Without a doubt, without any bit of hesitation or yammering I can tell you that the most difficult decision I've had to make during this entire kitchen renovation is ... where to put the stupid television.
I still hate where I put my television in the living room 2 years ago, so I can't totally be trusted with this sort of thing.
I can't decide if I want a big television, or a smaller one, should it be hidden, shown off, on the counter, on a wall?
I thought I had it all figured out. 3 times. 3 times I thought I knew exactly where the television should go and then some niggly little thought wormed its way into my brain and I reconsidered my decision.
I used hunks of cardboard and put them throughout the kitchen to see how I thought I liked them. Generally speaking I found I didn't like hunks of cardboard anywhere.
You'd think that once televisions became ultra slim, flat, and only 3" deep they'd be easier to deal with. But they're still big black holes.
So I finally took to the Internet to see if I could come up with anything there.
I found a few things I liked and two definite possibilities, along with a bunch of other things that wouldn't work for me, but were really interesting ways for incorporating flat screen televisions into your house or apartment.
Like this ...
I don't have any bookshelves in my kitchen, but I love this idea of putting a framed picture on a hinge that just opens up like door to reveal the TV.
The biggest issue I've always had with this sort of thing is that I'm not sure I'd ever be closing up the frame. I mean I guess I could close it up at night before I went to bed, but I'd probably be opening it up again the next morning. So it seems kind of pointless for me.
Yet another idea I can't use came to us from no other than Tricia Rose of Rough Linen! There I was browsing the Internet for interesting flat screen stands and up came a post from Remodelista.com gushing about Tricia's DIY television easel.
See the full DIY here.
That post in turn led me to a slew of other TV easels.
from Restoration Hardware
These were way too big for my modest sized kitchen. I mean I'm not Joan Collins. BUT ... they gave me an idea.
I could use a small, tabletop easel to put my television on the counter.
This one is only $20 from Curry's art supply store.
Or there's this one that even has pull out drawers where you could put the remotes.
$50 from Curry's
Both of these would work for me if I decide to put a small television on my counter in the corner, like this ...
(no this is not my kitchen, and no that is not my Wolf stove)
I also looked into under cabinet televisions but they average about 8" wide, so just large enough for a small family of moles to watch comfortably. Then I discovered under cabinet television mounts!
from Amazon
With these you can turn any television into an under cabinet television that can be pushed up, out of the way whenever you want.
Another thing people seem to be doing, which would work really well for some people, is mounting their television on the inside of their cabinets, either leaving the doors on, or in some cases taking the doors off entirely.
from BH&G
Then there's the option of using my big brick wall for a large television.
(please excuse the crap iPhone picture, and no ... I haven not yet figured out the whole ceiling/wire/crown issue
and I just hung the wood pizza peel and 2 copper pots to see how I liked the idea of filling the wall with pots)
My brick wall is right across from my island (which you've seen tiny bits of in recent posts) but isn't easily visible from any other part of my kitchen. My sink is on the opposite wall so I'd have to turn my head completely around a la The Exorcist to see the television, and it's also at a 90 degree angle from the rest of my counter. So, 80% of the time I couldn't see the television unless I made an effort.
But like my kitchen designer Carol Reed pointed out, it would look great on the brick, worked into a gallery wall.
via House Revivals
via DecorPad
via DecorPad
It's a great idea and would look great but that wall could be used as a display for so many great things. And I could change it up whenever I wanted to. But not if I have a television in the middle of it. But the television gallery wall would look great. But so would copper pots. But so would the television gallery wall. But so would wood cutting boards and rolling pins. But so would the television gallery wall.
Plus there's the issue of wiring the television onto a brick wall. If only I had a plug right there. Oh wait. I did. In insisted my electrician, Dave remove it.
He said "Maybe you should leave this plug in case you ever need it".
I said "NO. Don't be stupid. I will never need a plug there. I hate it. Remove it this instant."
And so he did.
Regardless, I could work around that pesky problem if I ever did finally decide that I'd like a big flat screen television on that wall. But I seem unable to make this decision.
So for the time being I'll be in the living room, staring at a wall, holding a bucket of black paint.
I'd never ask you to share a chocolate bar, (that's crazy talk) but if you liked this post ... please share it.
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Tigersmom
Oh, and I have another opinion (surprise!). As far as hiding TVs goes, who are we kidding and who are we trying to impress? I think there is enough variety and quality in tv these days that the shame in having one is silly. They are part of our lives and I think most people who have them hidden by doors find that those doors rarely get closed.
When the first flat tvs came out I thought that they should make them available with beautiful gilt frames (sorta like Margaret's) and have images of fabulous paintings that you could have on the screen (like a motionless screen saver) whenever you weren't watching it. They could even have a library of famous works for you to choose from the same way we choose ring tones for our phones.
Karen
LOL. It's not so much a shame thing, as the fact that these televisions are big and black. That makes them bossy in a room. If you walk into a room you spent a lot of thought or money into getting to look right, you don't want the first thing everyone to notice to be the television. You want the whole room to be taken in as a whole. And big flat screens tend to hog all the attention. That's why you want it to blend more than shout. ~ karen!
Tigersmom
I never thought of you, specifically, as being ashamed of a visible television. You're more of a shameless type in my eyes.
And I agree with you, our big ass tv is bossy and hard to balance as far as decorating goes. And I can see where there is room for only so much bossy in one room. ; )
Oh, and by the way, "Hello Pot, I'm Kettle, " with regard to the bossy part. : D
Tigersmom
We removed the wall between our den and the kitchen and our big tv is on a wall that faces the kitchen. So, as far as help goes for you........I got nuthin'.
As far as opinions go however, I'm always stocked up. I think the easel with the remote drawers is totally worth fifty bucks. I like that it is portable so you can change the location or even just pivot it a bit so that you can see it from wherever you want.
Gwennie
My tv in the kitchen is inside one of the higher cabinets, which has doors I can shut (I think that has happened once in 8 years!). I like that it isn't in the way, it doesn't get splattered or accidentally knocked into. And I can see it from anywhere in the kitchen. It was a great decision when we gutted our kitchen.
Cat
Is it really a TV you want? Because nowadays, with Netflix and Amazon Prime, etc, a Tablet (such as an Ipad or Galaxy Tab, etc) might work just as well and would be much more versatile regarding placement with just a couple of command hooks...
Karen
Yup. It's really a television I want. ~ karen
Louise Rea
I've never understood TVs in kitchens, having never had one and no desire to do so...so I am going to be absolutely no help whatsoever. Maybe have it flipping down from the ceiling by remote with a fanfare?!
Pam'a
The easel's cool-looking, but it's another THING, meaning it'll get schmutzy with kitchen gunk and have to be cleaned. And most TVs stand up on their own anyway...
At first, I'd plop the thing on a bit of counter where it's not too intrusive. Then, don't waste another brain cell on it. Just try it for a while. Then make your final decision after you road test your new space. You'll feel much more confident about what you decide, and in the meantime, your mind's all freed up to contemplate that pot wall. Good luck!
Deb J.
This solution gets my vote. Sensible and flexible.
Debbie
Love the counter easels. I must have a tv in the kitchen. I cook a lot, a lot, a lot and must have background noise in the form of human speech, which is why a tv wins out over speakers for music. Our tv has music channels, so I can go both ways if I really want to say, rock to the Golden Oldies (I will not reveal to which decade I refer).
I love watching cooking shows when I'm cooking and I've been known to change a recipe midstream based on an ingredient from "Chopped". One Thanksgiving I grabbed my muffin tins after seeing stuffing muffins made on Food Network. I also like forensic shows, but don't change my recipes when they find dead bodies.
I am often home alone when I cook and, while I think I am a good conversationalist, I have trouble having a conversation with myself as I always know what I am going to say. I used to be able to talk on the phone and cook, but since I became a Golden Oldie, I have to limit it to doing a dozen things at once. To add talking on the phone would make it a baker's dozen, and unless I'm baking, that doesn't work.
Waiting for the big reveal!!!
(I hope there are not typos, it is almost 3am.)
stephanie
Go big or go home ... Especially with a tv
Agnes
TV over the fireplace is the worst idea ever..terrible angle since you have to strain your neck to view it.
I really like the gallery wall idea. I don't see why you can't make it an ever changing gallery wall.
Lynn
Such a dilemma! I have a tv in my kitchen on the counter and it works great for me but I have acres of counter space. The living/family room is my problem. I hate the TV being front and center so I collected ideas and stuck them on a page. Haven't decided what to do yet of course.... Maybe there is something there that will help you. http://www.pinterest.com/ballardreno/how-to-hide-the-tv/
Rondina Muncy
I have spent the last two years making this same decision. I inherited a kitchen that has a corner oven at a 45 degrees angle. They ran the new electrical behind the wall. Never buy a house with the over in the corner like that. Anyway, here is what I learned. First, the TV has to be easy to see from where you cook, prep, and wash dishes. Second, the TV has to be a SIZE that you can actually SEE from where you cook, prep, and wash dishes. Third, and this is very important---the TV has to be easy to see from where you cook, prep, and wash dishes. My kitchen is probably no more than 300 square feet. A good hundred of that is frig and two pantries. Yet, I moved the TV four times to find the ideal situation. (I hated it on the wall mount.) The little wedge of counter between the sink and the stove is where is landed. I just don't use the left burners unless I shove it over. If it's the holidays, no one is watching TV in the kitchen anyway, so I store it in the closet. It's kind of nice because it has a wireless receiver and I pick up the whole shooting match and move it to the garage while I work on projects.
Karen
I am waiting with great anticipation for the introduction of Fibe TV (wireless cable) to my town. Supposed to be some time this year. ~ k!
Emily
Well, if you want to watch TV in your kitchen, you probably shouldn't put the TV where you can't see it 80% of the time... no matter how good it looks over there. Because 80% of the time, you wouldn't be able to see how good it looks there anyway.
If you have the extra space in your upper cabinets, that seems like the best solution - you could put it on one of those extending / rotating TV mounts and it could pull forward out of the cabinet and rotate so you can see it better from wherever you are.
Mother ship
Much like Dana- you can make use of the reflection idea.
I have this "hobby" of "noticing" the inside of people's homes when I'm out walking. One day, years ago, there was one, otherwise cute, tiny beach shack that had the kitchen sink window facing the F-ugly trailer park to the back of the shack - one day I noticed they put a mirror covering that window -positioned at such an angle to take in the ocean view- I stopped in my tracks & stared!!!
I quickly placed a huge mirror to the right of my sink - & my now teenage children STILL wonder how I know "who started it" in the living room. (Yeah - IF they did more dishes they might figure it out!) Bonus- I can see the living room tv while doing dishes.
Maybe a well placed mirror or 2 would help make use of the brick wall...
Without the outlets....
If you want to commit ...
kardan
What a great idea for a lousy view.
Pat Kichinko
I vote for the easel on the kitchen counter. If you got tired of the TV there, you could put a photo or open, vintage cookbook there. We don't have cable or Dish or channels, so I just use my laptop to watch Hulu or Netflix. I watch shows that have come and gone, but since I haven't seen them, they're "new" to me! So, no TV in the kitchen for me.
Amy in Stl
I'll never understand wanting a tv in the kitchen. It's like people who have to watch tv when they eat so their table has to have a tv positioned nearby. Eden I'm in the kitchen, I'm busy and can't imagine having time to watch anything. However, that tv in the bathroom? I really want one in my bathroom! I just need to figure out where in my 1930s bathroom I can put one!
Jane
I love the easel idea if you have the room on your counter top. We have an old 20 inch TV sitting in a corner on our counter. It's not that we sit in there to watch TV but it's nice when you are cooking and you have your glass of wine with the TV on you can listen to the news, stay on top of the ball game, catch up on your soap, watch tomorrow's weather report, or your favorite cooking show. I think we listen more than we watch. Point is, we like a TV in our kitchen.
For the record, I love your brick wall and in my opinion you can do more exciting things with that wall than putting a TV on it. Just saying...
Can't wait to see what you decide!
Jamieson
How about tv on the brick wall, painted black (the wall, not the tv).
Or not paint the wall black but get a silver frame tv (mine is Sony), build your gallery wall around it and when not watching tv, keep a rotating gallery of artwork on display in the tv. Or the aquarium or fireplace channel. This way it's not a big, black void. Or still on that wall but with doors that will open flush and not stick out when you're watching tv, with something nice in them to look at when they're open and something else on the outside of them to look at when closed. Or sliding doors over the tv, on a track, with something on them that's nice to look at - like two picture frames that slide out of the way.
And you could put a mirror in front of the sink so you can watch the tv in reflection. Hmmm maybe getting complicated now. But I don't think you want to give up counter space. Does this count as a whole other post now?
Irene
I REALLY like the sliding door/picture frame idea!
Jamieson
AND it's the most complicated suggestion, so Karen will like it too!
Karen
Har!
Karen
Hi Valerie - I actually already have speakers in my kitchen. They're wireless and also pot lights. They're fantastic. https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/the-kitchen-renovation-the-high-tech-gadget-i-love/
I've had a television in my kitchen my whole life and I very definitely know I want to keep one there. I think anyone who cooks a great deal and spends a lot of time in the kitchen would appreciate it. And of course, also someone who appreciates television, lol. I couldn't live without a television in the kitchen!
karen!
Ev
Tv in the kitchen is a must, kind of like the sink! For one thing, it seems like I am always in the kitchen from 6:30p to 7:00p, which is when I watch national news. I sorta like to know whats going on, you know, like when they are finally coming for us! I just want to watch the @#$%^&*news dammit, so must have kitchen TV!
Valerie
I once had a television in my kitchen. It was a burning desire of mine to have it there. I located it on a shelf above my microwave oven. Did I watch it frequently? No I did not. Many think they want a television in the kitchen but at the end of the day if you want to settle down to watch an hour or so of your favourite program, the kitchen is not the place for this to occur.
Music yes, television, not so much. I would put up some white, small, high end stereo speakers. White speakers are difficult to source and may require that you paint them yourself.
I have seen countless pictures of lovely living rooms and what is hanging above the cozy burning fireplace? A television. Not my cup of tea. Where ever your television ends up being located remember that you can, with patience, paint all the chords that drive that machine, to blend in with the walls behind.
Carole Moore
i like the TV-on-the-easel and TV-on-the-wall with a grouping of art. For both of these ideas, there ought to be some way to have a "screen-saver" of a work of art so the TV appears to be a painting or photo when it's off.
dana
I like the easel with the drawers but not for $50. I could think of 50 things to get before $50 for an easel. Oh & i am a tightwad. If u have a picture frame that opens I guarantee you will bonk your head. My 13" tv in the kitchen is on top of a big free standing cupboard. I cant see it while standing at the stove so I look into the picture on the wall in front of me & the tv reflection shows in the glass. lol!! I also like the idea of the wall mounts for a tv. Its one of the things I like about being in the hospital. Haha!
Karen
See? Now ... you aren't actually a tightwad. You would just choose to spend your $50 on something else. If you were truly a tightwad, you wouldn't part with the $50 at all. ;) ~ karen!
Ella
I like the small easel on the counter top idea. When I saw the easel, I started thinking: for a kitchen, a cookbook holder might be neat. One of those wooden ones, to prop a little flat tv on... I suppose that would take up counter space.
Thanks for all of the cool ideas!
Ella
Or use the pizza peel to make something like this:
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/151417523/rustic-wood-cookbook-stand-for-the?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_promoted_en_ca&utm_campaign=housewares_low
Peg
oh...... i like that!
Langela
This idea could even be mounted on the wall and surrounded by your copper pots, etc.