Flat Screen and Fireplace Ideas

• This flat-screen over the mantel could be made less conspicuous. Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images

  While a fireplace is a charming feature of many homes that should be treated as the focal point of a living room, many families also enjoy watching TV there as well, and the most convenient location for the TV may compete with the fireplace. Fortunately, there are ways to create harmony between your flat-screen and fireplace for optimum appearance and television viewing.

Recessed

• If you aren't concerned with hiding the TV completely, you can help it fit in better by recessing it into the wall, making it less conspicuous and more refined. This method offers the added benefit of hiding wires or cables in the wall, though it also makes it more difficult if you need to repair or remove your flat-screen later. To further integrate the TV into the room, add a frame around the edge of the recessed screen.

Disguised

• Companies offering products designed specifically to disguise a flat-screen TV have created an elegant and artful solution. An out-of-place screen easily transforms into a framed mirror or piece of artwork with the flip of a switch. With this arrangement, you don't have to choose between having your flat screen in a convenient location and hanging more attractive artwork over the fireplace. In some configurations, a piece of artwork or mirror mounted on an electric lift slides up to reveal the flat-screen underneath. In other cases, a frame containing the artwork is mounted around the TV screen and the artwork scrolls down like a shade with an electric mechanism.

Put Away

• A built-in or wall-mounted cabinet provides a storage solution for your flat-screen while it is not in use. The television is mounted inside the cabinet so that you can easily conceal it by simply closing the doors. The cabinet can also serve a second function, hiding cords and wires for a less cluttered look.

Electric Fireplace and TV

• For a high-tech solution that is sure to impress your friends and family, consider purchasing an electric fireplace with a pop-up flat-screen. Unless you have an existing fireplace to work with, you can kill two birds with one stone. An electric lift houses a flat screen television inside a freestanding fireplace with a surrounding cabinet. The lift is hidden inside the cabinet until you turn it on; then the lift raises the TV up through a hidden slot in the top of the cabinet. Raise the screen up when you want to watch, and when you're done, it slides back down into the fireplace cabinet to be completely hidden and out of the way.