These genius tricks keep it accessible yet out of sight.
For years, many designers and design-loving homeowners have felt that having the TV on display is a major faux pas. Even though most of us have one and use it daily, there’s something unappealing about having a big black box against the wall and breaking up the interior flow. It’s become even more of an eyesore now that analog spaces are becoming more popular.
While one solution is to invest in a TV that can disguise itself as artwork, those come at a high price; the other option is to learn how to hide the TV in a way that doesn’t feel obvious or tacky, and thankfully, designers have a lot of ideas.
We’ve also included plenty of inspiring photos and expert tips to guide you along the way. If your goal is to reduce the visual presence of technology in your home, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to find inventive ways to make any room feel screen-free—at least when the TV isn’t in use.
Additional copy by Jessica Cherner.
Of course, you can hide your television the same way you'd hide anything else you wouldn't want on full display at all times: tuck it into a cabinet. At least, that's what designer Kylie Buhagiar at Melbourne, Australia-based Golden did. "In the main living room, the TV is discreetly integrated into a wall-hung metal joinery box, with hinged doors that elegantly stack back to reveal the screen when needed, maintaining a clean and uncluttered aesthetic," Buhagiar says. "This thoughtful design transforms the joinery into a sculptural piece of furniture, allowing the space to effortlessly transition from a main living room to a calm sitting area, enhancing the home's rich yet comfortable atmosphere."
The whole point of concealing the TV is to hide it, but sometimes, the mechanism used to hide the screen just draws more attention to the area. Gillian Segal, an interior designer based in Vancouver, British Columbia, came up with a clever solution that basically looks like the wall. "This room functioned as both a formal living space and informal family room (complete with movie nights and lots of kids' TV shows), so we wanted a design that felt both elegant and approachable," Segal explains. "We concealed the TV behind a very simple millwork door system that folds open and closed. It was a cost-effective solution that allowed other elements in the room to shine."
It’s no secret that many designers find the Samsung Frame TV to be beautiful, but designer Ariel Okin takes it a step further by adding a literal frame to the Frame. This hidden-TV tactic ensures that it matches other elements in the space, such as the fireplace screen, thus hiding it in plain sight.
If you don’t want to think about your TV when it’s off, you can cleverly camouflage it. In this living room, designer Emily Del Bello painted a shadowy accent wall black and mounted the TV there—you wouldn't even notice it at first glance.
In a room as traditional and cohesive as this, you probably don't want a big black rectangle interrupting your aesthetic, so do what designer Lynne Uhalt did and hide your TV in a closet. This guest room is heavily inspired by European interiors and architecture, but Uhalt still wanted the guests to be able to watch TV and relax in bed. As a design-friendly solution, she put the TV in one of the closets, which still boasts enough room to enough to hold clothes.
Designer John Wooden maximized limited square footage in his clients' cottage by cleverly hiding several items, including placing their TV in a beautiful credenza. One of the simplest methods to hide your TV is by incorporating it into furniture that already complements the space. This wooden mid-century piece fits perfectly into the room, making it an ideal spot for a hidden TV.
In a maximalist, highly colorful space like this, designer Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey couldn't see how a TV could work in the room, so she decided to hide it in the green cabinet in the back. However, the designer took it a step further and covered the glass with fabric that pulls hues from the rest of the room.
Everick Brown designed a statement wall encased in custom steel with walnut insets to create a “floating credenza” for a hidden TV. A console table behind the sofa helps separate the two living room zones.
Designed to look like abstract artwork, Kristin Fine hid the TV behind modern paneling above the fireplace. It suits the neutral tones nicely and maintains the refined and grown-up atmosphere while also ensuring that it's family-friendly.
This living room sitting area revolves around the corner fireplace. To ensure that the TV didn't take up too much valuable visual space, designer Denise McGaha invested in a Samsung Frame and disguised it as a photograph that complements the blue and grey color scheme.
This outdoor living room, designed by Amanda Lindroth, is the perfect place to entertain and unwind. Look closely at the pagoda-shaped cabinet above the fireplace, and you'll notice that it opens to reveal a hidden TV. It was based on a design from St. Michael's Mount castle in England.
What do you do in a busy kitchen where the children love TV and the mom doesn't—but she does want to keep an eye on said kids? Enter the Samsung Frame, once again making it all work in family homes with competing interests and preferences, like in April Tomlin Interiors designer Sarah Rogers's kitchen here.
A bi-fold panel painting by Stuart Coleman Budd hides a TV, but the goal was to be transparent. “Bronze hinges honestly express that it’s a movable screen—that this is true kinetic art,” says architect Ken Pursley of Pursley Dixon Architecture.
This formal living room, designed by Mark Cunningham, doubles as a more relaxed and casual hangout room. To ensure that it could do both well, Cunningham built a hidden TV into the back wall shelf that pops up when the occupants want to unwind with a good movie.
Don’t hide it, just make it one with your wall. This gallery wall of various-sized framed prints blends in with the Samsung Frame TV, which has a wood frame and a rotating display of art images. “None of my clients' guests realize it's a TV when they first walk into the room,” says Natalie Myer of Veneer Designs.
Custom paneling over a fireplace elevates the television area in this bedroom lounge zone by Studio McGee. Flush with the fireplace facade and further disguised by a custom mirror, the hidden TV definitely will not be ruining the chic decor scheme here.
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Designer CeCe Barfield Thompson hid a TV behind a retractable antique mirror for maximum glamour. “In an oak-paneled Manhattan library, I designed an antique mirror to hide the wall-mounted television,” Thompson says. “The mirror's lower panels retract like a garage door to reveal an entertainment system behind. This mechanism allowed us to create a room that was incredibly functional, without sacrificing an ounce of beauty!”
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Here's another example of custom cabinetry with a hidden TV. A sliding door flush with the wood accent wall makes this media room designed by Heidi Caillier extra discreet and pretty. After all, the custom upholstery, drapery, and grasscloth wallpaper are too good to get lost in the entertainment system shuffle.
Designer Nina Farmer took the most elegant approach possible—hiding the TV in a custom mirrored cabinet atop the mantel. “The living room needed a concealed TV due to the formality of the architecture,” she says. “Hand-blown mirror was used on the doors so that the enclosure fit with the original 1850s marble mantel. It has concealed hinges and no pull, so when it’s closed, you would never know what’s behind it.”
If you can’t outright conceal your screen, the key is to avoid the “black hole” effect when it’s off. “I always try to blend them into the architecture of the house,” says designer Eche Martinez. “We recently completed a project in Belvedere, CA, where the homeowners were hesitant about installing a TV in their living room. To solve this, we decided that the best way to divert attention from the TV when it was not in use was to have an oversized, freestanding piece of art right next to it. Clients loved it, and above all, the piece looks great in the room."
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