By Mi-Ling Stone Poole –

DEAR MI-LING: About five years ago, I bought an (at that time) state-of-the-art big-screen TV. The thing is huge, but it works fine and I don’t want to replace it. It just sits there in my living room, humongous and ugly. Is there any way to disguise it or make it less obtrusive?

Carla

DEAR CARLA: Thank goodness for flat-screen televisions, which in most cases can be concealed easily from public view by hiding in a cabinet or even behind a large picture frame.

Unfortunately your situation is very common and although you could hide the large elephant in the room with a large room divider or a screen, at some point you might want to consider purchasing a less obtrusive TV, especially since the prices have dropped considerably over the past year on flat screens.

With all that aside, one of your options is to create another focal point in your room that will draw your attention away from the television set.

A large painting or a beautiful custom cabinet is one idea. However, having someone build a custom cabinet might cost more than buying a new TV. Check your local garage sales and used furniture stores for a cabinet. There are probably people out there trying to get rid of large cabinets that have already moved on to a flat screen.

Another option if you have the space is to move the TV to another room and designate that space as a media room.

If you already have a cabinet, paint it to match the TV or other furniture in the room so it will blend more easily. For example; if your television is black and your cabinet is white, paint the cabinet black.

If all else fails you might be pleasantly surprised to know that most of your guests may not notice how huge the TV is because as consumers we are fairly used to seeing big screens. Just try to blend it into the design of the space and don’t let it stand out like a sore thumb. If you have a few artificial plants around your home move them closer to the TV; this will soften the hard edges and give you and your guests something else to focus on if you’re not watching the screen.

How do you hide your big screen?