ABOVE: You can reduce the visual bulk of Don Cherry in your livingroom by building up the space around that large flat-screen. I have a TV problem. I watch too much of it.
Even though I’ve moved the bulky old-style box out of the livingroom, and even though we don’t have cable, I still cease all meaningful activity to watch re-runs of shows I never liked the first time round. It needs to go, but I’m not the only one living around here; the Man of the House, only an occasional user of TV, likes the hockey — and dislikes my militant position.
So while I hope that we won’t bother buying the converter that all we free-cable types will need later this year just to get those same few stations, he’s talking brand-new flat-screen. I counter with reports from two repairmen that most of their work is on those LCD and plasma screens after the warranties run out. He shows me a wall space that would fit a screen perfectly.
Living TV-free isn’t really an option for most people. My clients call me in specifically to help them fit new 40-inch flatscreens into their tiny condo livingrooms, so suggesting they go without is not helpful. So instead I suggest ways to visually reduce the impact of the black shiny rectangle.
In the small condo livingroom, often the only option is hanging it above the gas fireplace (if any). A tilting wall-mount bracket is a pricey little add-on to the new flat-screen, but at least it’s off the floor and no longer blocking windows. That new-found floor space is better dedicated to additional seating, for more social activity and less physical emphasis on the sole pursuit of watching the idiot box.
But the fireplace mantle really is a last resort. A better option is to dedicate an entire wall for floor-to-ceiling shelving, with the TV installed at seated eye level. The surrounding books and other hefty items helps reduce the scale of the screen, and hides wiring easily. Ikea and Moe’s have a good selection of readymade options. Adding moldings on plain bookcases can reate a more built-in look.
My other suggestion is mounting it on a bare wall, surrounded by several framed artworks — posters, kids’ creations, enlarged photos — to visually downplay the TV. A selection of substantial frames in black and white creates just enough busy-ness to distract the eye from the TV. Restricting the wall to monochrome, high-graphic images and black-and-white photos will unify the look and punch up the decor.
