A house is not a home...

" A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body."
-Benjamin Franklin

It is that glorious time of year when the nights get cold enough to start a fire in the fireplace and the television networks are finally airing new episodes; some call it the beginning of hibernation others call it the beginning of relationship season.

As couples snuggle into the warmth of living rooms, it kindles the age old question of furniture arrangement...where to put the television? Do you make the fireplace the central focus? Do you make the television the focal point? Or do you go with the logical compromise and put the television above the fireplace?

Putting the television above the fireplace is the natural compromise and a great way to maximize the furniture arrangement. The only down side is when the television is off, you are stuck staring a big black rectangle...or are you?

The barn door style cabinet above the fireplace conceals the television and plays off the rustic charm of the old beams and stone facade of the fireplace

This charming whitewashed wrap around cabinet conceals the television without compromising the mantle

Classic built-ins are a great way to hide a television.

If you don't have a functioning fireplace why not use it to house the television? After-all you can always play one of those videos that look like fire logs 

This custom wooden case hanging above the mantel matches the beams and ties in the wood tones that are throughout the room

This custom cabinet that mirrors the arch of the fireplace is the perfect place to stash the television

I adore the chevron pattern of this cabinet! and the cerused finish matches the mantel and some of the furnishings, making it feel like it has been there forever.

If you can't hide it why not embellish it? Wood moldings or old frames painted to match the wall add an interesting touch without competing with the fireplace itself

But why settle for the black rectangle or having to look at closed doors? Seura has created the best solution piece yet! 

You may have seen their swanky vanishing televisions embedded in the bathroom mirrors of some of the chicest hotels around like Chicago's Elysian Hotel. 

They have taken their unique technology and brought it into the living room with their new Premier Series- a larger, elegantly framed mirror with full size vanishing television embedded in the glass. So now you can have the elegance of a mirror over your mantle to bounce the light around as well as having your television centered right over the focal point of the room! Total Design Genius! and to make it even better...it's made right here in the USA!

and with over 50 styles of frames available, there is something for every style

Now that that little problem is solved, where to put all the components?

While this is possibly the best solution I have seen, there is no way this would ever pass fire code! All those pesky components need to vent, not to mention the added heat of the fireplace would render them useless.  

While built-ins offer a great place to stash the components you either have all those wires exposed or have to leave the doors open for the remote signal to reach. But fabric conceals while still allowing the signals to work.

Fabric covered tables offer a place to put your drink as well as a clever hiding spot for all those pesky cable boxes and such.

Fabric panels installed in cabinet doors allow you to keep doors closed without exposing the tangle of wires that comes with all those components. Plus it adds a pop of color and pattern!

So snuggle up and enjoy the compromise this hibernation season!