My Solution for Hiding the TV
Sometimes you have a design dilemma and find that many of the solutions on the market don’t quite fit your specific needs or aesthetic. Case in point, our giant flat screen tv. While I do like the frame tv’s that allow you to display artwork, the sizes available are much too small for our large wall and 10 ft long cabinet. As I contemplated other ways to hide the unsightly beast - sliding doors, mirrors, shutters, or hanging a large tapestry or piece of artwork - it dawned on me! I could design a giant roll up art canvas that would work on a pulley system just like a roller shade does - and poof, the black box of doom would be hidden in an instant! So, I got to work making a prototype of my idea….
The first challenge was finding a company that could print a canvas large enough to cover, and overlap, our tv. I ended up using Royal Canvas and made a few modifications to the photo. In order to wrap the canvas around the dowel and top mounting board, I added a 10” white border, and for the width, had them bleed the photo to the edge with no border.
Because I was so excited to make my prototype and didn’t want to wait to get started, I dug through some of my old files and decided to use a photo I had taken years ago in Big Sur. Once I have perfected my design, I’ll take something specifically for the room. But this will do for now! I like the California coastal vibes.
As for making it into a roll-up shade I consulted Google, but in the end, didn’t need any instructions because I’m extremely fortunate to be married to a man who can, quite literally, make anything. We picked up all of the supplies at Home Depot - the cotton rope, pulleys, wood board, wall brackets, and dowel. Always a fan of recycling, he made the rope tie down with an old set of dive weights and a boat cleat. This is what we use to securely hold the shade up!
From the photo above, you can see how, when rolled up, it tucks in just over the top of the tv and just below the wood plank, and in the photo below, when rolled down, it sits just above the cabinet in order to hide our speaker bar.
Now let’s talk about some of my thoughts on the design, a few challenges, and ways I plan to improve it next time!
When we first hung the canvas, the dowel (which we thought would be heavy enough) didn’t have enough weight to help the canvas roll up and down with ease. My husband’s quick fix was to splice a long cut down the center of a heavy pvc pipe, and slip it over the wood dowel to add some weight, which worked great! But as we can see here, it’s kind of ugly. No one can see the pvc pipe unless they squeeze up next to the wall, but I know it’s there and plan to change it with the next iteration of my design. One thought is drilling out the center of a larger dowel and inserting weights…we’ll see. It’s a process.
The other element I’m rethinking is how (or if I even want to) redesign the sides where the wood board at the top juts out from the wall. On one hand, I really like the idea that you can see the mechanisms and that it’s not a large art print. People are so surprised when they see us roll it up for the first time! They always think it’s just artwork. By having the cotton rope and the board ends exposed, to me, it feels more…original, artistic?
Being that the canvas is very large, it takes a tiny bit of finagling when you start to roll it up, to keep it from creasing. At first I thought this might be problematic, but after many uses, there haven’t been any creases. We’ve now gotten used to it and don’t think twice about it’s “quirks” in rolling it up and down. In fact it takes only seconds!
And there you have it, my creative design solution for hiding the giant eyesore! I was going to hold off posting my idea until I had the design more flushed out and perfected, but I believe sharing and learning about the process can be just as interesting as seeing a finished product, sometimes more so.
Apologies for the fact that I don’t have step-by-step instructions. This really wasn’t meant to be a diy post, but more a conversation about creativity and design, and how they intersect to construct solutions in new, unique, and inspiring ways.
I really see that this concept could have so much potential…you could use your own original painting or artwork, vacation and travel photos, family pictures, scanned antique maps, or historical photos that have special meaning to you. Anything that can be transferred onto a canvas! I hope this leaves you feeling inspired and would love to hear your thoughts!
PS. A fun marital side note - I shared two photos of how each of us “tie down” the rope. Any guesses on who’s is who’s?
