“Where to put the TV? You’re going to have one, but you don’t want it to dominate the room. These creations offer up lots of new options you may not have considered.”
Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team
By Grace Chamia, originally published on HOUZZ
Sometimes a room design doesn’t seem to allow for a 60-inch television — maybe it disrupts the aesthetic flow and clean lines the designer worked so hard to achieve. Cue these now-you-see-me, now-you-don’t entertainment systems that blend in with their surroundings so well, they rival chameleons with their camouflage.
Winston Churchill has my attention … so much so that I almost missed the TV behind him. Slidable artwork is a striking way to conceal a flush-mount TV.
Where you don’t want to make a feature of a wall-mounted TV, a sliding floor-to-ceiling panel that blends in with the wall is clever at discreetly concealing it. In this Melbourne, Australia, living room by Wolveridge Architects, the good looks of the lower-level cabinetry, which can double as a bench seat, further distracts the eye away from the panel and, just as a magician never reveals secrets, physically distances the viewer from getting a peek at its nuts and bolts.
You can minimize the impact of a TV simply by surrounding it with framed prints.
The custom wall unit in this Los Angeles living room has a certain je ne sais quoi, with sleek white glossy cabinetry set against dapper walnut wood. The TV goes unnoticed behind the cabinet above the fireplace, with its sliding cover.
This cozy cabin might look like the type of place in which you’d shut out the outside world — no phones, computers or television. But it boasts a huge TV screen that rivals the stone fireplace. Hidden beside the chimney, it is out of eyesight when not in use, and slides out to cover the windows when the mood for a movie kicks in.
In this Sydney home, by Corben Architects, a black wall in open cabinetry camouflages a free-standing TV and fireplace set in front of it. Integrated this way, the high-shine TV screen acts almost as a lustrous finish.
A TV that doubles as a multifunctional room divider — how’s that for state of the art? This timber structure, which features an ethanol-burning fireplace and a rotating TV, divides an open kitchen-dining-living area and allows the homeowners to enjoy the warmth of the fire and a view of the TV from any part of the room.
The transparency of the fireplace and stunted height of the structure keep the piece from intruding on the space or blocking the flow of light.
Sometimes you just want to be able to pack away your television like you would a PlayStation. Cue this Houston loft and its custom wall unit with tempered glass sliding doors in a satin finish. When the doors are closed, the eye shifts to all of the homeowner’s interesting pieces — artifacts from her travels and a book collection.
That is indeed a rooftop hot tub with what must be a weatherproof television. The industrial steel frame mimics the silver in the skyline, blurring the line between the city view and what’s on TV.
Here we have a TV unit that can seem to vanish into thin air. One minute the viewer is staring at his or her reflection in a mirror, and the next it’s replaced by a live stream of the Grand Prix.
TV mirrors like this have come on the market as consumers look for entertainment systems that won’t disrupt their room designs. You simply select a frame that suits your decor or choose no frame at all. Just think, now you won’t have to worry about getting your laptop or tablet wet when watching a movie in the bath. Just direct your attention to your bathroom vanity mirror, sink in deeper and say, “Ahhh.”
Mastering minimalist design, this built-in TV floats above a frameless fireplace and completes the floor-to-ceiling wall feature without affecting the simplicity of the space.
A luxe piece of cabinetry can elevate a space, and this one in particular has a highly effective multifunctional purpose: Not only does it create a feature, lining the wall with something that catches your gaze, but it also stores and displays items and subtly accommodates the TV.
Who needs a dedicated media room when you can combine it so beautifully with a library? This San Francisco home nails the combo with a mammoth built-in floor-to-ceiling bookcase that sets aside just enough space for a flush wall-mount TV, which can disappear with a simple sliding panel. Should you tire of anything else on display with a unit like this …
… you know what to do!
A TV in the kitchen is quite a treat, especially when it has its very own cupboard. Guests in search of a drinking glass will be particularly taken aback.
You might not believe me when I tell you this, but that framed piece above the fireplace … yeah, that’s the TV, disguised by what is called a TV art cover. With the simple push of a button, the canvas painting rolls up into the decorative frame to reveal the relatively large, can’t-miss-it TV.
A windowless bedroom shouldn’t be denied a view. Here, the designers cleverly created a sense of an outlook with pseudo curtains, which open to reveal a flat-screen TV.
You can’t fit much in cupboards this size, surely …
Oh, but you can. How about your DVD collection and a flat-screen TV that swivels on a panel and slides into a cavity when not in use? That’s media storage, display and TV viewing all in one.
Like something straight out of a Nancy Drew novel, the middle section of this custom-made bookcase swivels to reveal a built-in TV, so as not to disrupt the cozy, scholarly vibe of the room.
