I would put a slight recess in the wall for the TV, just enough so it is flush with the wall, then I would hang a very light weight piece of art work over top and just lift it on and off when you needed to watch TV.

Hubby found this and wants to use it to hide a flatscreen in our bedroom. No idea on the price just yet but maybe you can contact them and inquire if the idea appeals to you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tapestry flat screen hider

I wouldn't think a mechanical item that only lifts a lightweight piece of art would be subject to the same "aging" as a heavy-duty lift that hoists cars into the air all day.

I wouldn't want to lift it off by hand -- but perhaps I think that because I'm short, and it wouldn't be easy for me to reach. And then where would you set the piece of artwork while you're watching TV?

An option that hasn't been mentioned, though I have no personal experience with it: You can get "see through" mirrors that hide a TV. When the TV's off, it looks like a plain mirror. I think that sounds pretty good, though the price is high.

One I saw that makes a lot of sense was this one where the tv is hidden by multiple framed pictures but they are hinged so it opens in the middle and they fold back on themselves so they take up a minimum amount of space on either side when watching TV. And that to me looks like a DIY job which can be done fairly inexpensively.

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We were going to use the idea I suggested above on our fireplace but with our fireplace model we were not able to put a recess up above it. The art work we were going to use is a very light weight canvas print that doesn't weigh more than a pound or so. We are both tall (him 6'1 and me 5'8) and due to the light weight of the canvas we could just lift it up by the bottom that would be just over 5 feet off the floor. We were going to place it against the wall where the sofa backs into to hide it when it was not up above the fireplace. Doesn't work for everyone, but it is a inexpensive easy way to hide the TV.

I saw on houzz once a pic of barn like doors covering the tv when not in use. I know I was looking for barn doors. I thought it looked really cool. It was over a fireplace and I'm sure it could be one piece of art or two. My neighbors have barn doors in a few areas of the house and they come together in a puzzle like fashion, of a geometric design. Really cool.

Jen