By Mary Beth Breckenridge
Akron Beacon Journal

Custom-made cabinets and subdued lighting highlight an entertainment center created by designer Alan Garren. He says TVs are such a focal point of our lives, rooms should be planned around them, with furniture oriented toward the screen.

Television is so central to our daily lives, it's wise to plan carefully for its placement, interior designers say.

Paul Tople / Akron Beacon Journal. Custom-made cabinets and subdued lighting highlight an entertainment center created by designer Alan Garren. He says TVs are such a focal point of our lives, rooms should be planned around them, with furniture oriented toward the screen.

Interior designer Alan Garren prefers to design a TV into a room before construction even begins.

"It's what I call a functional focal point," Garren said. A TV commands so much of our attention, he explained, that the room needs to be planned so at least some of the furniture is oriented toward it and the light from windows and other sources doesn't interfere.

That's not the way things happen in most construction, he said. A typical great-room layout in a new home has a fireplace on one wall and massive windows on an adjoining wall. And the TV? Well, it gets stuck in wherever there's space.

Still, even in an existing home that's less than TV-friendly, it's possible to find a workable solution.

How to place a TV

Ideally, the TV should be positioned so viewers face it straight on, Garren said. His own home, for example, has a counter with seats behind the sofa, which directly faces the TV. That way, a number of people can watch comfortably at the same time.

Garren said seating can be arranged in a semicircle, if necessary, but no one should have to crane his neck to watch.

Avoid positioning the TV in the path of sunlight from a window. But if that's not possible, consider investing in a motorized shade that closes when you turn on the TV, suggested interior designer Carolyn Leibowitz.

Likewise, artificial light shouldn't reflect on the TV screen, because it dilutes the picture or creates a glare. Still, Garren said it's important for the health of your eyes to provide light around the television to reduce the contrast between the bright picture and the dark room.

Of course, not every room has the space to accommodate an area just for viewing. Often the most-watched TV in the house is in a central gathering space such as a great room, family room or living room, which has to serve multiple functions.

Interior designer Pamela Bayer often solves that problem by furnishing the room with chairs that are on casters, or that swivel. That way, the occupants can face various directions, depending on what they're doing.

In a room with a visual focal point, such as a fireplace or a window with a great view, Garren likes to position the TV close by so the room's occupants can look at either.

In the case of a fireplace, that might involve building cabinets next to it to house the TV and components, or it might mean placing the TV over the fireplace - an option made possible by the advent of flat-panel TVs and direct-vent gas fireplaces that don't require chimney flues.

Before placing a TV over a fireplace, consider the heat. A plasma TV should not be exposed to temperatures over 90 degrees for an extended period of time. Heat can shorten the television's lifespan.

Flat-panel TVs help

Flat-panel TVs have greatly expanded the possibilities for arranging a room, Leibowitz said. While typical TV sets and components used to be 18 inches deep, she said, a slim flat-panel TV can fit easily into a bookshelf or kitchen cabinet, or sit atop a shallow credenza. Components such as DVD players and cable boxes can be hidden in a cabinet, a closet or even an attic or basement, thanks to a device called an infrared repeater, which redirects the signal from a remote control.

A flat-panel TV also can be attached to an arm that extends from the wall and allows the set to be turned, Leibowitz said. That way, if you can't arrange the furniture to face the TV, you can position the TV to face the furniture.

Don't like the look of a TV over a fireplace? Disguise it, the designers say. Put an attractive frame around it. Cover it with doors that retract into cabinetry when the TV is turned on. Or, for a less expensive alternative, Garren suggested hanging a quilt over it. By attaching Roman-shade tapes to the back of the quilt, you can easily pull up the covering when you want to watch TV.

Leibowitz said you even can position the TV behind a framed two-way mirror. The televised image shows through the mirror glass when the TV set is on, but when it's turned off, the mirror looks like the standard kind.

Pop-up units, which raise the TV from a credenza or cabinet, are another option for housing a TV when you don't want it out all the time.

Or hang the TV from a ceiling so it doesn't take up floor space. Just make sure an electrician positions the receptacle high on the wall, Bayer said, so you don't have to see unsightly wires hanging down.

Not everything having to do with a TV, after all, is meant to be seen.