Guest post contributed by Diana Smith
The TV is, without a doubt, an inescapable feature of every home. You would be hard pressed to find a home where the TV doesn’t hold a prominent position. Especially nowadays, when the dimensions seem to be constantly growing, the size of the screen can affect the balance of the space and completely dominate it, and, in some instances, wreck the aesthetics of the room. It is unreasonable to suggest that not having a TV is a viable option. However, that doesn’t mean that it has to be the focal point of the room either. Luckily, there are ways to keep it and make it blend in better. Here are some tips on how to better camouflage your screen into the world.

Frames to the rescue
There are several ways you can use frames. First of all, framing the TV set can help by integrating the set beautifully into a room that has more of a vintage, antique or old-fashioned vibe. For instance, the presence of a huge black screen can be very jarring in a room filled with expensive antique furniture. Putting the screen into a gorgeous, ornate frame (even gilded, why not?) can make it seem almost like a mirror or a painting. If that’s not your style, but you still want to draw the focus away from the screen, why not surround it with actual photographs, drawings or paintings? Mounting the TV on the wall and hanging a myriad of pictures all around it will help it integrate and make for an interesting little home gallery.

Shelves and mantels
Another brilliant way to draw the attention away from the TV (at least when it’s off), is to surround it with shelves. Depending on the structure of your space and your own needs and preferences, you can get creative with the shelves and place them below, above, or on either side of the TV. Fill them with books, decorative trinkets, vases of fresh flowers, framed photographs, and even lamps, to create a beautiful and cozy corner in which the TV will be only one of the elements and not the centerpiece. If you have a fireplace, mounting the TV above it is a wonderful idea. The fireplace tends to be the focal point of the room, and it’s highly unlikely the TV will dominate the space if it is placed above the mantel.

Hide it in plain sight
If you are looking to hide your TV screen entirely, it’s possible by covering it with artwork on tracks or hinges. However, even without such a radical approach, you can make it almost invisible by playing with color. In fact, if you paint the wall behind it in a darker color, you will likely manage to soften the contrast and make it much less noticeable. Bear in mind that placing the TV on the walls opposite the windows will not only make it much more eye-catching but also harder to watch. The light that’s streaming in through the windows will create a reflection on the screen.

Hide your media
The idea might be several decades old, but it’s still very much usable today. Hiding all of your media in a custom-made media cabinet is probably the most elegant solution. Custom-made cabinets are great because they are specifically tailored to your needs, so they blend seamlessly and use the available space in the most optimal way. You can also pick and choose the materials and colors that go best with the rest of your furniture. If you have enough room and can afford it, a tailor-made cabinet is a perfect solution. It’s the ideal place to hold all of your media-related gadgets, and it hides them whenever they are not needed. With a proper antenna installation, you can even hide those unsightly cables. Once you hide away the mess of tangled cables, your room will instantly look much tidier and more elegant. If you have any empty corners, take them into consideration as you could use one to make a cozy media niche.

Watch out for your eyes
Watching TV in less than ideal circumstances can result in eyestrain. Of course, the first thing you should do is take a look at the settings on the device, like the backlight and contrast. Once you are satisfied with those, there are still other outside factors that can help prevent this uncomfortable problem. First of all, make sure that the TV is at an appropriate distance, neither too close nor too far. The angle should be natural, straight ahead and in the line of your sight when you are in the position from which you will most often be watching. Finally, watching in perfect darkness strains the eyes because the TV is the only bright object in the room, and flooding your wide irises with light. To help with this issue, create a small light around or behind the TV. It needn’t be strong, just enough to soften the contrast between the brightness of the screen and the dark of the room.
As you can see, there are many interesting and aesthetically pleasing ways to integrate your much necessary TV into the overall style of your home. Just because you enjoy the occasional movie or game, doesn’t mean your entire decorating concept should suffer. With a bit of imagination and effort, you can soften the look of your space and make it more beautiful than ever.