apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Me like!

This would be really neat if it there were a mechanism that made it possible for the TV to pull forward and then be raised to a correct viewing height.

Although it's stated that this is a comfortable viewing height..I really don't think it is. Unless her furniture is super low, or she likes to watch TV lying down, it's at an awkward level.

But yeah, it looks pretty.

This is obviously for people who barely watch tv.

Looks great, unfortunately, impractical.

Agree wholeheartedly with twoheadedboy. Even if it is at a comfortable viewing height, there can't be a coffee table or ottoman in front of it, so the viewer can't put his/her feet up while relaxing.

The television requires ventilation as well. I'm sure this will shorten its life.

I am SO impressed with this, yes its a little low, but swing arm mounts are readily available and so a "out and up" option would be completely feasible. Also, the screen she made is gorgeous and would be worth a post on its own.

You can see the table in front of it is actually clear, and remember the first televisions were set low like this, I found them more comfortable then the habit everyone has now of hanging flat screens too high up on the wall.

I'd love to see more posts mixing the soft art of decorating with fearless electronic hacks like this. Stuff like this is why i subscribe to MAKE.

Can't we all learn to love and live with our electronics, since they are such a part of our lives? Not sure why it has to be hidden in the first place. There are ways to arrange furniture so that the TV is not the focal point in the room...and I believe there was an older post here that covered that.

Clever if flawed. I love the screen a lot, and the fireplace installation is amusing, especially if you got one of those video fires for party use, but it is not vaguely reasonable for regular viewing. Eye level. I'm short, but my eyes are higher than that!! ;^) We have our Tivo unit at about the height of the top of the tv screen in this room, and the remote has to be held unnaturally high since the coffee table in between blocks the signal.

This is a great idea, particularly for people who have non-working fireplaces, or fireplaces they just don't use. Our fireplace works, but it's so inefficient that we never use it.

Pretty!

Hey! Our TV is in our non working fireplace mantel and it is perfect for us. We live in a Brooklyn Brownstone and literally it is the only place it could go in out parlor... It is not too low when you are sitting on the sofa. Only problem in our one year old loves to turn it off and on ;-)

Oh the bedroom it will be too low to watch in bed... our flat screen is on the wall across from our bed in our bedroom. She may want to hide it over her mantle in her bedroom. We saw a setup on a housetour in Brooklyn that had a flat screen housed behind a one way mirror so when it was not in use it was a mirror :-)

I cant watch on a TV that low. Imagine playing Wii on that thing. it's a great idea but just doesnt look right with me.

I would have hung it on the wall above the fireplace but now other will say it's too high.

Wow... this person must hate both fireplaces _and_ TVs!

I love that fireplace screen backed by plexi mirrors ! I have hideous gas heaters stuck into my fireplaces and am dying to find some way to mask them...

I do like this so much more than mounting the TV as a "picture" above the fireplace - at least it may be more comfortable to watch TV looking down than up.

This looks lovely. We currently have our TV on a stand right in front of our mantle which is bricked off. I wish we could do this, but drilling into a hollow chimney doesn't seem like a wise choice to me.

wow! Good ideas

You don't have a TV? I'm impressed.

But then again, how else would a person have time to run this blog?

I absolutely love this idea. Also, after a quick look through her web site and the NYTimes article that ran featuring her studio renovation in NYC, I'd love to see a more in-depth house tour featuring her current space.

LOVE! And I don't think it's too low. I grew up with an old-fashioned TV that was built like a piece of furniture. That thing sat on the floor and was not too low at all.

TV is too low. It is better to have it higher than lower. If you are sitting back or leaning back on a recliner, your head is naturally tilted to look up.

There is also no room for DVD player or cable box.

Anyway, I don't like the idea of having to hide the tv. Where do the 5.1 speakers go?

I have a tv mounted in front of a non-working fireplace.

Yes, it is a little low, but only by a few inches. This can be changed. Much preferred to that ubiquitous (suburban) placement over the fireplace. My neck hurts thinking about that.

We have a crackling fire dvd. People love the irony.

The glass table in between the tv and sofa works.

I would think the TV is too low to watch without sitting on the floor. This would really only work in a bachelor pad where the guy may only be using the television for video games.

i like this.

but its a tiny teeny tad too low for my personal taste.

BUT if i were living in that house..i would be ok with it

i think its a great idea but i doubt she ever bothers to put that screen in front of it, except maybe when guests come over. my experience with hiding things, like cords and wires, is that its just a hassle when you have to access something so i end up just leaving it exposed.

Ah man, seems like a lot of work... For a questionable result.

I like it. And as much as I first doubted the level, you probably just have to in the room to see how it works. The screen is genius, and the only flaw I can see is where the screen might go when you've removed it to use the technology behind it.

Television snobbery rears its head again.

Decorators hate them because they spoil the artificial little stage sets they create. As designers, they'd benefit from rethinking their premises, whenever they find themselves "hiding" useful objects in this manner.

Putting a frequently-used television in an ersatz nineteenth century artifact is a dishonest, inelegant solution; it's an embarrasssing indication of a lack of faith in our own values.

And, thanks, Maxwell, for the status-signaler: "I don't even have a television, but IF I did...". Too busy in scholarly pursuits, no doubt.

If I wanted to hide our television in style, I'd go out to every thrift shop, yard sale, etc within a several mile radius until I found an appropriate cabinet or armoire that I could refinish to match our things and then use that with our television. But for now, with our lifestyle, our TV sits in it's place of honor with the couch facing it.

Now to bring on the insults I'm sure to get. But before you do, we love having movie nights at our place and the TV is black and it sits on a black TV stand so as we've gotten used to it, we just stop noticing it. But we are in love with our 32 inch flat screen LCD HD TV.

Huh. I think it's brilliant. I only have a TV to watch movies (which I love doing). But I hate that it's such a huge presence in the room when it's not on.

Interesting, I've thought of putting the TV in our non-working fireplace, but I just haven't been able to go through with it.
Ironicly up until this last century people gathered around the glowing roar of a hot fire, today people gather around the glowing roar of the hot TV. This makes the transformation complete.

We have a custom built 1954 ranch with a "fireplace" that was built to house electric logs. There are even two electrical outlets in there. I finally convinced my husband to put the TV in there. I love it, but our 10 month old does mess with it all the time.

The screen is a beautiful idea, I might copy it for one of the fireplaces for the summer.

What about the dvd player? Where does it go?

Katy
http://fengshuibyfishgirl.com

It looks very pretty but I agree with those who said the placement is too low.

I'm more interested in the accent chair in front of the fireplace. Where did it come from?

shirley temple of doom: you protest too much. It just reveals your fear of being judged so you attack pre-emptively.

Who says that not having a TV is status snobbery? You do, apparently. No one else mentioned it. why are you so sensitive? Maybe some people can't afford the high flat-screen prices and monthly cable bill, making TV-less-ness an anti-status symbol. Or maybe they watch TV on their computers (lots of stuff is available online now). Or maybe they just don't value TV. Accusing others of not trusting "our own" values shows that you don't trust yours. is it too threatening to imagine someone doesn't value TV as much as you do?

retract your claws. it's embarrassing.

hm. i must say that i do not really understand why it would be desirable to "hide" the tv? i am not really fond of sticking electronics into anything else - if you like to watch tv, why not simply have a tv and integrate into your place as a tv? it is not something you need to be ashamed of.

(nor is not having a tv, actually :-D )

i am impressed with the quality of the work, though.

Totally agree with shirley-temple-of-doom.

beccane, if you missed it, the writer of the article says he doesn't have a tv.

There is a big bias against tvs in all the decorating shows and magazines. They are always hiding the "ugly" tv in an armoire or behind a painting, as if it needs to be hidden. They always place it so you'd have to turn your head sideways to watch it, or in some other non-ergonomic position.

My living room is for living. It's not a fancy parlour where we just read by a fire. I love watching tv and if I spend a lot of time doing it, any armoire with a tv is going to have its doors open all the time.

And I'm also against putting the tv in the basement. Why would I spend all my time there when I can be in a much nicer room upstairs.

Maike - I agree with you. It is so sad to see how ashamed people are to have certain appliances. I can't count the threads over how people hide their microwave (ones who also say they use it almost daily too). Anything you are going to use regularly shouldn't be hidden. No one should be ashamed to have a television (or microwave or toaster oven or whatever) - it's your life.

Webherring - It is sad to hide it. Ours is not hidden - it has it's place of honor on a nice TV stand we got when we got the nice flat panel TV. If I had a big enough place, yeah I'd probably have a TV room and a sitting room - but for now, I'd rather not have to hide in the guest room crowded onto the daybed just to watch television.

Beccane-- If I were fearful of being attacked for owning a TV, I'd be inclined to NOT post on this topic rather than question the habit of hiding them (assuming I'm logical, that is.)

Who says TV is a class issue, you ask? Only anyone who's honest, and has given the subject a moment's thought.

I'll share an observation: uneducated lower class people tend to have enormous TV sets, prominently displayed, and they watch 24/7.

Since those who suffer from class-anxiety actually CARE how others perceive them, they do silly things like hide TV sets behind faux-firescreens at the foot of their bed, so as not to be mistaken for some kinda TV worshiping prole.

Secure people are indifferent to what visitors may think-- they put their televisions in convenient places, and make no apologies for owning one.

The fireplace mantle is much more beautiful than the T.V., great idea.

shirley-temple -- I'm not so sure I agree with your observation since I know plenty of well educated middle class people who own their television. I do fully agree only insecure people worry enough to hide their televisions - if you like your TV, then tell people to go to hell if they whine about seeing it.

I'll hold my opinions on the issue of covering up technology in the in the home, but, whatever your viewpoint, making sure that those electronics are well-ventilated is key to ensuring fire safety as well as longevity of the appliances. In the first picture it appears that the cable box or dvd player was placed vertically -- really inconvenient if you have to actually use the thing, but looks necessary given the shallow space. However, in the bedroom pictures, I think the comments about the viewing angle are really important. With the bed right in front of the TV like that you'd have fairly poor viewing even if you were sitting straight up in bed. And even though LCDs these days have really wide viewing angles, you won't get the optimal picture when viewing from steeper angles.

Finally, it's a losing game. It might just be TVs now that people worry about, but there is absolutely no doubt that technology will continue to encroach inside our everyday living spaces. Covering things up is not a long term solution (especially if you actually use the technology!) -- we need to build furniture and spaces that can interact better with current technology and evolve for future needs. Just my opinion, but the future will require much tighter communication and integration between furniture makers and technology producers. If I buy a nice piece of furniture that I expect to hand to my (someday) children, I need to think about how its use might change as technology and our social interaction with technology change.

If someone finds a way to elegantly blend or hide a TV into the decor in a functional way- I think good for them. I don't think it necessarily means that someone is ashamed of TV viewing just because they don't want television displayed prominently.

I happen to LOVE watching TV but (and I suspect I'm not in the minority) I hate how clunky the physical object looks. I wouldn't adopt this solution because of time/money/and possible viewing issues, but I'm always on the lookout for good TV masking ideas!

And I do think there is something to Shirley-Temple-Of-Doom's first comment. I often sense people are bragging when they pronounce that they don't own a TV. Especially in cases like this, where Maxwell's statement about not owning one is irrelevant to the post.

Actually, if you are lying down on a low sofa, this is the perfect viewing height. Most people hang their TVs too high, I like this arrangement, I actually have a wood mantel in storage, my plan was to insert a rectangular fabric shade, floating inside the opening and use the mantel as a floor lamp of sorts. Thanks for the post, it has thinking. Room looks great! http://www.designbyphoto.com/Site%206/Home.html

We did the same thing in our house a few months ago. But we didn't go to the trouble of wall mounting it and it still looks and works very well. I will post a photo at some point, we love it and it is not too low for us. Plus it is totally hidden when not in use.

Also our intention is not to necessarily hide the technology...we just wanted to put art above the mantle instead of the tv. putting the tv inside the mantle allows room above for mirrors, artwork etc..why not have the best of it all.

designbyphoto -- Yes, laying down would be a good viewing angle - but honestly, are you always going to want to lie down/sit on the floor to watch your TV? What if you and your significant other want to watch - that would mean both of you sitting on the floor or someone on the floor while the other is laying on the couch.

I'd rather see a TV over the mantle than another mirror - mirrors in every room just tend to creep me out since I honestly don't care to see that much of myself and I have to think weirdly of anyone who does.

I think it's fine for midgets with tiny midget furniture. Otherwise, no thank you.

Agreed with Shirley-Temple-Of-Doom and StudioStarter and others - for me it was the "I don't EVEN HAVE a television" (emphasis added). If there weren't some TV snobbery at play there either would have been no statement regarding his TV ownership at all or simply "I don't have a television."

I always find television disdain curious, especially when it is coming from people who spend a lot of time online. The internet is full of content controlled by others just like television. Sure, you may have a bit more say about the what, where, and when of that delivery with the internet, but with choice of cable channels and DVRs, you can have that much control over your viewing as well. And yes, you can also contribute more to the internet, but I'd venture to say that most of us spend more time taking in what the internet has to offer than publishing. Even among those who publish online, you still spend time surfing for those links, reading others' sites, etc.

More on topic - that bedroom installation looks like it is going to be too low to be viewed from bed (and it seems like that is the point, since the tv is just beyond the foot of the bed).

As an Interior Designer I think this is brilliant. I just bought a flat screen for my home and I do have a fireplace, but I use it in winter. I have it hung on a wall.I will be making an enclosure for it too even though I do watch TV often.I don't mind moving a cover aside if it means hiding the TV's black rectangle on the wall.
To me it is not a status symbol as some like to think.

I agree that the viewing angle is too low. We have a television over our fireplace and find the viewing angle to be perfect.

**Having said that** I think an ideal solution would be to incorporate a raised mantle. It would be more involved, but it would also look more integrated.

Looking at the very top picture for this post, I can't help but think that just a 10"-12" hearth, built with attractive (in this case whitewashed perhaps) bricks or some other material, would boost the viewing area up to the perfect height. I could even see doing a faux white marble hearth, so you would still have a clean, smooth line.

It's just a design preference.
Some people like having open cabinets in the kitchen and others like being able to close the door on the cabinets.

When he wrote, "I don't even have a television", I took it to mean that it's just not a design issue he has had to face rather than any implied snobbery.

If you want to flaunt the tv, go ahead. If you want to hide it, that's your choice.

Why the level of hostility in some of these threads?

I set up my spaces for ME. It's never happened, but if a visitor came over and started critiquing my living/working/whatever spaces, I'd just shrug. Why should I care what anyone thinks? Does having the admiration of others based on so-called 'status' make me money? No it doesn't. So I couldn't give a rat's ass...

well, I'd like to hide my TV if it were in my living room. I don't know about class politics or whatever. That's just my preference. And I'm now thinking of moving it to the living room, so...

I don't have a fireplace. Any suggestions on how to hide the TV when it's too large for a cabinet? A drape perhaps?

It's a bit on the low side, but you could easily take the same idea with a taller mantlepiece and get it at a fine viewing height. No stranger than sticking a TV in an armoir.

First of all - I love watching TV - and watch quite frequently - I am hardly "ashamed" to have one in my living room. However - I think that TVs are ugly and detract from the asthetics of a room. If I am not watching it, I don't want to look at a huge black box that has no visual charm whatsoever. If you don't mind it - good for you - since they are a pain to hide. But there is no need to label those of us that find them ugly as hypocritical snobs. Maybe someday electronics design will be better integrated with interior design and give the consumer more choices - until then I don't want a big ugly TV in my face when not in use.

wow, i nerve has been struck!
here's my 2 cents: TV may have been considered a class issue in the past, but are home theatres and TV's in your fridge or kitchen more classy than the "enormous" TV's of the lower class? I think the intellectual old guard who eschew TV are on the wane. Today, it's not whether you own a TV or not or the size, but how much you watch, what you watch & when.

oh, and i like the idea, why not frame your TV with a beautiful mantle?