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Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday. Since I love the cooler months of the year, and since one of the many reasons for that is the excuse to watch more TV, I thought it might be a good time to talk television…then and now.
I pretty much like to think of myself as a ‘live in the moment’ kind of gal. I plan ahead, but I truly do try to avoid looking back too much…there are some pretty nasty pot holes that plague me (why didn’t I save 10% out of every paycheck from my first job at Judy’s boutique and all subsequent jobs, why didn’t I become a dental hygienist, and why, oh why didn’t I wear sunscreen when I was a teen?!).
More than that, I swore to myself I wouldn’t be the kind of “older” person who declared, “In my day we _______”. That kind of looking back bothered me when I was younger and still bothers me today.
But…and you knew this was coming…when did television sets become the size of the screen at the local theater? I know technology has made great strides in the size of the overall piece, no more large tubes that create the equivalency in weight of an over-sized box filled with boulders. The weight of most television sets is now very manageable, unlike a large set we once owned that took 3 very strong men to move. But *we have definitely decided somewhere along the way that we have/need to have life sized images staring at us when they speak their lines that broadcast in surround sound.
*we – read people in general
As winter sets in I’m certain there will be more indoor time, which might lead to more television viewing so here you go…
{Better Home and Garden}
I’ve covered the topic of how to hide a TV in a room but I thought this might help with those of us who have thrown in the towel and now have Daniel Craig in HD, a TV picture that shows every eyelash surrounding those dreamy blue eyes, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
{Jennifer Brouwer Design via Home Bunch}
And for those that enjoy keeping up with sports while watching a movie…
Weigh in, do any of these speak to you? They aren’t me, even though I love to watch movies and television. I’d love to hear how you’ve solved this design dilemma…in my humble opinion, television is a necessary evil. And I’d love to know if you have a new favorite TV show from the fall line-up.
Garden, Home & Party 
Victoria • Restoring our Victorian said:
I cannot say why you did not save 10% of all paychecks or wear sunscreen… But I can think of *lots* of reasons one might not become a dental hygienist. Namely –having to examine other people’s dental hygiene.
That last photo is my favorite. Probably not great to actually watch anything on, but those massive setups are just ridiculous.
Karen B. said:
Ha, ha…but the hours are good that a hygienist earns great money and usually has lots of flexibility in their schedules. With 2014 being a year of simplifying things around here, that last TV would be more my speed and I bet I don’t have to have 3 remote controls to operate it. 🙂
Luciane at HomeBunch.com said:
What a beautiful post, Karen! I wish I had more time to be in front of the TV! I love watching movies… 🙂
By the way, I am with you… I wish I had saved more and became a hygienist… LOL… that would be interesting!
Thanks for the mention, sweetie!
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
Karen B. said:
Thanks, Luciane. You always post such beautiful homes, thanks for the inspiration. xo, Karen
On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 7:28 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Sheila said:
I will weigh in on this one. I like the stone surround, and the gold room with tv above the mantel. Actually I am voting for the room style, and maybe not the color. I have handled this problem by purchasing a great Louisiana made cherry tv armoire for the television. Hubby understands that any future tvs have to fit inside of this armoire. Ha! When people are over I can close the double doors and make the tv disappear.
If you would like to see my armoire head over to my blog to see a watercolor depiction. I will say that as I have gotten older and the focal point of my eyes has changed…the larger tv helps! Ha!
Karen B. said:
Sheila,
I love your armoire, especially done in water color. 🙂 Our TV sits in an entertainment center we had custom made for the then large television set. When Mr. B decided he needed a little bigger set, we hired a carpenter to adjust the carpentry work to accommodate the larger set. I told him then, we can’t get a larger set than this, now he says there’s one that is just a little larger and we wouldn’t have to adjust the furniture. Crazy!
xo,
Karen
Taylor Greenwalt said:
Hi Karen…I don’t like T.V.s showing, but mine does in my family room and would love to be able to cover it up! I saw on a blog where the hung a tapestry above the TV. It was like a roman shade…they could pull it up easily and bring it down when they wanted to watch TV..
Karen B. said:
Julie, I saw that picture too, I had already scheduled this post but I thought that was a clever way to cover the television. I love to watch TV but I just don’t care for the black hole feeling that appears when it’s turned off. xo, Karen
On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 8:13 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Sheila from MyKentuckyLiving said:
My solution, an armoire with doors that close! This also reduces the size for future considerations. 🙂 sheila
beggingforattention said:
stay tuned………..
my husband wants to be super-sized above the brick fireplace. the battle is on! he is claiming he will do a drop down/pull-up. we will see…..
cheers
debra
Karen B. said:
Ha, ha…Debra, if it was up my my husband we’d have stadium seating and a TV the size of the wall! I have seen some great “hiding-the-TV” ideas such as an antique pair of shutters that were closed when the TV is off and yesterday on Cote de Texas, there was a home in Houston where they had an antique tapestry that had been made to resemble a roman shade, it dropped down over the TV when not in use. Pretty cool. I imagine my husband would leave the shutters open and the tapestry up each day…kind of like not closing his closet. 🙂 Karen
On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 8:43 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Loi Thai Tone on Tone said:
Hi Karen – I love watching TV! And make no apologies for it. But it’s not the only thing I do. As for the big tele showing: I am split. Sometimes I hate it….sometimes I ignore it…..sometimes I don’t mind it…..and sometimes I even like it 🙂
PS – I wouldn’t want a giant screen at home because I want to enjoy that experience at the cinema.
Karen B. said:
Loi, I confess, I very much enjoy watching television. BTW, I’ve never seen an image of your lovely home where the TV is evident. I have learned to ignore our flat screen and it’s in a built to fit entertainment center, but antique shutters to create a cover part of the time would be welcome. I’m with you 100%, we’re a big fan of movies and I don’t think I would want to try to mimic that experience in my home. xo, Karen
On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 9:34 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Linda Coble said:
Karen,
What a great walk down Memory Lane! I well remember our old family TV with rabbit ear antennas and how our family crowded around it to watch Ed Sullivan or Bonanza. Loved some of the rooms you highlighted. I still wish I could somehow camouflage our behemoth TV screen but at least it sits on a nice cabinet.
Thanks for another great post!
Karen B. said:
Hi Linda, They’ve come a long way with the humble television set and I don’t mind the streamlined look of them, it’s the black rectangle that stares out at me when it’s turned off. Fortunately, I don’t notice too much anymore and that’s a good thing, since I won’t be doing anything to hide it. 🙂 Karen
On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 11:39 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Jeannine said:
You wonder why you did not become a dental hygienist . . . I wonder why I did?! I stayed home with my children and never went back to dental hygiene – while the money is good, I think I should have chosen a different career path. As for the TVs – my husband would like to put a TV on the wall in the living room above my piano – I feel pretty firm about “NO”!
Karen B. said:
Jeannine,
Ha, ha, ha…we’ll I guess this is one of those “should haves” that I can cross off the list. I remember the moms that I knew, when I was a stay at home mom, that worked as hygienists and were able to manage their schedules around the kids school schedule. Seemed ideal.
Most men (since I have 2 sons and 1 husband I can say this) seem to think there is no television that is too large! 🙂
Karen
Jeannine said:
Agree on the “most men” comment regarding size of a TV. I have one father, one brother, one husband, and two young adult sons – they all agree on one thing – it isn’t possible to have a TV which is too large! My mother and I totally disagree and just roll our eyes!
Karen B. said:
ha, ha, this is why I am thankful for my 2 daughter-in-laws, it brings a little balance to topics such as the size of the television. 🙂
On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 4:11 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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around the table said:
The TV size is getting ridiculous and the guys compare “size”.. and I know a few that always have to have the largest, greatest..
I remember having a TV like your last photo when I was growing up. It was easy back then! A few stations and we didn’t have 6 different controls..
I do like the look of the flat screen and it’s fun to see how homes are being remodeled or built to accommodate them. Beautiful rooms Karen!
Karen B. said:
Leslie, It’s true, there still exists that manly desire to have the biggest toy. 🙂 Since I like to watch television I really don’t mind the one we have, which is as big as our room can handle, but the surround sound and HD additions sort of elude me, possibly because I still remember the thrill of my first television set. A 13″ with rabbit ears that mom and dad allowed me to have in my room. xo, Karen
On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 9:06 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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D'Arcy H said:
I wish my TV weren’t such a presence in my living room, but we have it on all the time in the evenings, so it’s like a member of the family. It’s small by today’s standards (40 in.). I don’t like making a shrine out of a TV because we LIVE in the living room and have nowhere else to put it … no family room in our little bungalow. But there it is … I definitely grew up in the TV generation!
Karen B. said:
D’Arcy, Yes, I’m with you, I am not one of those that could ever do without a TV. Our room can only handle the one we have, and I’m not sure what size it is. It’s those near-theater sized TVs that seem over the top to me. I’m sure if they had been available when we were raising our 2 sons there would have been a vote for a larger set and I would have been outnumbered. Phew, we dodged a bullet on that topic. 🙂 Karen
On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 9:57 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Sharon at Roses and Rust said:
I have a love-hate relationship with TV. Mostly I can do without it, but I do love shows like Downton Abbey and love snuggling into a good movie now and then. The boys have a big screen in their playroom, which I try not to notice. I watch my shows on a smallish flatscreen which is hidden in a cupboard. I generally prefer all my technology hidden! I often think I’m living in the wrong era…yet I guess I wouldn’t be blogging if I lived 100 years ago! Have a lovely day. xx Sharon
Karen B. said:
Sharon, That’s the perfect solution, with 4 boys it makes sense to have a room for them and their friends and they can watch sports and play games without disrupting the rest of the household, right? 🙂 I do love my PBS and most British programs, along with a fair number of American series. My issue with all of the electronics isn’t the device itself, it’s the chords that they must have plugged into inconvenient spots. Maybe wireless will be the wave of the future. xo, Karen
On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 11:10 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Gretchen said:
The men in my family believe that it is not possible to have a TV that is too large. I think they really would like to have a home theater, but our house isn’t big enough (thank goodness!). Currently the TV is hidden behind the doors of an antique reproduction English armoire. I don’t know how long I can get away with that since it will only accommodate a 48″ TV. I love closing the doors and ignoring the fact that we have a big black rectangle dominating our family room!
Karen B. said:
I believe our respective men are in the same camp of opinion. You have the best set up as far as great tv and good disguise. xo, Karen
Sent from my iPad
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Jennings & Gates said:
I never even watch the darn thing. I know I sound like a big goof (or my grandmother) but television honestly makes me nervous. Friends say that they turn it on to relax or for background noise, but I have to have quiet, or maybe pretty music. I guess it is what one is used to. I think growing up, we were the last family in America to get a color tv., and I still tease my dad about that. I like to watch movies, so I guess I use the television for that. The idea of a screening room or home theater really appeals to me too, a place one goes to watch a movie, but the screen isn’t the central part of a living room. Great pictures! This was a really good post for getting ideas and inspiration. I grabbed a couple for my idea file! xo, N.G.
Karen B. said:
N.G., I do like movies and I guess if we lived in a house with more rooms a screening room would be fun, but like you, I’m very selective about the programs I watch (not all PBS) so when I’m wanting calm, I put my ear buds in and listen to music, usually classical (talk about sounding like a grandma, right?) xo, Karen
On Sun, Feb 16, 2014 at 8:34 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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