Where to Put the TV When the Wall Won't Work

newmouse says:

These are all great ideas. Now if only a TV could pop up out of an upholstered bench from the foot of the bed. I guess you could always have a cushion made that covers the top of the TV cabinet, and just remove it to watch Project Runway.

Molto Bene Studios says:

You do great ideabooks! Somebody recently asked Vicente Wolf the same question on his blog and he recommended very large sturdy artist's easels. He imports his from France but Restoration Hardware had a version.

One Room at a Time, Inc. says:

Here are two additional photos. The lakeside house image (2) uses a similar furniture piece for the automatic rising television, and the master bedroom (1) uses a ceiling drop-down television (not shown in the professional photo). I have been in the master suite space, and the television operation is amazing. They also have the behind-mirror television in the master bathroom in that unit. - Great photo finds - thanks for the topic!!! Yes, cords are always a nuisance, especially when not propery planned.

lynnaep says:

I've seen the artist easel version. It looks cool, but components like dvd players and cable boxes have no place to hide so you have to have something else nearby.

Joy Overstreet says:

Great ideabook. TVs have been humongous intruders in our living spaces for so long, and impossible to hide except in even more humongous cabinetry. The new thin screens make it feasible to live with one without being overwhelmed by its presence.

pingping says:

Idea in picture 1 is practical as the back of TV set is not concealed, idea in picture 2 is not good at all, your TV set will overheat.

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR says:

newmouse -- It isn't that you couldn't put the tv inside the cushioned top piece -- it's just that the bench would end up too tall to sit on unless the tv is a very small one.

nluker -- thank you so much! The large artist easel is certainly a creative idea, but as "lynnaep" points out, there is no place to hide the components and cables.

oneroomatatimeinc -- thanks for the additional photos. I wish you had one of the ceiling mounted tv in its lowered position. I thought about including that in this ideabook, but there simply were no photos to support it. Rats!

joiede -- Yes, the thin screens are a real blessing. Recently saw very thin cabinets that hold the components in a vertical position instead of their usual horizontal orientation. The bonus is that the media cabinet is no thicker than about 10 inches. Amazing!

pingping -- actually no, your tv will not overheat as shown in photo #2. Televisions are mounted inside niches all the time that fit closely around the tv and it works very well. The components in the bottom of the cabinet are the ones that need extra space to keep from getting too warm. The component area needs to be roomy, and if you can use doors or sides that have pierced grids or screens allowing more air circulation, so much the better.

Seura says:

In general, new LED TVs don't generate as much heat as plasma screens or other older TVs. But if you're looking for a creative way to disguise the television, Seura makes TV Mirrors that completely conceal the television. These are perfect for formal spaces and above fireplaces!

www.seura.com

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR says:

Seura -- Don't see any reason these couldn't also be incorporated in a cabinet designed to house the tv out in the middle of the room. Maybe one whole side of the cabinet could be mirrored? Very familiar with your product. They are a really nice way to hide the black hole.

CAROLE MEYER says:

Super ideas! Carole www.carolemeyerart.com

Joanne Cannell, CKD, CBD, CID says:

If you use an IR repeater (mentioned above) components can be in a different room, avoiding some of the wiring problems & component hiding problems mentioned. This unit says it controls up to 8 components: http://www.smarthome.com/59501/Smarthome-Hidden-IR-Repeater-System/p.aspx
One of my clients put his components in the laundry room - at least 20' from the TV & behind the seating area.
http://kitchendesignbyjoanne.com

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR says:

joanne_cannell: you know, my audio guy told me that, but I am wondering how they run the cables that actually connect the tv to the cable box or dvd player -- because that connection is not wireless. I did discuss having the components somewhere far away with the client I'm currently working with -- but then they would have to go to the location of the components to load dvd's, which they didn't like. So, I didn't get into the details on that. What did your client do about the cables actually connecting the components to the tv? I hope you come back and let us know.

I do know that some of these IR repeaters will handle multiple units. Just need to compare the cost based on how many items you actually do need to control. So many techie things to keep up with these days!!

Joanne Cannell, CKD, CBD, CID says:

I asked my client & got the following answer:
'All of the equipment is located in the laundry room except the DVD player...which is located directly under the TV....for the reason you stated...we didn't want to go into the laundry room to pop a DVD in the player. All of the equipment in the laundry room is hard-wired to the TV via cabling. When the basement was under construction, they set all the wiring in the walls and ceiling and connected them to terminals - in the laundry room and by the TV - so that when we hooked up the equipment all we had to do is literally "plug it into the wall". (It was a little more complicated than that, but not much). The internet is brought into the house via Comcast, which is hardwired from the outside into the laundry room to a modem and then into a router. The router shares hardwired feeds for the various equipment we have in that room, which includes: an amplifier; Comcast DVR, AppleTV, Roku( a streaming TV service for things such as Netflix and Amazon) and Sonos which is an online internet-based consolidator of music services such as Pandora, Rhapsody, SiriusXM. Finally, our television channels are brought into the house via DirecTV. Again, hardwired from the satellite on the roof into the the laundry room and then to the DVR. Hope this all makes sense. The only "wireless" thing is really the single remote control, which is radio-based not line-of-sight, which means you don't have to point it at the equipment to make it work. The single remote control is used for all the equipment. A real space saver! Also, the Sonos connects wirelessly to a set of receivers in the living room and the master bedroom. '
I can't claim to totally understand all of this, but I think it's a great solution for a major remodel or new construction. Maybe not so helpful otherwise.

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR says:

Thanks Joanne! That's very helpful. I suspected it was all in the walls. I had a client whose entire television system was hardwired like that so that no matter where you were in the house, the tv's did not have components next to them. I knew that the components themselves had to be attached via cable to the tv, so you have to have a route under the house or attic space and then through the walls.

So here's what I'm taking away from this for floating your tv in the middle of the room:

1. The cabinet housing all of the components along with the tv is still the most simple, affordable, and easily executed way to accomplish floating the tv without seeing cables all over.
2. If you are involved in new construction, it pays to have your interior designer helping you from the start so you can decide best furniture placement. That way, if you want to put the tv anywhere other than on a wall -- you can get that hardwiring in before drywall goes up and foundations are laid.
3. If you are working with a home that isn't new and you have a big crawl space below your tv room, you can put all of those components wherever you please as long as it can all be reached via cable -- but maybe still have room in your cabinet for that dvd player. Unless we all give up dvd's & blu-ray and just go to streaming from the internet ;0)
4. It pays to do your space planning very early in the game so all of these issues can be thought of. That way if you have to install wiring, you don't paint your room or put up wallpaper, only to realize that now you need to cut open walls to install wiring.

Joanne Cannell, CKD, CBD, CID says:

Thanks to my smart client! And good list! Possible corrections: Even if you want the TV on a wall, it would be smart to do that hardwiring & get the cables where you want them. And it shoud be possible to house the DVD/blueray player in a cabinet near the TV but not necessarily under it.

bevans says:

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