TikTok's Viral Easel-Mounted TV Is A Convincing Way To Disguise Your Screen

Finding a good spot for a TV in a tiny living room or bedroom can be a bit of a puzzle, especially if your space has limited available wall or floor area. Thankfully, TikToker Drew (aka, @lonefoxhome on TikTok) has found a clever alternative that turns your television into a sophisticated piece of decor that completely disguises its screen.

Easels make great TV mounts for small spaces because they are narrow enough to fit in tight areas, and you can adjust their height depending on your eye-level and the height of the room. Easels also allow you to inconspicuously hide your TV set – all you need to do is frame the TV, and give it a painting for a screensaver so that it looks like a piece of art rather than a flat screen. That's why Drew hit the jackpot when they found an oversized easel at an estate sale, and they immediately knew that it would make the perfect television stand. 

When shopping for an easel, you'll have to make sure that your easel can bear enough weight to support your TV — look for an H-frame easel (rather than an A-frame easel) that has a wide, sturdy base. Most easels don't have a weight limit or rating since they are made to hold canvases, so you'll need to use your best judgment and avoid anything flimsy or cheaply made. 

A vintage H-frame easel like the one Drew found can run you a pretty penny. One Kings Lane has one from the 1970s for $1,595. But there are newer, more affordable options. Rex Art sells large, sturdy easels starting at $329.99. If you want something less expensive, try Amazon — it has an 86" easel with a drawer for just $99. You can also find used ones: In addition to estate sales, try sites like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist where you can find big savings on quality pieces.

Once you've got your easel, you want to get a piece of wood that's small enough to hide behind the TV, but large and sturdy enough to attach the television mounting plate to. Screw the mounting plate into your wood. Once the mounting plate is attached, you'll screw the piece of wood to the easel.

Next, you'll attach your television to the easel. You'll need a friend or partner to hold the TV in place while you attach it to the mounting plate.

You can leave your TV as-is on the easel, or you can add a stunning frame to really camouflage it. TV frames can run you anywhere from $152 to $699, depending on the size of your television and type. You'll find lots of options on Amazon or Etsy, and you can even try to DIY a TV frame should you want a more budget-friendly option. Drew chose a beautiful vintage gold frame for their TV. Since their set-up uses a cable box, they attached the box to the back of the easel with some zip ties.

This hack for disguising your TV as a piece of art was viewed over 500,000 times on TikTok. "This is perfection," one commenter wrote.

If you're looking for more ways to hide a TV in a room, try hiding it behind a mounted cabinet or hanging it, framed, on your gallery wall.