Step-by-step: The ultimate DIY guide for hiding your TV
Daniel Matthews of @a.modest.semi is in the process of renovating his Edwardian home, skilfully reinstating its most beautiful original features (almost totally by hand) and decorating with a masterful grasp of colour and pattern that hints at his background as a print designer. One of the many DIY projects that caught our eye was his innovative hidden TV, barely perceptible behind a fabulous handpainted trout that sits above his fireplace.
'The space before was a white dining room that lacked personality and warmth,' says Daniel. 'Due to other work going on in the house we had to block up the window at the back and put in two new windows on either side of the chimney, which actually frames the TV niche even more.'
The trend towards hiding unsightly tech and bulky everyday appliances is evident in every room in the home – microwaves and toasters have been whipped off our kitchen counters and hidden away in larder-style cupboards – and while we all mostly use our living rooms to watch TV, we don't really want it to be the main event.
Daniel's clever TV wall solution uses a shutter-style MDF board that looks like an oil painting when closed, only to fold open revealing a TV deftly hidden behind it.
'The impact is amazing. We can close the TV away when we have guests over or we want to just sit and read and it doesn't dominate the room,' he says. 'It's tucked away behind some doors – its own little home – and I think it's one of my favourite things we have done in our home. It's a triumph!'
Below, Daniel takes us through the step-by-step process of making his unique hidden TV.
The supplies:
Timber (if you intend on building the frame yourself)
MDF sheets (cut to size to avoid power tools)
1. Build the timber frame (or call a carpenter)
Daniel wanted his TV to be totally integrated into the chimney breast so that the decorative panel that hid it would sit flat over the top. Boring into the chimney itself is a specialist and labour-intensive job, so Daniel chose to build out the chimney breast by 30cm to create a niche for the TV to sit in. He opted for a simple timber frame that could be covered with plasterboard.
'For anyone wanting to have a go at this, first of all I'd say you need to be confident in woodwork and measurements as this is integral when creating the frame for the TV to sit in,' says Daniel. 'You could always contact your local carpenter for this part and DIY the rest yourself.'
2. Cover with plasterboard
'Once we had built the frame, we proceeded to plasterboard the new extended breast along with the rest of the room, this would then be all plastered together to make it look like a chimney with a TV niche has always been there.'
Plasterboard is a widely available and affordable material (around £4 for a square metre), perfect for DIY projects. It can be cut to size with a Stanley knife and fixed to timber with plasterboard screws or a plasterboard adhesive.
If you are doing this makeover without professional help, remember that you can paint directly onto plasterboard rather than plastering over it first. Smooth over any joints and holes with a generic plaster filler and jointing knife, and seal your plasterboard with a primer before painting.
3. Use MDF for the niche
'We created an MDF box to fit inside the niche (where the TV will sit) and added beading around the edge of the hole to make it look like a picture frame.'
4. Paint everything
'We painted the room as normal, priming all the wood, including the MDF inside the niche and using eggshell paint which is specifically used for wood surfaces.' Daniel's gorgeous pink colour is the V&CO paint x Molly Coath Shade 4.
Watch Daniel's reel here for his tips on cutting in.
5. Make the shutters
Daniel used MDF for the shutters – 'to fold all the way back when watching TV so as not to obstruct the view' – cutting four identical panels and fixing them together with brackets. 'We used kitchen cabinet hinges for the shutters attached to the inside of the niche, and piano hinges for the doors that meet in the middle and fold completely back on themselves. Once these were fitted, we then hung our existing TV in there, it was tricky to hook it on without being able to see behind. But after a bit of back and forth, it fits like a dream!'
6. Choose your art
'Once the doors on the niche were completed, to make it look like a picture hung above the fireplace, I painted a huge trout. I was inspired by Sammy Little Art, I love her style and use of colour. So I set out to create my own version.'
Daniel drew a template of the trout and stuck it to the shutters. 'This way I knew the scale was correct. I then hooked the doors off and painted over them like it was one big canvas, so all doors lined up with the image when hung back up.
'If you can't decide what you want on the shutters, you could leave them plain, add picture frames, wallpaper, mirrors, the possibilities are endless!'
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