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Design Dilemma: Hiding the TV, Part 2

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Can you find the TV in the room above? You’ll never guess where to look: The window seat on the left side of the room contains a TV and all of its components. The push of a button brings the TV up on an automated lift.

Which leads us to the point of this post: with the advent of flat screen TVs and a new generation of projectors, it’s no longer necessary to keep a TV screen anywhere in sight when not in use. Now, it seems that homeowners are getting increasingly inventive about tucking away TV screens in unexpected places. For instance, below, you have a beautiful bookshelf, right?

But surprise, surprise, the bookshelf actually incorporates a screen in a compartment above and audio equipment in cabinets below when it’s time to watch a favorite movie:

Below, sliding doors keep a TV tucked out of sight.

And here, a sliding compartment allows a TV screen to disappear behind a fieldstone fireplace when not in use:

Here’s another TV near a fireplace. Now you see it…

And now you don’t, thanks to folding wooden doors…

In addition to sliding doors and compartments, some homeowners are installing swivel mechanisms that keep TVs tucked away. For instance:

Here’s the same concept:

And then there are those who opt for pop-up TVs.

Now you see it:

And now you don’t:

The important thing to remember if you’re considering a hide-away system is that electronics build up heat and need to breathe. Many of the systems you see incorporate ventilated compartments for any system that is enclosed. The other thing to keep in mind is being realistic about your TV viewing habits. If you love watching TV, it may not make sense to hideaway a TV because doing so often necessitates suboptimal TV placement (often higher or lower than recommended for the best viewing.) If you love your TV, you should best own up to it, and arrange the TV accordingly.

On the other hand, TVs have become massive in recent years, taking up a significant amount of real estate in a room. It seems fair that more of us would want to reclaim our rooms from the big black screen that can suck all the life away.  And now, thanks to all the new creative ideas out there, we can much more easily do just that!