Monday, July 26, 2010

Three Ways to Hide That Big Wall-Mounted Plasma TV

wooden wall-mounted plasma TV cabinet

Designer Jonathan Adler would never hide the TV — so "bourgeois," he sniffs. "I prefer the honesty of the TV being out loud and proud. - Maria Puente, USA Today

But what if you don't want the TV out, loud and proud? What if it drives you crazy to look at it all the time? This isn't actually an organizing issue, but a number of my clients face this challenge - especially when one spouse or partner loves the TV, and the other doesn't - so I decided to write about some possible solutions.

I'm seeing three attractive options - none of them cheap.

1. A Cabinet

The cabinet at the top of this post can be found on the Horchow and the Neiman Marcus web sites. [via Small Furnish]


cabinet for wall-mounted plasma TV

Here's another option, from Maitland-Smith - and also available at Horchow and Neiman Marcus.


art goes up and down, hides wall-mounted plasma TV

2. A Print

A number of companies provide art prints that roll up and down - allowing you to hide the TV when it's not in use. They all have a large selection of art to choose from - and your personal art can be used, too. One such company is VisionArt Galleries.


art hides wall-mounted TV

Another company is Media Decor.

The BEI Motorized Artwork System is yet another options.


tapestry cover for flat-screen-wall-mounted TV

3. A Tapestry

Tapestries, Ltd. provides a tapestry flat-screen cover. I love CNET's line: This is "how Louis XIV would hide a plasma TV." Update on Nov, 16, 2017: The site that sold this product has disappeared.


woven tapestry hides flat-screen wall-mounted TV

And finally, Draper has Fine Art for FlatScreens - again, woven tapestries. You can choose one of the company's 39 designs, or have a custom tapestry made based on a digital picture you supply. Update on April 15, 2016: I'm no longer finding these products on Draper's website.

Related Post:
Make Your Flat Screen TV Disappear When Not in Use

4 comments:

Sandra said...

You can also just drape a lightweight sarong-type piece of fabric on it, as long as you make sure it's had enough time to vent out any heat. :)

Pauline Wiles said...

I think I like the art option best, although in my case, my home is non-grand enough that I don't mind the TV being on show :)

Jeri Dansky said...

Sandra, sometimes these are mounted too high on the wall for short people like me to easily drape something over them. But otherwise, a fine solution!

Struggler, many people are with you on that one! But for others, it's a real issue.

Lee said...

Thanks for the great ideas. I would like to minimize the overwhelming presence of the tv, but not have a complicated system. Maybe if it's usually out of sight, we wouldn't be as likely to plop down in front of it for long periods of time. Watching tv can be addictive and that's not how I want to live my life. We've been talking about similar ideas and may have something printed on fabric and have the fabric made into a roller shade.