7 Clever Ways to Conceal Your TV in the Living or Family Room
You can stylishly hide or camouflage your flat-screen TV with art, doors, mirrors and more
We don’t always want a big TV on display in the living room — even though this has been a popular design move. Large black boxes detract from interior design and often from the room’s real focal point, whether that is the fireplace or another standout feature. Read on for seven creative options for hiding the TV in your living space.
1. Conceal it with art. In this colorful Costa Rica living room, artwork hung on a track system — which is hidden gracefully under a wooden wall shelf — provides a great solution for making the TV disappear. The white color of the branches in the art repeats the white of the sofa, so that the color scheme of the art works cohesively with the room.
If you don’t have enough room to slide art horizontally, you might consider moving it up or down, as shown in this photo. Again, the color scheme of the art — particularly that strong white background — ties in well with the white sectional and tabletop.
Here, wood cabinetry provides a great option for masking the TV on a fireplace wall, and also adds warmth and texture.
3. Disguise it as a mirror. Televisions with mirrored glass are nothing new, but positioning your TV over a chest so that it looks like a mirror helps it blend into the surrounding decor. In this room, the mirror’s dark frame mimics the color of the folding screens, and the warm beading color on the frame picks up the same color in the rug border.
Televisions with mirrored fronts can be purchased from a variety of online and retail sources, which often offer an array of framing options.
Televisions with mirrored fronts can be purchased from a variety of online and retail sources, which often offer an array of framing options.
Here, the mirrored TV’s frame edge blends perfectly with the wood finish behind, supporting the overall design.
4. Mask it with barn doors. If you have a large wall indentation or niche, sliding barn doors may be the perfect solution for hiding your TV and its components. Not only will everything disappear when †he doors are shut, but when they’re open, the entertainment area is emphasized, creating the feel of a home theater.
5. Stash it with a TV lift. Whether you buy ready-made furniture with a built-in pop-up mechanism for your television or have the mechanism added, as in this room, a lift can be a great solution for hiding electronics. Here the pop-up TV blends seamlessly into the shelving when not in use.
A motorized TV lift with a remote is more convenient to use than a manual option, but the noise from the motor varies depending on the specific model.
A motorized TV lift with a remote is more convenient to use than a manual option, but the noise from the motor varies depending on the specific model.
6. Rotate it out of view. The rotating TV in this space provides not only function but also beauty. The cabinet enclosing it can do a 180-degree turn. On the opposite side is a solid wood panel that blends into the rest of the cabinetry. Design-wise, the warm color of the sofa and ottoman pick up the warmth of the TV cabinet, and the striated pattern on the pillow echoes the lines of the grain.
7. Make it disappear with wainscoting. Even though wainscoting is traditionally used on the lower third of a wall as a protective finish, its can also serve as a nice finish for the fireplace, adapted to hide electronics. The panels can be installed directly in front of the TV on a hidden track system. Here, the white color and simple style of the wood wainscoting make it meld beautifully with the window trim and ceiling beams.
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