We all have them – home decor pet peeves.   A pet peeve is something you don’t like but there might not be a specific or logical reason….it just bugs you.  Decor pet peeves might be using fake plants instead of real, using patterned area rugs, seeing art hung too high (another of mine!), etc.  Another might be having a TV in the master bedroom. 

Terrie Gives Bedroom TVs a Thumbs Down

                                                       houzz.com – a place for conversation in the bedroom

I don’t like a TV in the master bedroom for a few reasons:

• TVs aren’t pretty and even though there are attractive armoires designed to hide them, how often do you really close the doors?
• Bedrooms have two functions – sleep and sex – and TV interferes with both of them.
• It’s important to have a place to go to “get away from it all” and reconnect with your partner.  The bedroom can be that place where you have quiet conversations, catch up on each other’s day and relax.  That’s hard to do with the TV always on.

Photo from Elle Decor.com

• Kids are more likely to invade your private space if there’s a TV in the room.
• Feng shui energy is destroyed when a TV, exercise equipment or office/computer equipment is in the bedroom. (source: Rodika Tchi “Feng Shui Bedroom Tips”)
• Whether you do or don’t have a TV in the bedroom, make sure it’s a mutual decision so it doesn’t become an ongoing source of conflict.
• Kids shouldn’t have TVs in their room either.  The NY Times printed an article that states about half of American children have a TV in their room.  Research has shown “they score lower on school tests and are more likely to have sleep problems.  Having a TV in the bedroom is strongly associated with being overweight and a higher risk for smoking”.

Photo from House of Turquoise.com

Photo from Elle Decor

 Even though there are actually some valid reasons in my “con” list, the real reason is just that I don’t like decorating around a big armoire that HAS to go opposite the bed to hold a TV.  I want the flexibility of arranging and rearranging the furniture.  Cindy, what do you think?

Cindy Gives Bedroom TVs a Thumbs Up 

I disagree with Terrie.  My  husband and I have a TV in our bedroom and we always have - but we don’t have one in the living room as she and her husband do.  We entertain in our living room and we relax together in our bedroom. TV is one way we unwind or veg out  together.  We have two chairs in our bedroom that we can sit in to watch TV but we generally cuddle up on the bed together instead.  Different styles – different preferences.

Photo remodelingcenter.com

Here are other ways Terrie and I differ on this topic:

• She wrote “even though there are attractive armoires designed to hide them, how often do you really close the doors?” – my answer is ALWAYS when the TV is not on.  We don’t use an armoire in our current master bedroom, but in our last house we did and the doors were  open only when we watched TV.  It’s not that hard to close them!

Photo remodellingcenter.com

• According to Terrie ” The bedroom can be that place where you have quiet conversations, catch up on each other’s day and relax.  That’s hard to do with the TV always on.”  Not for us – we love to cuddle up and watch TV together in bed - sharing comments about the program we’re watching and casually chatting during muted commercials. 
• “Kids are more likely to invade your private space if there’s a TV in the room.”  Our kids are now grown but this wasn’t an issue for us when they were young because they weren’t allowed to watch TV in our bedroom. And when they were older and had friends over on weekends to play video games or watch movies my husband and I could escape to our bedroom and watch our own movie.

Additionally, I like having a TV in our bedroom because:

•  Our cable service also offers numerous music stations, allowing us to listen to music in our bedroom. 
• On nights like this when my husband is out of town I can retreat to the cocoon of our bedroom, turn the TV on for background company and blog on my laptop – feeling like I’m relaxing instead of working and feeling more secure than being alone in the main part of the house.
• TVs are slimmer and more portable now than ever and there are so many great ways to hide them or incorporate them into your decoraing, as I wrote about in TV – Stash It or Flash It.   In the photo below the TV rises up out of a leather trunk at the foot of the bed.

Photo theaterlift.com

• If one of us is sleepy and the other is not, we can still snuggle up together instead of one of us being in bed and the other one in the media room.
• We like dressing for work in the morning while listening to the news and weather.

Bottom line – the master bedroom is your sanctuary.  You should use it as you please – there are no rules and regulations and no rights or wrongs, as long as you both agree!   I like having a TV in our bedroom and so does my husband.  If you do, then you can  choose to hide it or leave it out.  Do what makes you happy and create your own little world in your bedroom. 

What Are Your Views?

Do you watch TV in bed?  Do you have the TV out and visible or tucked away most of the time?  Or did you forego a TV in the master and put it elsewhere?  Weigh in with opinions by clicking on the Comment link and leaving a message. 

Be Sociable, Share!

•