The style of the TV cab works with your antique: I would paint it since stripping, sanding and refinishing (if it is even a material that can be) is more work than I want to do.

I think that painting it to match the wall it is against might give the effect of the dark TV just floating there; I feel like it should be grounded with the cabinet.

I love your fireplace wall color - I wouldn't match it exactly, but go a shade or so darker.

Alternatively I would choose one of the blues in the room, probably one of the darker ones. Which of the blues do you really love?

How about the color of your ceiling lamp shade? I like that.

A third option - go looking at estate sales and used furniture shops, or on craigslist if in your area, for an old, smaller chest or dresser that could hold the TV. I use an old dresser, with a beautiful wood finish, probably 100 years old, for mine.

Love your house! My first house was in Ellicott City, about a million years ago.

Andrea, I agree with @raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio about TV cab going darker to ground the TV. But, I think it should go much darker than the light wall she mentions. I was thinking almost a navy blue bc you have it in the room & that color would give the cabinet the same ’weight’ as the antique china cabinet. Can you drape a navy blanket over the cabinet to get a feel for how it would look & feel? You mention crowded feeling - I do think the space looks tight in pic. Those 2 beautiful chairs at the end of FP - can you try separating them & place one at each corner of the rug & slightly angle towards couch as a conversation grouping. I see there’s a side table at the end of sofa - that’s great - place chair next to it & maybe not against the wall but facing into the room. Hope the dog who uses that bed can adjust to being slid down the wall or being a bit behind the chair. I wondered what the piece is between the TV cab & china cab? I think a tall floor plant would be more useful as a ’divider’.

Thanks for the suggestion to place the blue blanket on the cabinet just to get an idea. I have played around with positioning of the 2 chairs and separated them in the past but I had a different, larger end table at the time and it just didn't work. The door you see leads to our master bedroom so I need to keep a clear path. The dog, is a 150 lb spoiled rotten mastiff so there's no "hiding" or "tucking away" her bed. 😆. I just moved the floor lamp over behind one chair and removed the basket with extra blankets and pillows. I'll figure out some place to put that. What do you think about this layout? It's dark out now so colors may look different than earlier photos.

Yes. I actually had moved the small table to the other side last night after I had taken the updated pics. The flow of traffic from bedroom through both family and dining rooms is fine. May fo get some paint samples for the TV stand so I can make a decision on that. Don't really want to have to buy a new one as I like the size and scale of the one I have.

I think light sanding and staining the TV console to a finish closer to the china cabinet will be a better option. If current piece is not varnished or painted, it should not be a difficult job.

I like the suggestions of painting it a darker colour or staining it to match your china cabinet.

Do you have another location in the dining room, you could put that cabinet on. I think, it is not so much that the color is conflicting, but, the size and shape of both cabinets when you look at it. If the big cabinet can be moved, and something smaller and decorative put where it is now, your tv cabinet will look fine.

The great thing about the major reno we did 10 years ago is that it opened up the space and allows for the light from all the windows to come through.....the bad news, I don't have much wall space. So, unfortunately the roughly 20 ft of wall that you see there is the most that we have in any of the common living spaces besides the basement....definitely not putting it down there.

Do you have room to put the china cabinet closer to the window, so it’s completely inside the dining space? Also, removing the baskets from the top will give it breathing space. Do you need 10 chairs all the time? Again, it’s a matter of breathing space.

Hi Anne. The pics may not show it but the China cabinet actually is completely in the dining room. My issue is not with "breathing room" or more space in either the dining or family room. We have large family gatherings here all of the time with plenty of room for all. My post and dilemma is with the color of the TV stand. The China cabinet has to stay where it is, and I really have no interest in changing it. It is a family heirloom as is the dining table that was custom built for my father-in-law, seats 12, is made of solid cherry wood with chairs that have caning that was done by hand. 

The TV stand on the other hand has no sentimental value. I'm willing to paint, strip, or alter it in any way, as long as it doesn't compete with the China cabinet, which I think it does.

The china cabinet is gorgeous but it’s placement is not great.

Center the hutch between the window and the ceiling beam like Anne suggested.

I was about to suggest what Anne Duke recommended. Your dining room looks fantastic and as the person who hosts most of our family get togethers, I agree the oversized table is a must, especially with its history. Does it have leaves that could perhaps one could be stored for day to day living? Having the dining room ready to entertain is convenient, but it can create challenges of other kinds. When we have larger groups, we have to shift our table over, out of perfect alignment with our chandelier, to accommodate better flow with the leaves in. I think if you could slide the China cabinet even just 6” to the left, it will help the two larger pieces feels less crammed. I also think removing the two substantial baskets from the top of the china cabinet would likely also improve how the space feels, allowing a bit more open space on the wall to give the eye a place to rest in that space.

It all looks beautiful, but I think a few minor tweaks will make it even nicer.

Select something minimal for the wall that doesn't conflict stylewise with your cabinet.

I love what you have here.

The only thing that is glaringly off to me is the ceiling beam. Not only does it not get along with the wood tones of the cabinets on either side, but it's so rustic and unfinished against the lovely crown molding and plaster/drywall walls.

Would you consider finishing the beam to match the other finishes in the house? Maybe add a stub wall between the cabinets for definition? You'd only need 15" or so and it would remain open feeling.

Do you need the storage in that TV cabinet. I think your space would look great with the cabinet removed and the TV hung on the wall.

I installed a Samsung The Frame TV in my house and really like not having the "black hole" when we aren't watching TV. Very slim profile and hangs flat on the wall.

A Houzz photos

The Frame TV by Samsung · More Info

Beams are architecture and not furnishings. They can get a pass on the finish as long as they play nice.

I don’t think anyone wants to get rid of the lovely china cabinet - just that it would look better scooted over a few inches. it looks like its trying to escape the room right now! i would think about navy for the cabinet.

Black for the cabinet. Following.

I would consider painting the console the same color as fireplace. Your dining room is really pretty!

I completely agree with @BeverlyFLADeziner. Beams are architecture and not furnishings. When they don't play nice, they should be reevaluated. And as architecture, when they are installed as part a remodel, they should match the home. This one does not.

This is a beautiful home with lovely furnishings. But the beam looks almost like it's holding up the walls while waiting for the permanent beam to come from the carpenter.

I agree with painting the beam. Would the TV and cabinet fit on another wall instead? Hard to tell from the pics.

Have you decided yet?

I would paint it a darker blue and consider adding a map or wallpaper to the drawers & drawers. Then adding in a tall plant.

All, thank you for the suggestions.  I think I'm going with either navy or black paint for the tv cabinet. Still recovering from back surgery so no physical labor for a few more weeks.   I also wanted to clarify a few points for some so that it doesn't appear that I was ignoring your input. 

1. We did a major renovation 10 years ago and took down many walls.  The beams are structureal in that they are holding up the second floor.  They are solid wood, came from an old local barn, then refinished and repurposed for our home. 

2. As far as the beams being painted to match the style of our home, I did not post pictures of every part of our home but it is filled with many modern farmhouse touches.  The stove vent (pictured below) is wood from an old barn in PA, the vanity in the powder room was custom built from  barnwood in Minnesota (pic below), the farm sink in the kitchen, the solid wood front door - stain matches wood beams, and multiple antiques and furnishings (live edge wood tables, barnwood accent wall in the home gym) throughout the house that are classic farmhouse style. The exterior of the home includes a rustic stone fireplace and outdoor kitchen, patio and screened in patio with wood and iron detail. I can appreciate that those details were not known in the original post but I didn't think they were important in looking at my issue with paintng the tv cabinet.

3. I will look at moving the china cabinet 6 inches to the left closer to the window and then moving the picture to the left side of the window and hang the two pictures vertically on one side.  Hoping the lack of symmetry won't be glaring - but we will see. 

4. As I stated before, we removed many walls.  The dining room has 2 walls. One is full of windows and the other has the one smaller window.  The rest is open to the kitchen and living area so placement of the china cabinet is restricted to the location that is currently pictured. 

5. This same issue goes for the wall where the tv cabinet is located.  The living room has one wall of windows and one wall is the fireplace.  The only other option is the wall space in between the two blue chairs.  However, that is in the direct path of the entry and the wall space itself is off center to the viewing area of the living room.  Flipping the couch and chairs would also cut off the flow to the bedroom (door to the right of the tv cabinet) and the dining room. 

6.  We have been in our home for 21 years and are looking to move in the next 3-4.  So I'm not really interested in major reno or expensive projects just looking to refresh and make minor design changes that will allow the home to "show" well when we are ready to put it on the market. 

Again, thanks to everyone for the input and suggestions.  Once I paint the tv cabinet I will post a pic with the update.

@Andrea Bennett Thank you for allowing us into your home and showing us the lovely finishes and personal custom touches. Your kitchen is fabulous! Look forward to seeing the changes to TV & China cabinets. Best wishes for your recovery - hoping it’s fast and complete!

I like the barnwood. The finish is a very nice color. It may have helped if that beam, would have been stained the color of the barnwood.

I agree with your plan of moving the china cabinet over, and stacking the two pictures. I think you may be pleasantly surprised that there won't be "asymmetry" - I think the stacked pictures will balance the cabinet nicely actually better than it is currently.