apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

That's brilliant. Love it.

cute, unless you have a cable box.

That's really fun in this space. I wonder if one could use a sleeker music stand for a smaller LCD?

Seems like I just saw this same thing on Danny Seo's blog.
Is this going to be the new fad?

I do like it though :)

GREAT!

Uh, Unstable much?

Bad!

The one time she wants to paint and do something worthwhile, she'll inevitably choose to watch TV and slowly turn her ideas and creativity into drone mush.

Boo" :( hate this idea! Hate!!

ChristineBadina - before jumping to conclusions, I would consider these possibilities:

she is not an artist and bought the easel specifically for this purchase,

she is an artist, but has more than one easel, thus can spare this one without sacrificing her creativity.

Heather, true, that's possible. But I still hate it ;)

Buying a beautiful well used easel for a tv... *shudder*

wow great idea! I think this would be a great idea for a second tv (where all the components can be housed with the main tv).

I like it - Quirky and inventive - and a heck of alot more interesting than the typical and tired AV consoles/armoires.

I think it's very neat but what about the cords running across the room?

The angle is wrong. It should be flat or angled down somewhat, not up. Unless you watch TV by standing in front of it.

Neat looking though.

Yes! I saw it in this room as well: http://www.scad.edu/events/westelm.cfm

I was also wondering where the cable box and dvd player would go. I didn't even think about the angle, but so true.

Vicente Fox the president of Mexico is an acclaimed designer?

I think that you're got to angle the screen so that it's not pointing up at the ceiling, (which it is in the photo), as Chz just said, and that it need to be really secured to the easel tray. Really secured.

The flckr one looks better in terms of angle, but I'd like to see the back and how it's clamped on there. I'd also add wheels to the easel.

I just read that as "I'd also add eels to the weasel." Friday afternoon, oy.

I think it looks amazing, and is really fun (although its practicality is shot by pointing the tv upward).

boring comments touting art so absolutely over tv. ironic, as you are browsing an electronic media to make those posts. dedicating art-related items to art is not going to solve america's overconsumption of tv and lack of artistic creativity. in fact, I think this type of creativity is a step in the right direction.

I'm sorry, but I think that looks ridiculous :(

Um, perhaps you meant Vicente WOLF...?

amt230, it's not art over TV... I work in TV for god's sake and have nothing against electronic media.

It's just that for many people, it's difficult somehow to actually do the things we love because they require more effort than just watching TV and receiving, rather than expressing. Any obstacle to a creative outlet is stiffling and tragic if you ask me. You need balance and I think this idea promote unbalance.

My easel is in a closet and that is just as much a shame as if it were used as a TV stand...

and finally, I'm allowed to hate it. My comments are not boring because you don't feel the same way, espescially when you don't understand what I actually mean in the first place.

The most interesting comments, from a design perspective, are actually those who point out how it's not even fuctional... on top of being stupid ;)

I want that pillow!

maybe not on a leaning easel, but an upright one like Clairine posted looks pretty neat.

Hey...people hang flat-screen TVs above the fireplace like it was a painting...then why not on an easel?

ChristineBadina - well, i didn't mean to offend by calling your comment boring. I just thought your position seemed a little absolute. It's funny, as when I was first writing my post, an idea that kept coming to mind was promoting a balance, like you mentioned.

If I were a painter, and had an easel as a tv stand, I think I'd feel a lot more pressure to paint.

Anyhow, differing opinions make life more interesting, and at least it appears we both agree that it's totally impractical.

really nice! better than taking up a whole wall!!

I think it looks really contrived and cumbersome. I was wondering about the angle as well.

I loved it the first time I saw it, but I have a feeling it's going to be one of those overdone design statements very soon.

I don't have a TV. I'd rather paint.

Looks nice, but I'm such a klutz that I would probably knock it over!

It looks cool but functionally I think it could be a nightmare...the cords, the angle, the possibility that someone could knock it over by mistake (adult, child or pet).

http://www.mydesignsecrets.com

I really don't like this.

As others have mentioned, I question the functionality and stability of the finished project and I don't think it's that exciting.

I'm not sure I'm into the tv/easel combo - but I'm definitely intrigued by those side tables - galvanized buckets repurposed perhaps?

Hey Everyone, This is Newell. I've been reading the comments. Thanks to those of you who like my use of an easel as a TV stand. I thought I might answer a few questions and clarify a few details on how it works. First, it's a used easel that I found in a tattoo shop in Kingston, NY. It was a great deal at $400. I'd been pricing similar new easels at over $1000—too much. They're very substantial, which is how this one is able to handle the weight of the TV and adjust in more ways than a basic easel (without becoming unstable). In addition, the TV doesn't end up pointing at the ceiling as it seems to be doing in that particular photo. I had a .75" inch thick piece of plywood cut to a size about 2" narrower (all the way around) than the actual TV, painted it gray and bolted it to the frame of the easel. I also determined the best viewing height and bolted into place some of the key easel adjustments so that nothing could accidentally loosen and drop. I then used a traditional TV wall bracket to mount the TV to the board, so in reality I have much more flexibility in adjusting the tilt of the TV than you would normally. As for the cords and the other electrical equipment, I had outlets installed in the baseboard of the wall behind the easel. With interior wall wiring I have all of the equipment in the closet of the half bath behind. It's all operated with a universal remote, which uses radio frequencies to operate electrical equipment in other rooms. I'm really happy with the way it worked out, and it's proven very stable. The key is finding the right easel. I first saw a TV mounted this way in a project by Vicente Wolf, and the easel he used was a beautiful antique. Since the column appeared, I've heard from another designer, Carey Maloney of M Group here in New York, who said that they've been putting flat screen TVs on easels for years. He has some great examples. I wanted to integrate the TV with the room and not try to hide something that was obviously there. It's also just a little Steampunk, which I like. Ace, the little galvanized metal tables are one of my favorite things in the room. I bought them from a company (Vagabond Trading) that wholesales to retailers. They're great looking and really functional...no worries about a glass leaving a water ring.

Hiya! Karandash here that the post refers to. As Newell says above, we bought the easel specifically for this purpose so it's very sturdy. It's meant for very large & heavy canvases. After we measured for the correct viewing height we screwed it all together so it couldn't move up and down anymore. We attached a regular wall TV bracket so we knew it would sit correctly. Made sure it was flat for viewing. (We don't like TVs hung above fire places and such because they are always too high for optimal viewing.)

We rent so our cables aren't as nice but if we owned we'd have them go into the wall and around to the side shelves where our DVD player is. The TiVo we have just beneath with some art books.

We've wanted to do this for about 5 years or so when we lived in London but only got to it two years ago in this apartment. We've never seen it before but love the idea so mostly glad that it's now getting wider spread. But now we look like we're copying others! =)

"I don't have a TV. I'd rather paint"

I'm realy tired of comments like these. Watching tv doesn't make you a braindead idiot who can't create.

Hey Newell, thanks for letting me know where you got the side tables. I tried googling "Vagabond Trading" - it looks like they've let their domain lapse. Hmph. The desire grows for that which I cannot have. *sigh*

Newell - thanks for the clarification. I think the message here is that this is waaaaaaaaaay more complicated than simply leaning your TV on an easel. What you've done looks great - thanks for giving us the details on how you made it look simple.

PS - RF remotes are awesome for this kind of thing - I have my stuff hidden inside a closet too, for the exact same reason.