Ever since I got my first tv when I was a teenager, I've had a hard time striking a balance between how much I love watching it when it's on and how much I hate seeing it when it's off. Unless you have a monochrome bachelor pad or enough money to make your tv disappear into a dresser, it's kind of difficult to fit these big dark behemoths into your decor.
It probably wasn't super safe, but I covered my first tv in faux concrete acrylic medium so it looked like a big slab of cement. For my last tv I covered the frame in vintage contact paper. Neither of those were perfect (and neither of them covered the screen, which still looked awful when it was turned off) but they definitely helped.
I recently upgraded to a pretty big television (42") and in my tiny pastel room, it just stuck out like a sore thumb. I finally came up with a way to hide it when it's not on, and I wish I had thought of this sooner! It was SO easy to whip this up, and it's equally easy to take it on and off of my tv. And I love it!!
I also spray painted the base light blue (Valspar satin "Encounter") and decided to hang one of my favorite Bette Davis photos from the top when its not in use. It's just on a skirt hanger, so it literally takes 2 seconds to hang it up or take it down and it's lightweight enough to not be doing any damage to my television. Just another simple way to make the tv blend into my room a little more ;)
To make your own tv cozy, first you have to measure your television. Make sure you get exact measurements so that the fabric will fit snug. Also, make sure you actually measure it, don't go by the size of your screen. The advertised screen size is measured diagonally, so my 42" screen is actually 38" across.
Next you want to measure your fabric. Draw out a rectangle that measures the width of the tv by the height of the tv. Then you want to add the depth + 1 inch to each side.
Hem the edges and then sew the corners to create a box. It's kind of like you're making a fitted sheet for your tv! If you're confused at all about what I mean just take a peek at your bed sheet lol :)
Now sew elastic right above the hem. You want to be stretching out the elastic while you're sewing so that it bunches the fabric. Once the elastic is in place, you're done! Just slip the cover over the front of the tv and you're all set.
I found that on my tv the fabric was sagging a tiny bit in the middle (not entirely sure if it's because I wasn't pulling the elastic tight enough while I was sewing or because my tv screen is so big) so I devised a little elastic suspender. I just threaded elastic through small alligator clips (I got mine on etsy) and knotted them tight. One clip at the top and bottom of the cozy helps keep it nice and snug on my tv screen!
When I showed my brother he said "you must be the only person on the planet who would buy a 42" HD television and want to HIDE it!" lol! I just can't stand the way modern tvs look, and don't think we should have to sacrifice the prettiness of our rooms at the altar of entertainment :)
Also, an added bonus to using a cozy -- it also functions as a dust cover! yay!
