Television sets were once an unwelcomed guest in home decor, but NOW they’re making their way back into the living spaces.
Up until recently, most interior designers would have baulked at the idea of using a television as a creative element. TVs were bulky and obtrusive, but today with the new ultra slim models; it’s never been easier to incorporate a television into a room's design. These days, the old quandary, To Hide or Not To Hide the TV, is becoming just a matter of preference. Do you want to conceal that flat screen, or show it off as art? I have a few ideas to share to help you decide what your preference could be:
A wall-mounted television in a kitchen can help a cook enjoy meal prep-time while reviewing special recipes that they’ve seen on a TV show. Just remember, a kitchen can become overly crowded quickly because that’s the room where everyone gathers and where everything is usually dropped when you come in the door. So be sure the kitchen television is a discreet size and it blends in to the kitchen décor and cabinetry. (As a personal preference, I HATE and I use this word strongly, HATE a television within a refrigerator door… seriously, it’s like the tv/dvd player combination – what if one stops working and the other still works?) Now, in other rooms, the TV set can be a more obvious presence. If the primary purpose for being in a room is to watch television, then it's not necessary to go to extreme lengths to hide it.
Technology is a fact of life, but now a days disguising it in your home isn’t complicated. You can place a television in a cabinet or shelving that's been built or painted to blend into the décor of your room… or if you want a television for the kitchen; you can use wall cabinetry and add glass panels to the doors to place your TV behind the panels.
Bravely displaying the television in a family room is one thing, doing so in a more formal room is quite another. I had a husband and wife client once that came to an impasse over the placement of their television. The lady of the house couldn't bear the thought of a television in her formal living room, but her husband believed that it would help make the room 
more family-friendly. The solution: a media system we built into a paneled wall that allowed the living room to double as an off-hours media room. Both were happy… and we actually expanded their living space by giving them an additional use for their formal living room (I’m sure most people will agree – your formal living room is never really used in the first place).
Now that we have beautifully designed televisions, many people are asking for a flat screen over their mantel instead of a mirror or piece of artwork. The new TVs are designed so beautifully, you can treat them as artistic installations.
more family-friendly. The solution: a media system we built into a paneled wall that allowed the living room to double as an off-hours media room. Both were happy… and we actually expanded their living space by giving them an additional use for their formal living room (I’m sure most people will agree – your formal living room is never really used in the first place).Now that we have beautifully designed televisions, many people are asking for a flat screen over their mantel instead of a mirror or piece of artwork. The new TVs are designed so beautifully, you can treat them as artistic installations.
With the new technology, you can hide a television behind a photo of the family, a piece of art or even a mirrored glass, so it's disguised when you're not watching it. But when you're ready to watch, all you have to do is just push a button and the television will magically appear.
Televisions were once viewed as an obstruction to good design, but now they’ve come full circle. In fact, in modern and contemporary spaces, a sleek flat screen television complements the aesthetics.
So, again, let me ask…
To Hide or Not To Hide the TV
...that is the question
What’s your answer now?
