My TV is hidden in plain sight!

If you have a home (or are building one) where the best place for the TV is over the fireplace.

If you have reservations about putting the TV over the fireplace, I am with you!

Solving the TV-over-the-Fireplace conundrum has been on my mind since construction started on this house.

I knew the TV over the fireplace issue would need to be resolved for me to truly love my Family Room.

Having a big black box over a beautiful fireplace and adorned mantel was not ever the aesthetic I was going for, but I opted for the TV over the fireplace design, knowing I WOULD find a way to make it look great.

I wanted the FIREPLACE to be the focal point of the room, not the TV.

A hidden TV is the answer!

Other solution we tried first

I thought about having a cabinet/bookshelf on one side of the fireplace to hold the TV and components, but this would throw the symmetry and balance off.

It just wasn’t going to work for me.

My original plan was to have a photo printed onto a remote-controlled roller shade that would roll down and up, to cover and reveal the hidden TV.

We built a frame and recessed a TV niche with this in mind.

There are affiliate links in this post, however, I paid for these items because they are exactly what I was looking for. Additionally, the opinions expressed are my own. It is very important to me to give you true and honest reviews and not steer my friends wrong.

Above: Here’s a picture showing the frame we built for this idea that never came to full fruition.

The best hidden tv solution for us

I still think the above could be a good solution, but ultimately we decided the Samsung Frame TV and a Deco TV Frame was a better solution.

Why we chose this hidden TV solution over our original plan:

• IT IS AUTOMATIC

The Samsung Frame TV has an Art Mode that works similar to a screensaver on your computer. When you turn off the TV, it automatically goes to “sleep” with the Art Mode display. You can set a time for how long to keep this display showing before the TV screen will turn black. It is also motion activated, so when the TV is off and someone walks into the room, the Art Mode display will automatically come on.

• IT LOOKS MORE LIKE A PAINTING

With the Samsung Frame TV in Art Mode the picture is not as bright as when you are watching TV, making it look more like an actual piece of framed art. You can adjust the mat, filters, color and brightness, as well as the image displayed. You can even use your own personal photos for the artwork. I bought this digital artwork designed specifically for this purpose from ETSY. There are many beautiful options to choose from. Here are some other options I love:

• IT SITS FLUSH AGAINST THE WALL

In order for this to really work, it has to look like a framed art piece. It needs to hug the wall, have no visible cords and have a sleek thin profile that is thinner than most TVs available. The mounting bracket for the Samsung Frame TV allows it to sit truly flush on the wall. This is key. Also, it comes with a control box for adding additional components in an area out of sight. There is one cord coming out of the TV, which you’ll run thru the wall to the box and all other components will connect to it. The box itself doesn’t need line of sight to the remote to be controlled which means it can be hidden.

Here’s how we did it in our fireplace cavity. It’s nothing fancy inside, but we are the only ones who ever see this (unless my husband is giving the “guy tour” of our house.)

• A CUPCAKE IS JUST A MUFFIN WITHOUT THE FROSTING

And a Samsung FrameTV is just a sleek hidden TV displaying art without the picture frame.

My advice: skip the “Bezel” that Samsung offers and go straight for the Deco TV Frame.

This frame is better in so many ways.

The Bezel was very thin and not the picture frame moulding that really helps “sell” the Framed-Art-NOT-a-TV look I was going for.

Enter the Deco TV Frame made specifically for the Frame TV!

It was love at first sight!

I ordered the Warm Silver frame, but they have so many beautiful options.

This was the frosting this whole set-up needed!

I was able to assemble and mount the Deco TV Frame by myself in less than 5 minutes, no tools needed.

• THE COST

The cost of all of this is less than what it would have been if we had constructed a built-in to hold the TV and components beside the fireplace.

And YOU can save $50 HERE on the Deco TV Frame and/or Samsung Frame TV with my coupon code: OLDBARN

(Deco TV Frame is an authorized seller of the Samsung Frame TV)

Bottom Line

A hidden TV over a fireplace can be beautiful and functional.

You don’t have to sacrifice design and symmetry to have a TV in your Living Room.

In this case, you CAN have your cupcake and eat it too…just don’t forget the frosting!

I LOVE this room now and I find myself enjoying the space so much more now that there’s not a giant black box sucking the life out of it!

A little dramatic? I don’t think so.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the hidden TV over the fireplace. Would you go for it with this solution?

If you found this post helpful, be sure to check out my other blog posts and I’m on Instagram almost daily @the.old.barn and I’d love to get to know you there!

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