I don't think I need a tv embedded in my bathroom mirror. I don't really stand in front of the mirror long enough at one shot to watch a whole show.

Regarding the art that lifts up and down to hide the tv, I bet you a nickel that folks who have this end up over time just leaving the art in the up position or that the lift mechanism gets stuck.

Never be ashamed! If TV viewing shames you, stop doing it, sell the TV, read classic literature or invent something... If you like TV, it's ok for it to hang out in plain sight!

I wouldn't go as far to say that the TV 'shames' me, but I don't want to look at a huge black shiny thing in the living room. Sadly, the boyfriend does not agree with my need to take the focus off of the television. :)

Laura
Just a Little Bit

As child of the tv age, I embrace the device. However, I recently bought a dvd of video art at the Cooper Hewitt that I love and plan to have on, when I havecompany or I just damm well, feel like it. So, this is the idea, don't hide the tv make it art.

The lamp is hilarious!

I don't suffer shame, exactly. I end up turning it on "for just one hour" and coming to my senses hours later with nothing else done. Not housework, not reading, not going outside. I live alone, so the temptation is strong

Also, I don't like the look of electronics much. So I got a sexy, 27 inch iMac that I can watch TV and DVDs on. This serves another purpose: it keeps me from multitasking my brains out. I can either watch TV OR waste time on facebook.

^.^

For us, hiding the TV is not about shame, but about keeping it "out of sight, out of mind" so that we don't spend countless hours a day watching....and, more importantly, if our kids don't see it, they don't ask to watch it.

Hiding the TV isn't about shame. It's about keeping my living room social. I want my guests to come over and be compelled to socialize and talk, and having a big blank TV in the room can impede that. I also want watching TV to be a purposeful decision, not a reflex. Out of sight, out of mind.

TV Shame? That is just stupid. If you are ashamed of having a TV then you have bigger issues to deal with than hiding it.

Love the art lift. I'm not ashamed of the TV, but I really hate it being visible. We have one TV, no cable, and we watch the TV for 1-3 hours per week. So, I don't want a big black empty space visible the rest of the time. We use an armoire that also hides the equipment, games & movies, but I'd love a sleeker solution. I like the idea of art for the 99% of time that we don't have the TV on.

I love the TV in the bathroom mirror...
...having experienced them in the suites of the Flamingo in Vegas, it makes "the morning after" so much more bearable!

Now the lamp seems rather contrived - but the one in the kitchen cabinet I could really get into!

I don't suffer from "shame" per se-my condo is prewired for satellite and surround sound. The problem is that the TV will need to be wall-mounted, and I'd rather use that wall for something pretty like-I don't know-ACTUAL ART. So I guess it's less shame and more aggravation. I don't think I'll try to hide it, though. It's 2010. That's like hiding my laptop when people come over.

Why are people being shamed into hiding their TV's?? I don't get it!

Shame was a poor choice of word. I HATE it when a TV dominates a room, so I do like to have it concealed when I am not watching it -- to my mind, it's classier to be able to cover it. So my old-style TV (no flatscreen yet) is in a cabinet. FYI, TV's in cabinets stay much cleaner.

For the record, I think folks should be ASHAMED to place their TV's over a fireplace mantel!

Non-flat screen TVs are pretty ugly. I'd rather have our ancient tube TV hidden because of its appearance, not b/c of shame. Flat screens can look jazzy in a contemporary styled home, but maybe if you have a small period home, you would want to hide it behind a cabinet to preserve the style of your home?

"Non-flat screen TVs are pretty ugly" ... "héhé" ... I see this as someone who has never seen TV "design" ... as the designer knew how to draw in the 60's !!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teddy_qui_dit/4686678648/
" it's just one 70's Keracolor (UK) "

Dont hide your TV, just buy one nice and well design ...
such as "Téléavia" (French) designed by Roger Tallon in 1964 :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teddy_qui_dit/4332039261/in/set-72157622584019059/
or those "Brionvega" (Italy) designed by Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper in 1964 :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teddy_qui_dit/4771510062/in/photostream/

at the time was more than TV ... was real objects ...
Now all these flat screen televisions are only lights boards in bright shiny black plastic ... I understand that many have wanted to hide!
( I also hide my 40" flat screen ! but I set across the house my old TVs )

This sentiment to hide the TV is absolutely ridiculous. But if you must, then just get an old fashioned armoire.

I do not get the ashamed comment on the TV.
I think the mistake people make is that they position the entire room around seeing the TV. As a result - the TV takes on almost something that you kneel down a worship. I go to great lenghts not to let the room be some sort of idol worship - so - if that is how you define ashamed - then - I am ashamed.

I know I've said it before, but I'm not less likely to cover up my TV than I am to put a built in around my fridge or oven because they are "unsightly."

It's sort of ridiculous and then people end up with these hideous monstrosities that are supposed to "hide" the tv when all they do is take up space, hinder other parts of the room's function and draw attention to the tv.

no reason to be "ashamed" of the tv & as pointed out above flat screens today do look sleek. but when you're living in a small space large equipment like monitors, hi-fi, huge speakers, and a subwoofer can throw your aesthetics for a loop. take a look at the photos posted on avs forum--the equipment is often to die for but the interior space not so much. even AT home tours rarely focus on equipment, making it appear that people don't own tvs or stereos.

Our tv is out--but it is in the tv room off the living room. And you can't see it from the living room.

I grew up in a household where we never had a tv in the living room. I am very glad to have gotten it out of our living room with this move.

"This sentiment to hide the TV is absolutely ridiculous." Why is it ridiculous to not want a large, black rectangle in view 24/7 when you might only need to access it for a couple hours once per week? I stow my toaster and blender out of sight too, and I use those more often than the TV. They're better looking than the TV too.

We have a 52" TV in the family room and the next one will be even bigger.

I love huge TVs and will never be ashamed of owning one, especially on movie nights.

: )

I totally get the author's choice of words with "shame." There is something crass about the big black box looming in an otherwise appealing room.

I thought this was funny, though:

Art Lift from Media Decor uses your own original art to hide your TV and then expose it with the aid of a remote control. Three levels of precision and silence available — at three different price points.

So would the first (lowest) level of precision be the one in the photo, where you only get to see half the TV screen?

elenkat - because most efforts to hide the tv come off as contrived and actually makes things worse. It's a TV, which has been a part of most people's living room for over 50 years. With LCD technology, there's really no need to hide a TV, just like there's no reason to hide a kitchen appliance... like a toaster.

I know this is totaly off the subject but.... where can I find large horizontal blinds like these?

illegal danish, there are reasons to hide a TV or a toaster...aesthetics and frequency of use. Or perhaps even priorities. I have an LCD. I find it ugly. There's no reason to have an ugly, infrequently used item in view, just as there's no reason to have a toaster that is used once or twice a week taking up space on a counter. Sure, some people use them more, have the space, or find them appealing enough to keep out. However, those who don't are not being "ridiculous" by choosing to keep them out of view. The television is not a priority in our house and it's treated like other low priority, infrequently used objects. It's kept out of sight.

There's no way to even watch that TV from the way the furniture is laid out.

If your guest can't watch the screen on movie night without dislocating their neck, really, there's not much point to hiding a TV in some kind of crazy built-in.

If you're that much against TV being a part of the "flow" of the furniture in the room, don't get a TV. You can always pull out an easily stored collapsible screen and throw on a projector if you suddenly find yourself needing that infrequently used media-source - and you can do it without dragging around the furniture either.

I will say the lamp-TV is magnificently stupid. It's so small you could easily replace it with a laptop or a large portable DVD player, both of which can be easily folded and stored away - not to mentioned used other places as well.

Oops! I forgot to say - if your furniture is actually arranged to allow TV watching, but you still want to hide away the big blank rectangle - solutions like the sneaky-art hideaway make lots of sense!

The TV in the photo above has the rare combination of being over a fireplace, but not being so high that it's at an uncomfortable angle. So it certainly looks like the builders have very good ideas.

I have to say I'm in the "don't hide it, flaunt it!" catagory. I'm also think if you have to hide your TV, do so wisely. You're not fooling anyone with the gargantuan armoir in the living room with all the seating pointed towards it.

TV shame? Get rid of it! Get over it.

tv shame, tv hate, tv uncomfortableness ... whatever. but "boob tube"? last time I checked that was a piece of clothing.

I have a 52" samsung, and to me its part of the decor. Like a giant 52" piece of art framed by bookshelves. LCD's & plasma's have gotten really elegant and unobtrusive over the last few years. Best part, depending on your setup, it can become any piece of art you want.

TV shame? Please!! I don't understand this wave of people in this day and age wanting to pretend that they have nothing to do w/ technology. TV has been around for ages, why pretend it doesn't exist?

dmstudio, southwick, and bkrafi I agree with you all. One of the main reasons I even go in the living room is to watch movies and sports (I very rarely watch anything else). One of the main reasons I have guests over is the TV (fights, stand up comedy, etc) So nowadays I see a beautifully designed space without a tv and to me something is missing.

This type of thing kind of reminds me of a relative who always preaches about her "no bedroom TV rule" but her room would ALWAYS be a mess to the point that you couldn't even see the floors. So it must have been the lack of a bedroom TV that had her on top of those chores eh?

we all know you have one.. why hide it..? Unless you want to play 'Find the tv' i don't see the point

I'm currently moving into my new house in a few weeks and have a small room and with the TV it overpowers it abit so i have hidden it myself which is quite easy

Get a wall cracket for the tv that leaves a around 10cm behind the wall and the back of the tv

Then get a actuator and mount it on the wall behind the tv and then get a nice canvas art that will go over the tv and wire some power to the actuator and your done

I've already got all the parts and have done a mock run of it and it works well and has only cost $130AUD all up (Not including the canvas art)

I'll have to take some pics and do a writeup for AT

First, if you don't like your tv, get rid of it, period.

Second, using "art" to hide your tv, cheapens it and strips it of it's supposed value....

Is that really what you want?

I've never owned a T.V., so it's a moot point, I guess. But it seems redundant in the age of computers to have a tv set. Pretty much anything you want to watch you can find on line. And I just use my laptop to watch movies. I've had friends over watching movies, and nobody complains that the screen is 13 inches. :)

TBs just take up too much room in a living room. And if you have guests, and haven't invited them over to watch a movie, or the superbowl or something, who wants a big old black rectangle in the middle of everything? That's not shame, it's just that a TV not in use is ugly and inconvenient. I'm lucky enough to have a spare bedroom/office with a sofa bed to sit on and watch a movie .But if I didn't, I try to find somewhere other than over the mantle to keep it while it's off.

Well, y'know....TVs..not TBs...damn iPad "corrected" my spelling again.

@SweetCommunist, I have to say if I was invited to a movie night around a 13" laptop, I wouldn't be available the next time that person sent out movie night invites.

I could never replace my 46" TV with a small computer screen. However my TV is very much web connected streaming media easily from our windows home server to a screen size that does the media justice.

I think TV's are an important and real component of daily life. There are some people who proudly "never" watch TV. And good for them. But for the rest of us, it seems more appropriate to incorporate the TV in the design. Just like the stove in the kitchen and the toilet in the bathroom. Especially with today's flat screen units.

I don't understand the need to hide a tv. I have a tv, I like watching it, I don't feel bad about it. I don't get it.

hahahahaha.... good one quiltmaster!!!

To all you "hidies" out there.... can any of you help me hide a very unsightly toilet right in my bathroom, can you imagine??? a toilet in my bathroom....!! who would have thought!

embrace the things for what they are.... if not, just get rid of them!

i recently moved to Santa Fe, and while I love the look of my sleek black 42" flatscreen, it competes with my kiva fireplace, which is the true center of the room, and doesn't quite jibe with the southwestern thing. I solved the problem by hanging a smallish super bright abstract painting above the TV to draw the eye away from the black box and give the area some color. Seems to work.

TVcoverups.com is another method where you can use your own framed art, and when it is up you have full control of your tv, for tilting, articulating or down and out mounting hardware. It actually enhances 3-D TV and shelters your TV from cieling reflection when viewing.