Glued to the Tube: 14 Ways to Put a TV in the Kitchen

fadingdust says:

I'm glad to see this ideabook, but I kept thinking, "I'm not a TV-in-kitchen" kind of guy. Instead, I was looking for ways to insert/replace the TV with an all-in-one touchscreen pc or iPad for recipe-viewing! Any thoughts in that direction?

samanthastevens says:

I think the TV in the corner of the counter top looks best and it's the simplest solution.

Judy says:

I do like to have a TV in the kitchen. Sometimes I am cooking something where lots of stirring is required, so it comes in handy. Must say my favourite solution is the drop down option. I think some of the solutions above would be very impractical. A TV above the stove? Besides the fact that it would be too high, even while standing, it would die very quickly from the heat. And, who would get to watch the TV stuck at the end of the island? Certainly no one in the kitchen, so why bother? I have seen TVs (albeit very expensive) that are built into the wall and are completely waterproof. (invented for use in bathrooms) http://www.videotree.com/ is an example. That would be the only kind you could consider putting above the sink, surely. I have seen TVs that can be built into the doors of cabinets as well. This site seems to have all sorts of options http://www.luxurite.com/news/mirror-tv-magnet.html I would also hate a TV on the counter. The kitchen is for cooking, inherently messy, so I want my counter-tops clear so I can easily wipe them clean

jannie says:

To a designer, I'd say you don't have to join them but you sure have to accommodate clients. I am still anti-TV-in-the-kitchen because I rarely watch it but it is also such a culture shift from growing up in a "family dinner at the table" household in which no TV, radio or phone calls were permitted during the meal. Having said that, when my mother, who is an active 82-year-old, built a new home in a retirement community, we did find a nice, small drop-down flatscreen that is viewable from the stove and sink, or from the breakfast bar if it is rotated. Since she lives alone, the placement of that television provided a surprising social benefit. Rather than finding herself isolated in her den to watch television, my mother is more inclined to watch it passively while she's engaged in household tasks. Even when she's alone, she's likely to be found out in the main part of the house doing something productive instead of sitting in a chair in front of the larger TV. Paradoxically, that little TV makes her more active.

Tom Miller says:

I think each kitchen has its own challenge I always design at least three options into my layouts usually my first choice would be above the refrigerator as few ever use the cabinets space above it anyway. My second if you have a 90 degree corner cabinet is the top upper portion area as its hard to reach as well. Consider who will be watching and placement If you have a doorway consider above it. The worse placement would be above stoves, sinks, microwaves or hard to see places not to forget light & glare for obvious reasons. A few years back LG had a refrigerator that has a TV display built into the door but it was real pricy. Since most kitchens opens up into other rooms consider installing a large display there instead.

kizr12 says:

I'm glad to see the challenge addressed. While I'm not a fan of having the family gather around the TV at dinner time, having one in the kitchen provides the only chance a cook with an 8-6 job has of catching the Today Show or the local news. And if you're in charge of the half-time snacks, it's nice to be able to keep up with the game while you heat up the queso.

kearmstr says:

To Fadingdust regarding the iPad in a kitchen, I put mine on my recipe stand. It blends in so well that I often have to go searching for it after the fact, having forgotten I put it there.

feeny says:

I used to think I wanted a TV in the kitchen, then I noticed that I had stopped watching television programs on our family room TV. We ended up disconnecting our cable because the whole family tends to watch television direct streamed off the internet on our laptops. So now all I need is enough counter space for my laptop to migrate to the kitchen when I'm cooking and want to watch a program. And as laptops get smaller and lighter, even the counter space needed for this is shrinking. I've noticed that in a number of friends' houses that included a built in space for a TV in the kitchen, the TV no longer resides in that space. It has become obsolete because of new viewing habits and streaming options.

InterDesign Studio says:

Built-into cabinetry, full view from island seating

Seura says:

Televisions in kitchens are becoming very popular! Our Hydra waterproof television (originally designed for bathrooms) is proving a perfect solution for blending into backsplashes. Shown in picture #8, it's above a sink and centrally located for viewing anywhere within the kitchen. They also withstand heat very well, and have been installed above ranges.

dancingfish says:

20 years ago when the kids were little I spent alot of time in the kitchen and had a little black and white that sat in the corner. Was perfect. Now I don't find a need for one. But I do love the pictures you showed of it stacked above the wall ovens. The other option of a drop down screen seemed like a great option too. But as someone else mentioned maybe a computer screen is a better choice for the kitchen today. As you can watch TV or pull up reciepes.

Peter Means says:

Nice! We want to put one, in the trouble finding a good spot where those sitting at the island and those on the other side cooking can all see it. Also, maybe when screens get really flat, they can be built into the door of the microwave?

Ken Burghardt says:

Interesting that no one is showing the tv lifts. We've been using them for about ten years and people love them. We actually have two current projects both with two televisions in the kitchen. Given the size of the space they wanted one near the table and one near the cook. One rises up out of the counter the other lowers down behind some open shelves. Lots of options to get these screens out of view.

delynn says:

We did not purpose this design, but we were in the middle of a remodel and had taken out the bay window above the sink and had an addition put on the other side of the wall. At first we were going to leave the space open to be able to see into our other room. We then decided we wanted the wall space on the other side. Everything else in this room was done but we didn't know what to do. First, we wanted to add a nice piece of art work, but then we didn't want to take away from the mural above the stove. I thought it would be cool to have a screen there to show different types of art work - slide show type. I am an anti-t.v. in the kitchen person though my husband wanted at least a small one in the corner, but then we then decided we could put a multi use tv in there. We use this to show family slideshows/movies and wonderful nature dvd's, yes, and the news or other tv programs and we also have our p.c. hooked to it. (All the wiring (p.c./dvd player, etc.. is under one of the cabinets). So it turned out to be a great multi purpose addition to the room. Though it is large and I do a lot of cooking and cleaning, rarely does any water splash on the t.v. (and then it is so minor it does not affect the t.v.).

Palmerston Design Consultants says:

here is another way of integrating a television onto a wall of a kitchen as artwork.

rkrawls324 says:

I use an iMac in my kitchen and I love it!!! It is great for looking up a quick recipe and also great for watching TV when you need it!! I got the eyeTV for the computer and it works great!! You hook it right into your walls cable outlet and the other end is USB!!

seriously says:

Not to offend, but I think TVs in the kitchen are a bit tacky and feel out of place. If you must have a TV, I would suggest placing it at eye level. I never understand why people place TVs high up on walls only to require you to crane your neck to watch it. Sometimes you have to due to your room configuration, but if you are building it into your cabinets, you should be able to find an eye level location. Lastly, the only way I could see TVs making sense is if you made your kitchen into a kind of sports bar with mutiple TVs around the bar area. I'm sure that would not suit many people, but could work in a bachelor pad or loft.

gymadre says:

I love the TV in our kitchen, it is placed above the ovens, recessed in the matching cabinetry. I also use my cookbook stand as my iPad stand for following recipes, and displaying family photos. TV's (and now computers) are a part of life, and they need to be where all the action is. In the Kitchen.

Laura Heller says:

It's time to start thinking of the TV as a portal. It's a screen that allows access to all the content in the cloud: recipes, cooking demonstrations, breaking news, weather alerts, research for a child's homework, access to a school's calendar or assignment list, and yes, television programming. Thinking that we can or should live without all these perks in the most used room in the house seems silly to me. Of course, it should make sense aesthetically and be viewable from mulitiple locations within the room.
The most important thing to keep in mind, IMHO, is that technology changes more quickly than you will change your kitchen. Be very careful with built-ins. Screen configurations and depth change. I know many people that had custom cabinetry built to house TVs only to have the screen go from the old analog (4:3) to the new widescreen (16:9). And tucking a TV under an island or into a breakfast nook means it's there for one thing only, to be watched while eating.
The point is, don't limit yourself.

freshface says:

I'm ashammed to say I've got to have one as I cook and clean up! Techgirl, you've got the best advice here! I guess that if a newer tv would no longer fit the space I design into my cabinetry now, it could later be used for colorful cookbooks which could be shelved there. I'm thinking a cabinet above my microwave, maybe with a fold down door to tuck it away.
Rebekah, your designs and ideabooks are my favs on houzz. Thanks for all of your inspiration!

wjadkins says:

If I watch TV while cooking, dinner is never ready before 10pm. That said, techgirl is right. I was trying to decide what size TV to put into the kitchen to replace the boxy CRT boob tube that occupied a lot of counter space when I found a new
Sony with Google TV. MyTV now provides cooking shows that I can pause to locate the grater and keeps me from swiping chocolate onto my iPhone as I page down. I can Google "ras al hanout" for reasonable substitutes. I'm afraid I'm going to go the hospital room route, but I'd much prefer having it look like a picture hung on the wall of my traditional kitchen, which needs a makover anyway.

lynnrww says:

Fabulous idea book! Many, many excellent ideas here. Great, informative Comments, too.