Just because your guilty pleasure is watching “The Bachelorette,” that doesn’t mean you must have your television sitting center stage in your living room the other six days of the week. Check out these five clever ways to disguise or outright hide your TV when it’s not in use.

Stashing the boob tube in the fireplace is a common approach when you want to make the TV disappear into the decor. Interior designer Kelly Giesen took the idea a step further and installed a faux fireplace around the television with the express purpose of using it to hide the box. A mirrored fireplace grate rests in front of the TV when not in use for an elegant look that ties together the whole room.

If you’ve got paneled walls, see if there’s any dead space behind it – say, underneath a staircase, for instance. If so, consider burrowing into the wall and creating a platform for television storage. Put the missing wood panels on hinges or sliders so they’ll stash out of the way for easy TV viewing.

If you’ve got room for an extra piece of furniture, have a look at these elegant media centers by Reversica. They’re specifically designed to look like cabinets and bookshelves, with a little James Bond magic behind the shelving. When you’re ready to watch TV, just spin the bookcase around 180 degrees to expose the set, then hide it again when you’re done.

Finally, two-way mirrors are good for something besides watching criminals be interrogated in jail. Several companies now manufacture special mirrors meant to be permanently mounted in front of TV screens that disappear once the set is turned on. This is a perfect look for televisions mounted over a fireplace shelving unit, or other wall space where a large mirror is a natural fit.

Show your appreciation of art by covering your TV with a painting when it’s not in use. For about seven grand, you can get your favorite still life imprinted on a screen that rolls up and down in front of the television – kind of like a window shade.

Image: Terren in Virginia

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