Burning Question: Breakfast At Tiffany’s In Bed?
Ok, another burning question for you guys: what are your thoughts about having a tv in the bedroom? This is a surprisingly polarizing topic for many people, and we’d love to know whatcha think.
This breathtaking master suite by Candace Olson has a big flat screen above the fireplace. Thoughts on this seemingly popular decorating trend? Do tell…
Image courtesy of HGTV
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We don’t have one, and I hope we never do. We are not totally innocent though, we have been known to watch a movie in bed via Ipod… but that encourages us to be REALLY close.
I am not a fan of the tv in the bedroom, I’ve seen too many people become hermits in their own homes because of a television in their bedroom. But on the other hand, if you live with a roommate (or roommates) a tv in the bedroom in a must, at least if you want to continue to like your roomy.
I don’t mind having a TV in the bedroom – we have one, but rarely watch. Its more in there for when we are sick or lazing in bed on Saturday morning. I am totally AGAINST the TV over the fireplace though. Tuck that TV away in a more inconspicuous spot, and put some gorgeous art up there!
on the RARE occasion i have no work or kids, and can curl up in bed and watch a great old movie…..i LOVE having the TV in there.
If i could afford the MTV cribs style end table where the TV slowly rises when you want it, and hides when you dont… that would be great, but until then, over the fireplace it is!
BTW, that bedroom is amazing
Hmmm-well we don’t have one in our bedroom and haven’t the 3 years we’ve been married. But, I’ll tell you what, there are some nights that I would love to just curl up in bed and watch a movie/favorite tv show before bed.
I am so so so against TVs in the bedroom! Pre-bed time is for reading a good book, talking about our day, and you know, that other thing couples do in their bedroom. I also think it helps me sleep better to have a bed for (mostly) just sleeping. If I want to watch a movie or a TV show I will head to the living room.
It may not be the prettiest solution, but the fireplace is the focal point in the room so it makes sense to put something you are going to look at a lot there. It wasn’t my first choice to put my (downstairs) TV above the fire place, but space constraints sometimes force you to put a TV above a fireplace.
As for being in the bedroom, I don’t really want one in the room. The girlfriend disagrees. I’m just hoping I don’t have to put it above the fireplace. It’s a lot of framing and electrical work to mount a TV – a task I don’t want to repeat.
I’m not really a fan of TV in the bedroom. We only have one TV and thats how I prefer it. It’s easy to just turn on the TV and zone out rather than interact with people and actually do something.
There is nothing better than snuggling up and watching a movie in bed on the weekends! But after we moved to a bigger house and ran out of tv’s to put in the bedroom, I don’t miss it much. In fact I sleep much better, because I’m not up till the wee hours in the morning trying to watch an episode of something. I also think it makes the bedroom more romantic, because it’s not just another room to watch tv in….it’s for relaxing. :o)
Although I do sometimes wish I had one for those lazy days of watching a movie in bed, I have always lived by the rule of not having a TV in the bedroom. I just believe that the bedroom should be a relaxing oasis and a TV just doesn’t scream peacefulness. Thankfully my husband agrees and I think it not only helps us sleep better but makes us look at the room as our relational retreat where we can talk before bed instead of just “vegging” out.
P.S. Just wanted to add that I adore your blog, your creativity, and your beautiful house!! Thanks for all the great ideas!
I’m definitely not a fan of having a tv in the bedroom. But, we too have been known to watch a movie on the laptop in bed :) (And this bedroom is so gorgeous!)
We tried to go without the tv…but gave in. I think as long as you have it in a nice place in the room (ie. Candace Olsen’s great room) or up on a nice shelf with the cords hidden it might be okay.
I think it is just personal preference. I don’t believe it is good or bad design; or right or wrong.
For me, it depends on the room. If I had a room like that one above, I most certainly would want a TV because then it means more time to spend in there.
I’m pro-TV in the bedroom. However I’m anti-falling asleep with the TV on, which is something the boyfriend and I disagree on. It is nice to stretch out and watch a movie though.
I’ve had a TV in my “bedroom” beginning with the dorm days through single-hood. Yet, my husband and I made a pact to keep the TV out of the bedroom. Honestly, I like heading to bed to sleep… rather than heading to bed to relax and hope you fall asleep. We even opted for a house that bucks the “master suite” trend just so that we didn’t have extra room that would beckon a TV into the lounge area.
As an added bonus… I don’t end up dreaming about really odd stuff that I hear about as I fall asleep with the TV on.
I don’t think it’s a design question necessarily, but personally I don’t like it. There wasn’t a tv in the bedroom when I was married, there isn’t one now that I’m single. No tvs in the boys’ bedrooms (not even the one who’s off in an apartment now).
There’s actually a lot of research that watching tv doesn’t make you sleepy — it revs up the wrong centers in your brain, or whatever, so for people “of a certain age” who start to have problems sleeping, a tv is a really bad idea.
Also, I’m way too cheap to pay for two cable hookups.
*grin*
I never had a TV in the bedroom until I got married. My husband is one of those who can’t go to sleep unless the TV is on. He’s in control of the remote, and I usually don’t even know when he cuts it off. I wish we didn’t have one in there because it would negate the use of a big armoire, thus giving us more space, but he says he just can’t go to sleep without that quiet noise. Though I have to say, it is nice to be able to watch HGTV or TLC while putting up clean clothes!
I love having a TV in the bedroom. With (almost 3) kids night time is the only time I get to watch what I want to watch (what I have DVRed). My husband will watch a few minutes then he’s knocked out, so I get quiet time at night!
Gotta have it.
Other may people live a life where they read the classics before falling soundly asleep in a peaceful home. I sometimes need the sweet blue glow of the tv to get me to the land of nod :)
I used to be addicted to tv when falling asleep, but our first home is an older home with no wiring for cable. We managed to get it installed in the living room and den, but never bothered to run the wiring up to our third floor master. I have to admit, the only thing I miss about it is listening to the weather and traffic while I get ready in the morning. Design-wise, I have always felt that a tv in the bedroom should be in an armoire so it can be closed. Isn’t it bad chi to have a tv glaring at you while you sleep?
No TVs everrrrrrrrrr! *virtual beating with wire hanger*
ALTHOUGH, I have been known to fall asleep on the couch in front of the TV, so call me a hypocrite if you must.
I’ve had it both ways and I have to say I like having a TV in the bedroom – with one caveat. Make it a SMALL TV. Ours is only a little 13 incher, an old one with no DVD or VCR or fancy hookups to it, just cable. It allows us to watch TV or a movie on cable when we want to, but prevents us from becoming bedroom hermits. If we want to watch a real movie and see lots of detail, then we head to the living room.
My other reason for having a small TV in the bedroom? Sickness. Asthma leaves me home sick a lot and having a TV to watch in the bedroom means I get to stay entertained without having to drag a blanket and pillow to our sometimes uncomfortable couch.
we have one but we rarely ever use it. I think I just like having it in there in case of a sick day. It’s nice to have the option, even if you opt out most of the time.
We have one in our bedroom, though we rarely watch it at night, unless we go to bed early and want to watch something quick. I actually use it nearly every morning to watch the news as I’m getting ready though!
If my name were Emily Post, I’d say no TV in the bedroom. But then that would also mean I’d have to say no eating on the couch.
My two cents: relax. Less rules leads to happier design and happier homeowners.
Gotta have it!!! My husband works third shift, seven days on—seven days off.
So when he’s away at work I hunker down for the night by watching something I’ve DVRed and working on a current crochet project. However, when he is home, the TV is not on 99% of the time. When he is home, I relish the time we have together:)
We have a tv in our bedroom above our fireplace…and we love it. I know, I know…Oprah wouldn’t approve. ;)
Can I just say I’ve died and gone to bedroom heaven?!?!?!? That room is soooo swoon-worthy!
Oh, and to answer your question, No. We had one for a while, and both agreed to take it out. We found much better forms of entertainment in the bedroom… ;)
long-time reader, first-time commenter…
I say no to TV in the bedroom, but watching the occasional movie on the laptop is a-ok with me. I have been against TV (or at least, TV with cable) ever since I read a statistic about couples who have TV in the bedroom tend to enjoy less nookie. and who wants that?
Thanks for all your thoughts, everyone!
I think those who said it’s more of a personal preference, less of a design choice are right. In college I LOVED falling asleep while watching the TV in my bedroom so when Sherry first suggested we not have one in our bedroom together I was very confused. It seemed like a must-have.
But now, I must say I really really like having a TV-less space where we can just relax, sleep and you know. Perhaps my opinion will change again once we have kids in the house and feel the need for more than one TV.
When that time comes maybe we’ll have enough $$$ to afford a Candace Olsen-ish bedroom where the TV is more art than clunky black thing on the dresser. Here’s hoping…
-John
Maybe I would let a tv into the bedroom if:
a) Our bedroom was the size of the one in the picture. Right now, our entire house (1875, downtown, brick terrace house) looks to be the size of that room.
AND
b) It was discreet and could be somehow covered up for when it wasn’t in use.
First off, I love that bedroom and want it badly.
Second, we have a TV in our bedroom, but we don’t watch it much. I like to turn on the news in the morning while getting ready, and sometimes our DVR is recording stuff on our family room TV and I want to watch something else, so I head to the bedroom. The only time we watch stuff in bed at night is on the rare occasion that we’re watching a show that runs past our usual bedtime. A real deterrent for us is that our TV is kinda small and we can barely see it from the bed!
We have one because it is a MUST for me to watch the news/today show while getting ready each morning. We both do our best not to turn it on when we go upstairs for bed. So far it’s worked!
Wow! This was a popular question! :)
The Hubs and I do not have a TV in our bedroom. We like to keep our bedroom a quiet, relaxing place. We read in bed, but we keep all other forms of media out (no TVs or computers or anything like that). However, if/when we have kids, I can totally understand putting a TV in our bedroom for those times when we want to watch more adult programming.
It’s a love hate relationship with having the TV in the room. We don’t have a sleek version so ours is kinda clunky and doesn’t look that great in our room. But we put on the news in the morning while we’re getting ready to know whats going on in the world and watch it sometimes on saturday mornings when we just can’t imagine getting outa bed before 11am.
I don’t have a tv in my bedroom and I don’t ever want to have one there. I echo all those who want the bedroom to be a place solely for couples to connect and sleep.
A tv in the bedroom is a must-have for me. Fortunately the hubby doesn’t care one way or the other. Right now we have a big clunky tv on top of a dresser. When we get new furniture for the master bedroom, we are leaning towards getting a flat screen tv we can mount on the wall.
I could hear my mother now: A TV in the bedroom is bad feng shui!
The hubs and I don’t have one in the bedroom, but when we’ve stayed in hotel rooms and watched TV in bed, it makes us kinda wish we did have one.
My DH and I are both in agreement on no tv in the bedroom. We don’t have cable, so there really isn’t much to tempt us (except for our box set of West Wing). At our old house, we kept a small tv on a rolling cart in the extra bedroom closet. Whenever we were sick or wanted to watch a movie in bed, we could roll it in our bedroom. It was a nice way to avoid daily TV overload and occasionally watch movies in bed.
We have a tv in the bedroom. We watch it very rarely… typically when we’re sick only. I do wish it was a nice little flat screen so it would go better with the decor. However, since it’s rarely used.. I can’t warrant paying to get a new one.
We do have a tv above the fireplace in our great room. I hated the idea of it, and before we moved in, I was dead set against the nook. I was literally going to get a large enough painting to cover the nook right up!! But then when we set up and realized that with our furniture, and the room layout… it was the only way things would work. After getting the BF to construct a cubby shelf for the stereo and PVR, it actually looks nice and works like a built in – which I prefer over anything that looks like a media cabinet.
OMG I cannot believe you picked this room! This is my DREAM room. The fiance and I just bought our first home 3 days ago and our master will be this exact replica. Sorry about the gushing lol. Oh and I have a tv in the bedroom that get’s covered by a piece of art with the click of a remote. Love your blog! Cannot stop reading it :)
I’m a BIG fan of a TV in the bedroom… especially one that wakes you in the morning by turning on automatically to the news or whatever channel you want. It is much better than the aggggh aggggh aggggh of an annoying alarm clock (to me that’s the worst way to start the day)!
I think that the TV should be relegated to the public areas of the home – not where we sleep or bathe! There’s so much isolation these days (with computer games etc) that the bedroom should be for sleeping, reading and restoration of spirit. Married people as well as children and singles – need a serene space without outside interruption.
Back in the old days – BC…before cable – I could always wheel my tv into my bedroom, if I was recovering from the flu and needed to stay in bed for long periods of time. That’s the only time that I feel that a tv in the bedroom can be a benefit.
Linda Leyble
Studio of Decorative Arts
http://www.studioofdecorativeart.com
I had a tv in my room the whole time I was in college. Then my husband and I had one in our apartment bedroom before we were married. I hated it then; I had to get up earlier than him and needed to fall asleep; he liked to fall asleep watching it. Now that we’re married and bought a home, I said no tv and he agreed. We have one in our spare bedroom though, for those days where nothing sounds good except curling up in bed watching tv together!
(Plus we bought an older house that doesn’t have cable going to our master – extra plus!)