perhaps painting the back of the unit will help break up all the white. Once you add the TV that will help also. It's not really a built in because it looks like a piece of furniture that has simply been placed in the room Not sure why the center is so very deep for a flat screen. Just for a cable box seems overboard.

Here is a unit painted with a color on the back wall.

I think I’d have him cut the upper part of the center portion (where the tv will go) back so that it only protrudes from the pieces next to it by the same amount as the bottom part protrudes from the pieces next to it. Obviously you’d have to pay for this modification, but, if it that’s what it takes then that’s what it takes! ;)

OR remove that part entirely. Yep, that’s what I’d do. Edit: Nevermind this suggestion. You can’t really remove it altogether because the side pieces can’t stand alone; they depend on the center piece.

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"...It's not really a built in..."

Good point from Beverly.

Some ideas. White pinch pleat drapery and additional white accessories.

This is nicely done, albeit, dated styling. But at least it is done to resemble furniture. Your room appears big enough to handle it, as mentioned previously. I would add some white features into your décor. Large carved candlesticks, perhaps a bowl in wood. Things that would speak to the unit and balance the room out.

Sammy has the right idea! Have the carpenter re work the center section by removing the entire top of the unit (all three sections), and rebuild it so that the top sections are all flush with each other. Three distinct sections, but no bump out in the upper center section. That way, it wont feel like the piece is looming into the room. The tv is a flat screen and doesn’t need the depth anyway. Scaling back that middle piece is the way to go...if you decide to keep the piece. It does look well made... Good luck!

Good suggestions. The white is very bright. Plus, white make things look larger, while darker colors make them recede or appear smaller. I agree with others to try to stage it and see how much that helps. I wonder if it makes sense to repaint this unit vs. the room. How much sheen is on the unit? In some of the pics, it looks shinier than the baseboards, but that might just be my screen (or eyes).

You will get nothing for it if you try to sell it. But you can fix this by doing the following:

1) Remove the two flanking bookcases and use them elsewhere. Your cabinetmaker can do this, since its paint grade lumber any touch ups are easy.

2) Paint it. The white is too much "in your face". Too bright. Make it a 2-tone unit.

I like it! I think you will, too. Several others have pointed out that your eyes just aren't used to seeing it in that space yet. In addition to that, I wonder if introducing a large, new, crisp, white element has made some of your existing furniture/accessories look a little tired in comparison. Maybe it's time to update the pillows on your sofa? And a different coffee table that works better with the style of the unit? I'd like to see the room if you removed BOTH of the matching chairs (not just the one near the louvered door), and pushed the end table with the lamp into that dark corner. Spreading out the furniture a bit might make the room fell less overwhelmed by the new piece. Finally, I really think that adding a lighter but more substantial window treatment, like Flo suggested, would further enlarge the window and help balance the room.

I would not try to "cut" or remove parts of this unit. It is not easy, and your carpenter will cry. Very sad to see. Seriously, just live with it a while and take some of the ideas here and I think in a couple weeks it will feel right at home. Would I have done it differently, sure. Would I have painted it a different color -- yes. Would I pay to have this redone. Never in a million! lol

It really is a beautiful piece, can you just have some one paint it a different color?

I think it is beautifully done but I bet it is such a change in that huge room that it is a bit overwhelming. In the future do a mock up with cardboard to see if the dimensions work for you. Sometimes when you are adding a large piece, tape or measurements on the wall don’t give you the full idea of how it will fit in the space. Once you have it stocked with the items you planned to put in/on it you will fall in love.

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Paint the whole thing the wall color.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>I’m so thankful for all of this advice!
A few things:
1. The Louvered doors open to a beneath-the-stairs closet, which is rarely used, but lacks any other access.
2. I do need hardware, but I haven’t chosen it yet. Any tips?

I was disappointed that the center piece juts out as far as it does. It’s SO not necessary with slim TVs and it looks SILLY!
This is not as I had envisioned it, nor what is pictured in the inspiration photo that i gave the carpenter. However, this goes back to me just not being as diligent when looking at measurements. Having a cardboard footprint would have helped and seeing the piece in the shop before bringing it home would have been crucial.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>It is finished with cabinet grade varnish, and it has a semi-gloss sheen. Probably is shinier than my trim, simply because my trim hasn’t been painted in years.
I like the idea of painting the backs of the shelves the wall color, especially trying it with cardboard first to get the visual idea. Thank you for that!

This isn’t a forever home, and we have the same, original 1960’s crown molding throughout the house, so I’m not sure I want to get into changing out all the trim.

I like the idea of removing the extra chairs and moving the side table and lamp into the corner. Maybe will look less crammed with furniture.

Drapes are a definite need and are on my list for sure. I agree that they would help. I didn’t realize how creamy my choice of furnishing are until I put this behemoth of a stark white tv unit in the room

Draperies are a must and I agree that they would help.
Thank you for the suggestions of adding white accessories to tie the room together, Flo Mangan. Do you think it would be better to paint the unit to match my existing trim (SW Westhighland white).
If I were to paint it, what would you suggest?

It looks like your sofa is a cream/gray tone? And your walls look gray/green? Is that accurate? I like the tone of your coffee table, so I might go in that direction. I wonder if you could do a brown/taupe color and then wipe off edges and give it a bit of "worn" look so it doesn't look so new? But not too dark. I will find a finish that might work for you. bbl

Hmmm I don’t know how I’d feel about loosing ease of access to under stair storage. May I ask why rarely used since storage seems to be a big focus of this unit? I also agree painting the wall to match would help blend!

Something like this. I would also add some hardware that works with your design scheme. I think you have a kind of Farmhouse coffee table but a rather contemporary sofa, so I would probably try something black and interesting but not too country/farmhouse.

If your sofa is more gray than beige then I would add gray to this tone. I would also get the carpenter to remove the panel from the doors and get something like seeded glass or a metal insert again to go with your style. The doors being open will relieve some of the visual weight of the piece as well. I love the French Cremone style hardware in black.

Just something interesting for those doors. Then a match for pulls on the drawers.

Awhile ago there was a post from someone with a lot of doors in their kitchen, and they painted some of them the same color as the wall. The room looked so much less cluttered. I think this would work well with your louvered doors.

I like it - I would paint your louvered doors the same color as the walls so they blend away. I would then go to the craft store and get some poster board or foam board ( I am hoping those shelves are fixed and have a little wiggle room ). Then get some beautiful fabric or wall paper remnant or even paint and cover the poster board and put it in the backs of the cabinet. Once the tv and your stuff is in there, it will look much better. Once you are in your new home you could consider painting it a different color may be a softer white or Leave the upper white and do the lower section a different color.

Live with it for a while - It will be fine!

It is massive. But it will look much better when a lot of the white is covered up as others have mentioned. Another thing is the rug is crowding the unit and is really too big for your space. It would look much better with the wood floor showing to create a walkway in front of it. You could try rolling the rug up behind the sofa. And now that you have the high wall unit, your coffee table and sofa look too low. Is there anyway to put longer legs on the sofa to lift it about 4"? How about replacing the coffee table? And the chairs in the corners make it seem crowded. Can you do without them? Just the sofa, coffee table and a couple tall floor lamps would be the trick. And lastly, make a careful selection with the hardware. Typically I see all puny knobs, but a combination of knobs and pulls would be great or all pulls to further break up the white expanse. Here are two ideas.

I feel your pain. We had a hutch added to our kitchen and when it first went in my husband and I were a wee bit uncomfortable with the "looming white cabinet." Once I added my items to the hutch, it started to feel more natural to me. I do like some of the advice for lightening up the room. My humble opinion...find what it is you liked in the wall unit in the first place, and play it up. My looming cabinet (for reference):

Here is a room shot (kitchen reno and addition are still in process).

Couple more ideas. I'd be tempted to have the carpenter built a false back for the middle section. And wallpaper the backs of all the shelves.

Kirsten Eloise, what I should have said about the closet is that it is infrequently accessed, but we do store a lot of items that can’t go in the attic in there. I don’t need immediate access all the time, but I can’t get rid of the access either.

Hi Cati. I really feel your pain. I think your room was beautiful and I agree that the unit is a monster and out of place in your pretty room. I think that doing a bunch of work around the room to make the room match the unit is a waste of time.

I like Flo’s idea for coloring it I believe taking the top molding off would be good because there is no molding in the room like it. I would call the carpenter in and talk about modifying that middle piece. I don’t believe in assuming anything can’t be done until it is discussed.

Just because something is beautifully made doesn’t justify it’s existence if it is wrong for your space.

Believe me when I tell you that if you start cutting on the unit it's going to need a completely new finish. Live with it, move it to another room or sell it.

I am not a pro... BUT I am a doting grandma of 3 under the age of 5 and I have a lot of toys for the boys when they come to visit, and I like to have their toys put away in storage when they are not here. If your little ones keep some toys in that room, that cabinet is perfect! Nice and organized is good!

The cabinet is very white, but honestly I would live with it a while (no harm in that!) and see if you get used to it. If not, then other people have given you great ideas about new paint colors, etc.

I would love that cabinet!!!

It's a very nice cabinet! Great suggestions here for minimizing the contrasting colors. I think you may grow to like it.

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The unit is very nice. However, I think it is a very bright white compared to the more earthy colors in the room. As others have suggested, once you put the TV and other décor items, the contrast may not be as much anymore. Or you may just need more time to get used to it. If you think after a while that there is still too much contrast, is painting the unit a softer white a possibility?

the only solution is to paint it the same wall color.

I think the issue is its color, the stark white. If you love your wall color, I would paint the cabinet a color that would harmonize with the wall color. If you plan on repainting the room, paint the cabinet a color that hamonizes. Then it will not look so massive or oversized for your room. I would not try to alter its construction.
Best wishes.

I would hold painting until you've lived with it for while. Right now it's got cabinet grade finish on it, which should be very durable--especially important if you'll be storing toys, etc. in it. I have custom built kitchen cabinets with the same finish. They seemed really bright at first, but within a couple of years they definitely got warmer looking. Painting over that finish will take a lot of prep and decent skills, and you may still not like it.

Some incongruity in the room is all. You have tons of storage now but lots of small items scattered and stuffed about. The big tv unit could be balanced by the big sofa but you have bunches of little pillows messing up that balance. You could have a great big piece of light colored art above the sofa but instead you have small dark art pieces all over the room.

Same with those skinny armed chairs, they just amplify the large tv unit and should be removed. And you need to dress your coffee table with something big to take some focus from the tv unit.

Hardware on the tv unit doors and drawers will also help.

Now that you have the tv unit I hope you will enjoy it.