On Instagram , you’ll notice I rarely post pictures of televisions at The Little Glass House. In fact, I often get asked if we have one. Um, would you believe we have four in a not so big house? And one of them is a 55″ screen…hardly discreet. I’ll let you in on my dirty little secret. I LIKE TV! I really do. And today with cable, NetFlix, and Apple TV, I can watch just about anything anytime. So you bet we own several TV’s in both our homes, and all but one of them are in plain view.
So what do I do with these black screens? Our big 55″ is in our open concept living area, noticeable from just about anywhere. It’s mounted on the wall over a large console and I’ve chosen to simply decorate around it. I’m not trying to hide it, but allowing it to be a part of the story.
A great big 55″ screen surrounded by pretty things…
In the bedroom, the TV is smaller but still very much front and center. It sits atop a black and white dresser with a small shelf above it. It’s certainly noticeable, but this is real life people! I wish I didn’t like to watch TV in bed, but alas, I do. And I quite like the black and white thing going on.
Out in the open
In our small guest room, there really is no need for a TV, except when my parents come to visit. There is absolutely no place to put one, so I put it in the closet. A simple solution!
A small television in the guest room closet is the perfect solution for a small space.
In our small Connecticut bungalow, the living room is the only place for a large TV. And while putting it over the fireplace isn’t my preference, I didn’t want it to be off to the side where viewing would be difficult. So while it’s not ideal, it is a cozy place to curl up with a fire and watch a movie!
While a television over the fireplace is not my first choice, it was the best one for our small bungalow.
My parents on the other hand, have taken a different approach. They are avid news junkies and have a small TV on their kitchen counter (thank heavens for small flat screens!) However, when it comes to the living room, my mom is adamant that she does not want to see a TV screen unless she is actually watching it. So in their Florida home, my dad built folding wooden doors to hide the screen.
The television is discreetly hidden behind folding doors above the fireplace.
In their newly built Vermont farmhouse, the living area is open concept. Of course my dad wanted a big screen (is that just a guy thing?). My mom relented on that point, but stressed that it would have to be camouflaged. My clever dad built sliding barn doors to screen the tv when they aren’t watching it.
Sliding barn doors hide a very large curved screen.
While I will admit that it’s nice to not see a big black screen, I also know that I don’t want to be bothered opening or sliding doors every time I want to watch TV…that’s just me. The bottom line is, I do enjoy some television in the evenings. Call it lazy if you will, but I’m all right with my screens.
I realize it is a personal preference and that if you choose to hide your screen, there are many creative ways to do it. And for those of you who don’t own a TV, I salute you! Now let me get back to watching that tennis match…
Your dad’s solutions for hiding the TV are very clever. And Ii like what you’ve done in your CA home, with the screens out in the open. I prefer that solution myself, however, I find I cannot watch TV with a lot of decorative items around it, they distract me, so I have to have a “clutter free zone” around the screen.
There’s no right or wrong answer. It’s all bout personal preference. I don’t even notice the things around the TV ! I wonder what that says about me? 🙂
Your post topic could be about”rat poo” and I would be mesmerised! Now what does that say about me ? Btw please tell your mom she needs a blog.
I have to tell you, your comment just had me laughing out loud. So thank you for that! Since my mom doesn’t go near a computer or even use a cell phone for that matter I’m thinking a blog is probably not going to happen. But she’s always creating beauty where ever she goes and I’m happy to share it!
Thank you again for the belly laugh. You made my night!:) xx Elizabeth
I’m all for lovely televisions in every room! Haha! If people didn’t love watching TV half the people in my town would be out of business (including my son!). Hooray for televisions! Have an awesome weekend! xo (Karen – homesweethollywood)
Thanks, Karen. And I knew who you were ;). But you know the people who say that they don’t own a TV or only have one and never ever in the bedroom. No judgement here, just sayin’ I like TV and I’m not going to apologize for it! Hee hee
Where is the console from in your living room? Looking for something similar. Thanks!
It’s from RH. It is great for storage! 🙂