How To Hide The TV With Style

Learn how to hide the TV in your living room using creative and stylish solutions that blend with your home décor. These methods will ensure the television is discreetly concealed while maintaining the aesthetic appeal of your space.

Televisions have long been the Achilles heel of interior decorators.

Most homes have at least one.

They tend to be installed and watched in the main room in the house.

And they aren’t that pretty to look at.

Fortunately, the flat panel televisions that are available today are much less obtrusive (and easier to conceal) than the older, tube televisions.

Because of this it is becoming more acceptable to have the TV in plain sight.

Which is why I have two types of hiding options:

• Some will totally cover the TV like a cabinet, so you can’t even tell it is there. If you are one of the people who still doesn’t want to see the TV in your room at all, these are for you.
• The others make your TV blend in with your decor but don’t actually cover it. Kind of like camouflage. These ways are a little easier to use if you watch the TV on a regular basis since you don’t have to open and close whatever is in front of the screen every time you want to turn it on.

In either case, you can definitely improve the look of your TV so that it isn’t an unwanted focal point in your room.

Keep reading to find out how to hide the TV with style.

1 | Hide the TV behind a DIY frame and picture

The first way I ever used to hide the TV in my living room was to build a framed picture around it.

I had a photograph printed on a canvas and hung it on the wall over the TV with a roller shade kit. (You can get motorized ones now that are operated by a remote control so you don’t have to get up to roll up the picture).

Then built a frame around the edge of the picture that hides the sides of the TV and the chain from the roller shade (if you’re not using a motorized one).

For more details read our tutorials on how to make a pull down picture and how to make a frame for the TV.

2 | Buy a TV that IS art

If you don’t want to go through all the effort of making a piece of art, you can buy a TV that looks like art* when it is turned off.

These televisions comes with some pre-installed artwork that you can choose from, or you can upload your own pictures if you prefer.

They even have different frame options* if you want to make sure the “art” blends in with the rest of your home decor. (Note: These frames only fit on the Art TVs).

They aren’t as expensive as they used to be so I installed one over the fireplace in my porch, and I love it!

3 | Or buy a mirror TV

Similar to the Art TV’s, you can also buy televisions that have a mirror front*.

When they are turned off they look just like a large mirror. But when you turn them on the mirror disappears and you see the television picture.

They are quite a bit more expensive than a regular television set, but you can usually get a payment plan that makes it easier to afford.

I finally splurged and bought one of these. And I love it!

To save a little money, I got a plain frame and gold leafed it to dress it up a bit.

I was worried that the picture wouldn’t be that clear, but it looks just like a regular TV when it’s on. And just like a mirror when it’s off.

4 | Add the TV to an art wall

Another option that keeps the TV out in the open but blends it with the decor is to create an art wall around it.

By using prints and frames with a lot of black, the TV’s black box blends right in with the rest of the wall.

Of course, you could also use the art TV* or the mirror TV* from above in the same way to really make it blend in.

5 | Put up a wall hung TV cabinet

Flat screen TV cabinets are boxes that are intended to be installed over the television, like the one I have in my bedroom (which unfortunately is no longer available).

They have doors that fold back when you want to watch TV, and can be closed when you don’t want to see the TV. Like this one.*

If you prefer a DIY project, you could build a box and add some doors to it to accomplish the same thing.

Which also gives you the flexibility to finish it however you want. You could even use artwork or mirrors on the front if you really want to jazz it up a bit

Find the step-by-step instructions at thisoldhouse.com.

6 | Cover it with sliding doors

If your TV is hung on a fairly large wall (at least twice the width of the screen), then this sliding artwork could be a good way to hide it.

It’s built like a mini version of a barn door that is just big enough to cover your television.

Creating the art as two pictures that can hang on their own (like the leaves in this picture), means that it looks really good when the artwork is open, too…like it is meant to be there!

And of course you can change the type and color of the art to match your decor. 

7 | Get a TV lift cabinet

A TV lift cabinet is perfect if you want to hide a TV in the middle of a room, like at the end of your bed.

The television slides down into the box when you’re not using it so it looks like a regular cabinet.

It is a little more expensive than some of the other options, but it definitely keeps the television set out of view.

8 | Hang the TV on a dark-colored accent wall

One of the easiest ways to conceal a TV without totally hiding it is to hang it on a dark colored accent wall.

That way the dark color of the TV screen blends into the background and doesn’t stand out as much.

9 | Install the TV in a bookshelf

Installing the television in a bookshelf is another way to disguise your TV.

Similar to the art wall above, it blends in with the other items you have on the shelves, so it doesn’t stand out as much.

The shelves also leave room for other audio/visual equipment that often comes with a TV installation.

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