Nate Berkus Thinks We Should Put Our TVs in the Closet

TVs can be such an eyesore. Sitting amongst swathes of color, shape, and texture, you have this flat, black box that adds nothing to the design but manages to take up the most attention.

What to do about them is an ongoing debate among designers, including Nate Berkus who recently offered up a suggestion. In a video reminiscing on his under-500-square-foot apartment in Manhattan, Nate detailed how he hid the dreaded black box in a storage closet — a hack that the compact living community will adore.

If you're looking for ways to hide your TV, we spoke to some luxury interior designers for a few more ideas. They explain why setting up your TV out of sight elevates the home and offer tips on how to do it in your space even if you’re short on storage.

Nate Berkus’ Hack for Hiding TVs

Nate is the master of minimalist design, so it's hardly surprising he has a trick up his sleeve for hiding TVs. “I looked at the wall of closets that came with the apartment and said, ‘It would be so much more elegant to live here if I tucked the TV inside one of the closets and still had storage on the bottom and on the top,’” he said in a recent video.

We're not talking about the dated TV cabinets of old. As you might expect, Nate's method for hiding his living room TV idea looks modern and chic. While tucking it away in the closet does mean he has to open the doors every day to watch TV, it allows for more intentional and “gracious” living — something that people in both compact apartments and more sprawling abodes can appreciate.

Why Should You Hide TVs?

“I've been in business for 29 years, and clients have always wanted to disguise TVs in living rooms or bedrooms,” explains Eddie Lee of luxury interior design firm Eddie Lee Inc. “Because you do this gorgeous scheme and then suddenly, especially when the TV is off, it's just this big void.”

Gray Walker, of luxury interior design firm Gray Walker Interiors, thinks that hiding TVs can be a healthy way to distance yourself if you’re a binge-watcher, too. “I think that mentally, it makes you think that life doesn't revolve around the TV,” she says. “People want to create comfortable glamor, and I think a TV is acceptable now in some of the most elegant spaces, but it needs to be hidden. I don't want to admit that the world revolves around TV, or that living revolves around TV, but it does.”

How to hide Your TV with Minimal to No Storage Space

In recent years, picture frame TVs have been a popular way to disguise your screen. Models like Samsung's Frame — widely considered the best Samsung TV — have been the TV of choice, but as Nate proves, you don't have to splash out on this ultra-modern technology just to hide your TV in plain sight.

You might also consider concealing the TV using art—a good solution if. Gray Walker suggests using a tapestry hung from a rod and rolling it up to reveal the TV, or a hinge mechanism to “fold” or “glide” painting and mirrors.

Another suggestion she makes for art lovers is using canvases. “The canvas would have weight and it would hold itself, so it’s something that's easy to lift back and forth over the TV," she says. "You could even get your own canvas and paint it the wall color and do something abstract yourself over the front of it, or something really easy. But I think there are opportunities to get creative with a tapestry or a hanging wall canvas.”

On the other hand, Gray also thinks there is nothing wrong with good old-fashioned willpower. Choosing no TV in a communal space and putting it in a more private space like the bedroom can be a good way to give your home a luxe feel and encourage thought and conversation. (The question of whether you should have a TV in the bedroom is equally debatable — we know.)

“My advice if you have the opportunity is to just not put a TV in the living room — just have a reading room where there is no TV," she says. "But if you don't have that kind of space, don't turn it on, meditate. Or have a space that doesn't have a TV.”

Eddie often designs remote-controlled TV "contraptions" for his clients, including “a faux radiator cover” to house the TV that has the TV slide up in front of the window and a 26-inch custom-built dresser that lifts its back to reveal a TV at the pressing of a button.

Drawing tips from his recent projects in Manhattan and the Hamptons, Eddie suggests looking into remote-controlled options and has tips for those on a budget who still want the wow factor. “In my old apartment I had a projector," he says. "I love having friends over for movies, so I wanted a giant, eight-foot screen, but I didn't want an eight-foot screen on my wall, so I faked it. I lived in an old block with big beams on the ceiling, and I just put a faked beam on one wall, and the screen rolled down from the beam.”

With these innovative expert tips, you’ll be able to divert attention to the things that truly make a home feel like home.