The Internet May Be on Fire About This, But There Are Actually Cool Ways to Hide Your TV
Your television is likely the focal point of your living room, even if you wish it weren't. That big black rectangle is probably what most—if not all—your furniture points toward, which is understandable. (If you can't see the screen, why have one?) But there's a reason why so many designers hide the television in their projects: They're not the prettiest things to look at. Making them disappear isn't the only option, though. We keep seeing stylish TV wall designs from pros that accent them in interesting ways or help them blend into the rest of the decor. We're serious—they actually make televisions look good.
A favorite solution of many interior designers is the Samsung Frame TV, the thin, flat television that has a matte finish and displays art on the screen when it's off so it looks just like a painting. It's great, but it's not inexpensive. If the Frame isn't in your budget, try to find "a TV that hugs the wall as close as possible," says Courtnay Elias, the Houston-based creative director and founder of interior design firm Creative Tonic.
The rest of a great TV wall's design depends on where you want to hang your set and whether you want it to be the focal point. Designers love building a gallery wall around a TV to balance it. If you hate seeing one but don't have room for a cabinet, you could try painting the wall a dark color so it blends in. And if you're torn over whether it's okay to hang a television over your fireplace, just go for what feels right. (Designers do it when it makes sense too.) Forget about whatever's holding you back from creating the TV wall design of your dreams—you'll find plenty of inspiration here.
Mount It on a Room Divider
This elegant TV wall design is actually also a home bar and a partition that helps the space flow efficiently. Lyons Studio's client needed somewhere to hang a television in the open-concept living-slash-dining room, so founder Merrill Lyons dreamt up the built-in cabinet with TV niche on one side and a bar counter and storage on the other. "Creating that built-in was one of the most transformative aspects of the living room, dining room, and kitchen areas because it really cleaned things up and defined the dining and the living spaces," says Lyons, who started her firm in 2014 and trained in industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design.
The color is also key. "The first thing I'd encourage someone to think about is the fact that when your TV is off, it's a black rectangle," Lyons says. "With that in mind, we try to think about how we can make that black rectangle look like it belongs on the wall. One way to do this is to paint the wall behind it a deep color so that the TV fades into it as opposed to a white wall where there will be a high level of contrast."
Put It Over a Fireplace
We know, it's controversial. But Ashley Hanley doesn't have a problem with it. "I think in general we have become obsessed with having these picture-perfect rooms, thanks to the likes of Pinterest, Instagram, etc. But typically those spaces are not realistic or conducive to everyday living, especially for young families," she says. "My theory is to embrace [TVs] in the casual rooms—they are to be viewed, and there is no need to hide it." Hanley turned the porch of this Colonial Revival home in Richmond, Virginia, into a fully equipped living space, partly by putting a television over the hearth. The black box might not fit the traditional aesthetic, but it's exactly where it needs to be for comfortable viewing.
Shift the Focal Point
Install a playful wallpaper on the TV room ceiling to take the focus off the flat screen. Alicia Hassen, the founder of interior design firm Brooklinteriors, built the color palette of this Williamsburg, Brooklyn, apartment's living room on the pattern overhead. The touches of red and olive green that continue across the custom TV unit make the entire wall look cohesive and distract from the shiny rectangle at the center.
Surround It With Supplies
In this colorful Texas home by Creative Tonic, Elias mounted a small television in the center of the bar. Because there's so much happening, from the mirrored back wall to bottles and elegant shelving, the screen sticks out less. In the unlikely case that the cocktails aren't enough to get guests hovering, the TV will definitely do the trick.
Make It Stand Out
Paint the walls and ceiling the same color, stick to a monochrome palette, and mount only your television on the wall. It's a bold choice, but why not be intentional about it? "I'm all for embracing the TV and doing something fun with it," Elias says. In this Creative Tonic project, the built-in storage at the base of the TV wall makes it look like a modern twist on a typical storage unit.
Paint the Screen on the Wall
Wall-mounted TVs likely make you think of the theater, so you might as well lean into the idea. Erika Frank "painted the screen on the wall and surrounded it with a wood frame clad in black velvet to absorb any light bleed," she explains. "It’s an excellent way to do a screening room where a projector is involved. Much easier to touch up if damaged, and also no flimsy screen hanging down!"
Nestle It Into Your Bookshelf Wealth
Follow in ABD Studio's footsteps and make your TV part of your bookshelf wealth aesthetic. The media room in this Lake Tahoe home incorporates the television into the shelving alongside the family's collectables and books. It helps the TV, and the media room, flow better with the entire aesthetic of the house.
"It is important to be sure that the television is mounted to a location that looks thoughtfully considered and tidy," says Brittany Giannone, founder of ABD Studios. Here, "the television is nestled tastefully into a custom-built media cabinet that filled the expanse of the entire wall. This custom built-in allowed us to decoratively conceal the television within a curated collection of accessories, books, and intriguing small artworks."
Let It Fade Out
Paint the wall behind the TV a dark, moody color so it blends into the background. This is a great option if you want a flush TV but can't do one for whatever reason. "The key to tastefully mounting a television on the wall is to make every effort to conceal it with the background behind," Erin Sander says of this made-for-lounging porch in Dallas. "In this case, the dark siding plays a key component in the TV receding as an element in the space."
Carve Out a Niche
Joe Ireland designed this perfectly proportioned alcove to house the TV in a Chesapeake Bay home, and it makes the space look so well balanced. The shelves that frame the television enhances the effect, but a TV inset like this can work in any home. Just make sure no one wants to upgrade to a bigger screen anytime soon.
Hide It Behind a Painting
"The idea of hiding a TV behind a piece of art is not new," says Bronwyn Ford of Pursley Dixon Architecture. However, this custom foldable artwork is quite a unique way to disguise that black rectangle. "This home's front room is meant for gathering with family and for entertaining, but also needed to be a casual space to relax," she explains. "With such thoughtful details in the room, we didn't want a TV to be the focal point over the beautiful limestone fireplace," Ford says. So they commissioned an artist, Stuart Coleman Budd, to paint four panels they provided, which were then fitted onto custom hinges. The result is a trompe l'oeil TV screen that's easy to open and close.
Mount It in the Playroom
If you want to give your kids a playroom that can entertain them in every possible way, put a flat screen on the wall—it's perfect for playing those classic Disney movies. But make it part of the decor. The team at Kemble Interiors built a mini replica of this Palm Beach home in its playroom (don't miss the copper details) and mounted a TV above the front door, giving the client's children a fun way to use their imagination and an outlet for when they just want to settle down and watch something.
Recess It Into the Chimney
As we mentioned earlier, there are a lot of strong opinions out there about mounting TVs over fireplaces. If it's your best option, you may want to do it in the most unobtrusive way possible. Recessing it, as seen in this Dumbo loft, lets it disappear a little. "Early on in the project, we came up with the idea of adding this wall which could both house a fireplace and recess their TV," says Michelle Zacks. "The finishing touch was the dark-colored plaster paint finish by Kamp Studios, which adds some contrast and weight to the room and looks patinated in the same way that the surrounding concrete ceiling feels."
Fit It Into Your Closet
Sasha Bikoff installed this television in the walk-in closet of an Upper East Side apartment, allowing her fashion-conscious client to watch her shows (Project Runway, perhaps?). Who doesn't like to be entertained while they're getting ready for the day?
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