Hello lovely RMS readers! A cheeky little post from me whilst I’m on maternity leave. My little boy Jenson Ronnie arrived on Easter Monday and Rich, Lyra and I could not be more in love with him. But on to today’s post, which is all about the gogglebox…
Televisions. They’re those blinking great big ugly, bulky eyesores that most of us can’t live without. I only know two people that don’t have TVs. One is my little sister Alisa. The reason why she doesn’t have one is because she’s only in the U.K. temporarily on a gap year from New Zealand, so she’s having to save her pennies. And the other is my friend Lou who’s vegan and once bought a clapped out old banger from Rich’s nan. Enough said.
As for me, we have three tellys in our house and as much as I love a thriller (HOW. GOOD. was Big Little Lies?) or some trash TV (Britain’s Next Top Model is my current fave), I hate having to look at a big black box and wires. And because I don’t think I’ll ever be able to afford a Samsung Frame, I’ve made it my mission to try and make the TVs in our house less prominent. Here’s some ideas I’ve picked up along the way.
1. Size isn’t everything
If, like me, your other half insists that bigger is better when it comes to TVs, then this is an argument that’s worth having. Smaller TVs are so much less intrusive. In our open plan kitchen/lounge we switched out a 32 inch monstrosity for this 28 inch one and it’s made such a difference. Even Rich has admitted that the dinkier version looks better in the space.
2. Go Back To Black
I don’t know whether Lauren intended to disguise her TV in her snug (probably. She’s a smart cookie) but by displaying it within a dark-hued built-in unit, that’s exactly what she’s done. And the pretty and unusual nick nacks and coffee table books detract from the TV even further.
3. …Or Go For All-White
Rather than painting the area behind your TV, you could look for a telly with a frame that blends in with the wall that it’s going to be displayed up against. In our lounge the television actually doesn’t offend me because the white frame is camouflaged by the predominantly white wallpaper. Again, the statement wallpaper probably helps the situation as the pattern detracts the eye away from the TV.
4. Mirror It.
Ok so this isn’t really a way to hide your TV, but more of a way to make it blend in to its surroundings. In this home tour, interior designers Studio McGee have placed the TV above an all-black fireplace. The fireplace mirrors the black of the TV which makes it less imposing. I’m thinking this might work above another all-black feature, for example a cast iron radiator or a vintage chest of drawers that has been painted black perhaps.
(P.S. Do Check out the rest of the home tour. it’s an absolute stunner, from the moody walls of the sitting room to THAT blush velvet chaise).
5. Turn it into a work of art
…by displaying it as part of a gallery wall. This is my favourite option of the lot and is exactly what I intend to do in our bedroom. I’ve started gathering cute prints, photos, cards and maps, and one day I will get round to framing them all and arranging them around the telly just as Jessica Garvin has done.
Do TVs offend anyone else or is it just me? Have you got any ingenious tricks to hide your TV away?
I’m with you Lisa, hate TVs on show, when we finish our extension which will be our main lounge, mine is going into a sideboard, my husband will moan about opening the doors to watch it but you never watch when you’ve got visitors so it will be nicely hidden away. In the nineties, I had a special round table made, the TV sat underneath on a shelf and I made a dark green curtain out of upholstery fabric fitted, it on a small track with a box pleat pelmet on top to hide the track and just opened the curtain to watch TV. Hilarious when I look back but was stylish at the time.
I’m glad it’s not just me Eileen. Your specially made table is dedication to the cause! X
Great post, I’ve recently carried out extensive research into this as currently renovating my house. I really don’t like a massive TV on display. I’ve bought a Chinese wedding cabinet to disguise the tv in our living room and the one in our kitchen is going on the wall inside a cupboard made by our carpenter, to look like another kitchen cabinet.
How clever hiding a TV in a cupboard that looks like a kitchen cabinet! Off to google Chinese wedding cabinets x
We’ve got a projector! Best purchase ever. Sits on a little shelf behind sofa with some books etc on it for disguise! The tv box etc are in a cupboard and it projects onto the wall above the fireplace. When it’s off you wouldn’t know it was there plus you get a cinema experience! (I don’t sell them I promise I just LOVE ours)
This is genius Helen! X
Congrats on the birth of your baby boy! And well done for being able to write so coherently mere days post-partum! Great article. Bloody hate TVs but hey, I’ve got a 1yo & a 2.5yo. What the hell else am I going to do of an evening?! I am lusting after the Samsung. But also your hanging plant above your telly. Is it simply hanging from a hook on the wall?
Thank you! I managed to write most of the post one blissful morning in bed when Rich had dropped Lyra off at nursery and Jenson was asleep on my chest 🙂
Yes it’s hanging from a wall hook – you can read more about that here:
http://rockmystyle.co.uk/living-room-makeover/
Congratulations on the arrival of little Jenson – love the name too (we still haven’t got one).
We’ve done the the dark painted cabinet thing (majorly inspired by Lauren) and it works so well. I’ve lost the battle on getting getting a bigger TV but my husband’s argument was that with the TV bezels being so minimal now even with a bigger screen the overall dimensions are almost the same so I gave in. I’ve seen a TV hidden behind a mirror above a fireplace in a pub before. The only give away was a little red standby light which I thought was really clever. Not sure how good it would be for frequent viewing but it definitely didn’t disturb the otherwise cosy country feel of the pub. I’m a fan of the gallery wall too so can’t wait to see how you get on with your bedroom.
I don’t blame you Kat, Lauren’s snug is beaut! X
I don’t mind TVs in living rooms, mine is the perfect fit for the alcove beside my fire place but my bedroom, which I do love because watching TV in bed is my biggest guilty pleasure, was another matter!
All my furniture is white in my bedroom and I found an excellent white Bush DVD combi 24″ on Argos for £150 (I think they have £10 off currently!) and it’s perfect for my bedroom! Would highly recommend!
It’s my guilty pleasure too Beckie!
And nice enabling 😉
I have a terrible modern age dilemma because I HATE the presence of TVs in living spaces but I LOVE large high def TVs (it’s the only way I can watch Game of Thrones now). I used to be fine with smaller TVs, but my husband got a 55″ and it’s ruined me for anything smaller*.
But so does having a nice, clean living space which isn’t dominated by a monster TV! This was actually a key consideration when we found our new house – I wanted a dedicated room I could turn into a TV room. The house we’re hoping to buy has four bedrooms so, while we’ve only got one baby, we’re turning the largest second bedroom into a TV and study room. It’s not ideal as we lose a bedroom but we’re going to get a large sofa bed so we’ve got the option of using it as a bedroom.
*God, that sentence sounds pervy, I swear I’m talking about TVs.
Ha ha Kate this did make me smile!
GOT is on my to-watch list. I loved the books (until the last one where I gave up half way through).
Lisa, I sooo wish I had read the books first – I think you’ll get so much more out of the series doing it this way round.
Congrats on your gorgeous little guy, btw! xxx
😘
I’m just glad that our TV alcove is too small to allow much above a 36 inch TV! Otherwise I do think that a nice TV cabinet, or whatever it sits on, makes a difference – I’m a big fan of using “normal” furniture rather than those plastic-y TV stands that just look like a big plastic extension of the TV itself..!
PS Congrats on Jenson – what a beaut he is!
YES Katie G. There are some truly terrible TV stands!
And thank you for your lovely comment about Jenson – he’s snuggled up on me as I write 😍
Congratualations on Jenson, Lisa! He is so gorgeous! Hope you’re feeling ok.
We bought a white framed Samsung tv which has honestly transformed how I feel about this problem. I seems so much less intrusive for some reason and I would really recommend that. x
Thank you Sophie!
Yes I’m a BIG fan of the white or silver framed TVs x
Congrats Lisa. Hope you’re all really enjoying him! With you on this. It is the single most debated topic between Joel and myself. We are down to one TV… but it is big. We’ve gone for a mix of these ideas and have it wall mounted on an alcove where a mirror might go, but on a dark wall and with plants around it. It’s as disguised as it can be for its size…when its off… but kind of noticeable when displaying all The Night Garden friends in full force doing their dance. I’m pretty sure the whole neighbourhood could gather round the back gate to join us watching that! I’d be really happy to settle for a much smaller telly but it was a fight not to have one in our bedroom when we extended our upstairs last year. I’m really happy not to wake up blurry eyed to wrestling at 3am. Is the first of these your lounge Lisa? I love this vibe of this room.
Thanks Amanda! I’m adoring this newborn stage. Well maybe not the lack of sleep. I’m currently watching ‘The truth about sleep’ when I should probably BE asleep 😂
It sounds like you’ve got this disguising TV thing down to a fine art! Loving the image of your neighbourhood watching Iggle Piggle and co from your gate.
I talked about my lounge in this post: http://rockmystyle.co.uk/lisas-characterful-new-build-lounge/ x
I would love to put the TV on the wall so it’s more like a ‘mirror’. But for the moment, we got a tv/bookstand so at least it’s not just on its own and it’s in a better position so when you walk into the room, it’s not the first thing you see.
Now this might just be me and the fact that we didn’t have a TV when I was kid (didn’t live in a house with a TV till I was in my second year of uni…!) but I can’t stand the TV on as background noise. I’d say that bugs me more than having it on display!
I don’t mind TV as background noise as long as it’s not football or Jeremy Kyle! X
Hid mine in a Laura Ashley Armoir with doors on 😊
These are some great tips! Loving the mirroring design, such a simple solution that really works. You’re right about the wires too, they can really ruin a minimalist approach. Wall cases for wires, or dedicated covers and cases that fit snug near a wall socket are also a great way to keep everything organised and clean.
I a with you on the great tv debate and i find it is such a dark anchor in the corner of the room. We recently picked up a 60s era chest of drawers from the charity shop (for £30!) which is now our tv stand; looks slightly more stylish than the bogstandard fake pine one we had before, and hides the wires a bit better, but we still have a ways to go. Plus it came in this really pretty minty blue colour, which is great but inevitably changes the feel of the lounge. So do we paint it, or do we just go with the mint in future planning of said lounge? I shall seek some instagrams opinions.