How To Hide The TV With Style

Looking for an easy way to disguise or hide the TV in your room? Whether you want to DIY a TV art cover or buy a TV cabinet, this list of ideas will help.

how to hide the TV with style

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 divided my list into 2 sections.

The first few options all 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 second set of TV hiding options are for you if you are okay seeing the TV but would like it to blend into the decor, kind of like camouflage.

These ways are a little easier to access 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.

How To Hide The TV

This post may contain affiliate links. We make a small commission if you buy the products from these links (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. But we only recommend products we would use ourselves. For more information, click here to see our disclosures.

Hide the TV Behind a DIY Painting

If the 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 the TV. 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. 

Watch the video to get step by step instructions on how to create the sliding art.

Make a DIY TV Art Cover

DIY pull down picture and frame that hides the TV

Another option for hiding the TV behind a painting is to make a DIY TV art cover.

That’s what I did with the television on top of my fireplace in the living room. It is hidden by what looks like a framed picture.

I had a photograph printed on a canvas and hung it on the wall over the TV with a roller shade kit. Then built a frame around the edge of the picture that hides the sides of the TV and the chain from the roller shade.

You can find the instructions for making the pull down picture HERE. And the tutorial for making the frame HERE.

Buy (Or Build) a Wall Hung TV Cabinet

Gold and mirror TV cabinet that hides the flat screen TV

Flat screen TV cabinets are boxes that are intended to be installed over the television, like the one I have in my bedroom (which 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.*

DIY TV Cabinet from thisoldhouse.com
DIY TV Cabinet from thisoldhouse.com

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.

Get A TV Lift Cabinet

If you really want to get fancy about hiding your TV, a TV lift cabinet is the way to go.

The television slides down into the box when you’re not using it and pops up when you are.

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

I think this TV cabinet* that looks like an old trunk is the coolest one of these that I’ve seen.

One of these days when I’m looking for a challenge, I’m going to figure out how to make one 🙂

How To Disguise the TV

Hang the TV on a Dark-Colored Wall

TV disguised against a dark background

So now we are on to the options that are disguising the TV rather than totally hiding it. One of the easiest ways to do this is to hang the TV on a dark colored wall.

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

Install the TV in a Bookshelf

TV stored in a bookshelf

Installing the television in a bookshelf is another way to disguise your TV. If you have dark colored shelves (like my mother does in her living room), that’s even better.

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

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.

Most of the pictures in this art wall are created by stencils that are available on the Better Homes and Gardens website. (They’re at the bottom of the page).

Or you can try out our DIY silhouette art tutorial.

Buy A TV That IS Art

TV that displays art is camouflaged on an art wall

If you really want to go all out (and don’t mind spending a little money), you can actually buy a TV that looks like art* when it is turned off.

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

It even has different frame color options if you want to make sure the “art” blends in with the rest of your pictures.

Or Buy A TV Mirror

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 more expensive, but you can usually get a payment plan that makes it easier to afford.

My Christmas decorations on the fireplace mantel would look much better with this hanging over top of them 🙂

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

Comments or questions on how to disguise or hide the TV with style? Tell us in the section below.


Pin It So You Don't Forget It!

How to hide the TV

This post was originally published on June 16, 2015 but was updated with new content on January 14, 2023.


Sharing is caring!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

6 Comments

  1. Lee Johnson says:

    Update: Now you can turn on your TV and search for ART TV on YouTube and there are channels that show classical or a variety of art styles that you can chose from, and some play music, and you can have art where the TV is!

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Thanks for the tip, Lee! I will have to look for those 🙂

  2. kathryn Richmond says:

    Hi, I love, love, love your decorating style. Absolutely fabulous! My all time favorite decorator to date. Purple being my favorite color, I am just swooning !!. I would love to do everything exactly as you have but don’t have the time or patience. I love your mirrored cabinet that hides your tv in the master bedroom but the link is not working? Do you have any other sources for anything similar? Also, I was looking at your chair makeover for your outdoor space. I love everything you have done out there and would love some more photos of your (what appears to be outdoor bar) and your other areas. thanks so much. I just wish I could do everything that you have done. !!! Absolutely breathtaking !!!

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Thanks, Kathryn! It’s always nice to meet other purple-lovers 🙂 Unfortunately, that TV cabinet isn’t sold anymore, and I haven’t found something close to it (It is one of my favorites!) For the outdoor bar, I have a post on the deck makeover I did last year which has a few pictures of the bar. In case you haven’t seen it, here’s the link: https://www.fromhousetohome.com/palm-beach-chic-deck-makeover/

  3. Elaine Lyons says:

    Some good ideas. I like the one u have.

    1. Thanks, Aunt Elaine! I’m a little partial to it myself 🙂