Love Your TV but Not the Way It Looks? Here’s How to Hide It
See the clever new ways designers are concealing that big, blank TV screen
Becky Harris
April 2, 2018
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
Some people celebrate the TV in all its big-screen technological glory, while others consider it an eyesore. If you fall into the latter group, there are plenty of ways to hide your TV from view when you don’t want to look at it. From covering with simple doors to concealing with motorized lifts, here are some of the most aesthetically pleasing ways designers are concealing TV screens today.
1. Lift hidden in millwork. Whether or not to have a TV in the bedroom has been a hot debate on Houzz. This solution is a good compromise. “The 49-inch TV and TV lift are hidden behind the panels under the window bay,” says architect Douglas VanderHorn. “The TV lift is mounted to the subfloor and can extend vertically to twice its height behind the cabinet to raise the TV completely from behind the paneling.”
This solution kept the look of the millwork intact. “The window sill and nosing travel with the TV, while the scotia molding remains attached to the paneling below to allow for a seamless look at the front,” VanderHorn says. And it’s set up for easy TV maintenance if that’s ever needed. The three-part paneling and attached base molding are removable via earth magnets along the inside frame.
TV: Samsung; TV lift: TPL 265-9, Auton; see more TV lifts and cabinets
This solution kept the look of the millwork intact. “The window sill and nosing travel with the TV, while the scotia molding remains attached to the paneling below to allow for a seamless look at the front,” VanderHorn says. And it’s set up for easy TV maintenance if that’s ever needed. The three-part paneling and attached base molding are removable via earth magnets along the inside frame.
TV: Samsung; TV lift: TPL 265-9, Auton; see more TV lifts and cabinets
2. Lift hidden in a kitchen island. “Clients struggle over where to put a TV in their kitchen. Most do not want to see it but admit they would use it all the time if it were there,” says Sven Gustafson, founder of boutique building firm Stonewood. This lift is concealed at the end of the kitchen island and, like the previous example, slides out of sight when the homeowners aren’t honing their cooking skills with the help of Julia, Rachel or Giada.
TV lift: Auton
TV lift: Auton
3. Sliding cover. In this kitchen, a shiplap panel slides across to cover the TV when it’s not in use. “I wish I could take credit for this, but the homeowner wanted to have a TV near the kitchen but did not want to see it,” says designer Linda Cloutier. “She came up with this brilliant idea.”
The home has a few barn doors and lots of shiplap throughout. “This was just a perfect combination of the two to make the TV disappear,” Cloutier says.
Find an interior designer near you
Find an interior designer near you
4. Sliding art panel. This living room design employs a similar solution on a larger scale. A large panel slides across a track over the TV to hide it. Art is mounted on the panel so it’s not just an expanse of white.
5. Pocketing bifold doors. In this living room in Vancouver, British Columbia, the TV is an attraction when it’s on. But when the family wants to enjoy the quiet in their calm coastal-style living room, the black hole gets covered up.
Lovely bifold doors that suit the style of the fireplace surround conceal the TV. The doors slide on a track back into the cabinet when the family wants to watch TV and are easy to close back up when they don’t.
6. Artful bifold doors. This idea is similar, but the doors compose a work of art when closed.
These doors do not slide back like we saw in the previous example; they fold to the side of the TV. (If you have a fireplace with a brick or stone chimney you won’t likely to be able to accommodate pocketing doors.)
Design Debate: Is It OK to Hang the TV Above the Fireplace?
Design Debate: Is It OK to Hang the TV Above the Fireplace?
7. Art lift. This painting is mounted to a lift that raises up when the TV is in use and lowers to cover it when not. The lift is motorized so this can be done with a push of a button. It can also hold a mirror or a panel if you prefer that to a piece of artwork, and you can mount it to move horizontally if you don’t have the height for a vertical lift.
Vertical art lift: Eclipse, Media Decor
Vertical art lift: Eclipse, Media Decor
8. Pocketing doors. In this Minnesota farmhouse, two doors open and slide back into the TV recess when the family wants to use it. They cleverly conceal the TV when it’s not in use while blending in beautifully with the farmhouse-inspired architecture. The barn-style millwork is a nice fit with the fieldstone fireplace surround and board-and-batten paneling overhead.
9. Motorized sliding screens. This beautiful fireplace surround has a secret. When the TV is turned on, the panels automatically slide to the left, and when it’s turned off they automatically close.
10. Barn doors. Salvaged barn wood shiplap creates a warm accent wall in this family room. Mounting modern technology on top of it was not the most pleasant juxtaposition of old and new.
So they added matching barn doors that slide open to reveal the TV and come together to hide it.
But a beautiful wooden panel slides up (similarly to a double-hung window) to reveal the screen.
How High Should Your TV Be?
How High Should Your TV Be?
12. Secret siding slot. When these homeowners wanted a way to watch the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots al fresco, the builders at Renaissance Partners got creative. “This was a real challenge. We created the interior TV pocket by moving the cabinets in the interior mudroom by 18 inches,” says Ted Sihpol, owner of residential construction firm Renaissance Partners.
After framing the wall, they attached two 60-inch industrial drawer slides to the framing and secured a piece of plywood to the slides. Then they were able to slide the assembly out of the house and used a traditional TV arm-mount to mount the TV and cables they needed to make everything work.
“While the TV is not weatherproof, we fashioned the opening of the house so it would be weatherproof. We cut an opening in the siding and flashed and insulated it,” Sihpol says. “We were a bit limited as to what we could do for insulation, but it wasn’t that critical, as the space was inside the mudroom.”
The siding piece covers up the TV slot when it’s not in use. “We made sure that portion was flashed and tight. It also has a small lock on the bottom,” he says.
After framing the wall, they attached two 60-inch industrial drawer slides to the framing and secured a piece of plywood to the slides. Then they were able to slide the assembly out of the house and used a traditional TV arm-mount to mount the TV and cables they needed to make everything work.
“While the TV is not weatherproof, we fashioned the opening of the house so it would be weatherproof. We cut an opening in the siding and flashed and insulated it,” Sihpol says. “We were a bit limited as to what we could do for insulation, but it wasn’t that critical, as the space was inside the mudroom.”
The siding piece covers up the TV slot when it’s not in use. “We made sure that portion was flashed and tight. It also has a small lock on the bottom,” he says.
13. Digital art display. This TV is hidden in plain sight. Images show up on the screen when the TV is not in use. You can select personal photographs or artwork from your own collection, or images provided by the TV manufacturer. You can choose from a variety of digital mattes to match your room’s decor or to fit in with other frames and mattes on a gallery wall.
Your turn: Do you celebrate the look of a TV or would you rather hide it? Please share your tips for concealing a TV in the Comments.
TV: The Frame, Samsung
More
Is the Timing Finally Right for Framed Digital Art?
7 Clever Ways to Conceal Your TV in the Living or Family Room
Your turn: Do you celebrate the look of a TV or would you rather hide it? Please share your tips for concealing a TV in the Comments.
TV: The Frame, Samsung
More
Is the Timing Finally Right for Framed Digital Art?
7 Clever Ways to Conceal Your TV in the Living or Family Room
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In the 80s-90s, I had a telly. Rarely watched any programs/shows. I used my telly for gaming! LOL
Computers and Tellys are becoming blurred lines anyway. :)
I use my computer for gaming now. I think I turn on my telly about 2-4 hours a month - if that! LOL And I stream music on my computer while I work, too.
Lots of ideas for hiding tv