TV hidden behind artwork… stylish or naff?

[poppymango]

I am considering one of those “rolling art” TV systems; a normal wall mounted TV sits behind a real framed canvas, which automatically rolls up inside the frame when you want to watch it.

I’m considering this because we have a living room with a really awkward layout and this could be a good solution, but I’m honestly not sure if it’s genius or absolutely awful!

So… stylish and clever way to hide a TV? A bit naff? Or am I massively overthinking this?

Additional question… if you could imagine one celebrity who might have this kind of thing in their home, who would it be?

If I went to someones house and saw that I would probably laugh and say it's an interesting (naff said inside my own head) concept but not something I would do in my in my own house. Tbh cos i can't work due to disability a large majority of my time is spent watching tv so covering it would be a waste of time and money but of you spend your time entertaining or don't watch tv a lot i can see you might want to cover it up. I still think its naff though.

Yes it's free. You load them onto a USB stick and plug it into the TV box to load them. I think you have to format them first, but DH does it (so it must be pretty straightforward!)

For free you can upload your own images. On the samsung art store you can access with a subscription a lot of the pictures are naff. BUT on Etsy, a lot of independent artists do digital copies of their own artwork for a few quid you can upload. So I bought digital copies of paintings I genuinely like and want in the house and put them on the Frame. Works great.

@poppymango if you get a frame key is the installation, get it mounted flush to the wall and get a nice frame for it which goes with your decor. The frames clip on and off with magnets

I have a Samsung frame. Looks good as long as you mount it at a height that makes sense for both a picture and a tv.
when on standby and displaying a picture it pares down the brightness so it looks nothing like a traditional bright digital display. And it has a nice slim profile. It’s a great solution for small rooms I think.

Or you just use the SmartThings app to load from phone straight to TV

Godawful. Apart from anything else, if it’s at the right level for a painting or photos, it’s far too high for a television. If you want to hide a TV, put it in a cabinet of some kind.

Yes when we were doing our house our interior designer laughed and said Frames were proper naff and we should just lean into having art and no TV. Anyway I overruled him and a few months later he revealed having seen ours he put them up all over in his own house 🤣

Like in the 1970s? 🤣

How do you mean?

That’s not correct - on Frame TVs there are a billion million pictures online you can download including very cool work by up and coming artists. Or you can upload your own pictures, photos and stuff. Or of course naff generic stuff which comes with the telly.

The TV cabinet is something I associate with my grandma who would wheel it out

Well this thread has been very informative!

I was considering it because our living room has a weird layout with a massive radiator on the only wall that would actually kind of make sense for a TV stand.

So, I thought we could wall mount the TV above the radiator instead... but then that whole wall becomes ugly and odd looking, because the TV would be a little high and the radiator ain't pretty.

So then I thought about disguising it as art and having some bookshelves either side - but if it's TOWIE territory I think I'll go back to the drawing board!

I remember as a kid, in the 80s/90s, lots of people had (ugly) cabinets to put their TV and video in. They all looked the same so you just saw a TV cabinet....instead of a TV! It didnt really trick you into thinking they didnt have a tv.....

My friend has a bed and the tv is hidden in the frame you push the button and it pops up at the foot of the bed 😊

Our TV is above a radiator (also the only wall for it that works in our room) the radiator has a cover and the tv had to be a certain height above that I think.

I think its ok but according to MN ive committed all manner of house decor crimes so im probably not the best person to advise!

My parents always kept the TV in our lounge inside a faux antique cabinet. When we were expecting guests my beloved and much-missed dad always ensured that the cabinet was locked and the TV discretely hidden from sight. While he didn't object to us owning a TV, he did think it was quite vulgar, even indecent, to have it on full display when guests were in the house! We always used to laugh at this but it was a harmless enough peccadillo. I think it was connected to his childhood experience and his parent's attitudes to television sets, by the time I was born they were so ubiquitous in every living room that hardly anyone but my dad seemed to think that owning one and having it on full display at all times was something shameful!
My mum did get a bit annoyed as it meant we were stuck with a small TV in the lounge, because it had to fit in the cabinet, when she would have liked a bigger one, especially as we had a very large lounge which could have accommodated a much wider screen. However, they compromised, she bought a big TV which lived in the family room where she mainly sat in the evenings and the tiny television remained in pride of place in the cabinet in the lounge, which was mostly used when we had guests anyway!
Given my family history, this fake painting idea sounds like genius to me, it would have been great for both my parents, satisfying my dad's need to quickly hide the TV away and my mum's desire to not have to squint at Coronation Street on a postage stamp-sized set! I think you should go for it, only wish it had been around earlier!

OK, but things have moved on (though I’m not sure what she’d have been ‘wheeling’? ) I keep the TV in a nice old cabinet I got in India years ago. All I do is open the doors. No wheeling needed.

@thisandthats The OP wasn’t asking about the Samsung Frame TV, she was asking about frames for TVs that have a print on canvas that rolls up like a roller blind when you want to watch TV. I was answering her question.

OP I have seen media units that are bookcases/display shelves and cupboards that have a space for a tv with a sliding panel (instead of doors) that covers the TV. Maybe you could get a bespoke system with bookshelves made by a carpenter to fit your radiator.

Frame TV would be much cheaper to be fair. Lets hassle too and gives the OP the same features