TVwhen it’s on, art when it’s off

In the world of interior design, problems often take the form of odd nuisances. For instance, wasted cabinet space in kitchen corners brought us the Lazy Susan. The annoying storage dilemmas (like not being able to properly store a pizza without setting it sideways) found with narrow vertical fridge-freezer combos ushered in Euro-inspired bottom drawer freezer popularity.

In the family or living room, a new problem has arisen through the years. What do we do with the television when it’s not on? For decades, most of us haven’t been bothered by a blank black screen. But a vocal minority has caught the attention of Samsung and asked the manufacturer to fix it; the result is The Frame.

“In recent years, we’ve received consumer insights that as TVs become more readily available in larger sizes, they would like options that would allow for the TV to blend into their home decor,” said Andrew Sivori, vice president of TV product marketing for Samsung Electronics America. “Samsung has worked with various designers over the years, like the Bouroullec brothers (Ronan and Erwan) for the Serif (TV) and Yves Behar for The Frame, in order to take an artful approach to the traditional TV concept.”

Customers are saying kudos to Samsung for thinking outside the television box. The Frame concept is simple.

When it’s on, it offers clear 4K UHD television quality. When it’s off, The Frame is customizable to show photographs and artwork, Sivori explained. Because of its thin frame, the television, when not broadcasting shows, looks a lot like a framed art piece whose only giveaway would be a rotating bracket behind it on the wall.

“Is it a good thing when you’re not sure that the best thing about your new TV is the picture quality? … Perhaps the best part of The Frame is that it doesn’t look like a television at all. In fact, it can hide in plain sight because it doubles as hanging wall art. No, seriously, this TV goes beyond smart TV. It senses when you are in the room and displays a piece of art,” said Design-Milk.com contributor Jordan Derringer, while gushing about the 2017 version of The Frame in an article.

“As more consumers design their homes to reflect their broader lifestyle and personal tastes, The Frame is a versatile and innovative solution for their home decor needs,” he added.

Austrie Messer, a junior designer with Las Vegas-based Lisa Escobar Design, says her clients are often looking for “the best of the best” when it comes to televisions and entertainment. What that usually translates to is the selection of a large television that takes up a considerable portion of a wall, she said.

The idea of the television displaying art “to add visual interest” is something Messer’s clients enjoy. Messer likes how the television is “customizable to the point of choosing the wood grain of the frame and, of course, digitally uploading the client’s favorite art or images.”

Messer also says The Frame responds to ambient lighting, “automatically adjusting brightness and color to (make the images) seem even more real.”

Derringer noted the realistic look of the images as well. “The art feels part of the room and you have to look very closely to detect that the image is from a digital display,” he added.

Messer is particular about where she places The Frame in a room for clients.

“If a client wanted this type of television in their space, we would suggest centering it over an entertainment console, fireplace or on a wall, making sure there is space for it to be tilted for optimal viewing pleasure. With varying sizes available, another design option would be to incorporate a smaller version into a photo collage with other framed images if installing in a kitchen or small space,” she added.

Messer’s favorite feature of The Frame is its magnetic frame, which makes it possible to choose different finishes, such as light or dark wood, white or black.

“This way you’re never stuck with a certain color scheme,” she said.

Derringer likes how a piece of technology that can vacillate between art and TV can have an impact on entertaining friends and family time.

“The Frame allows the family room to return to a gathering room for conversation instead of only watching TV, with the flexibility to transform functions,” he said.

Image options

The Frame comes with a growing image library of more than 800 pieces of art, which can be found in its Samsung Art Store. The images and photos come from prominent museums, artists and galleries. New for 2018, users can display a slideshow of images, and they can upload their own hi-res images onto The Frame, Sivori said.

When shopping for images, Art Store offerings come in 10 categories: Landscapes, Architecture, Wild Life, Drawing, Digital Art, Action, Still Life, Patterns, Urban Abstract and From Above. Photos also can be uploaded via a mobile device or external storage like a USB drive to create a personal collage.

“The Frame allows users to customize and change the look of their living space whenever they want, based on their mood, the time of year or the aesthetic of their home,” Sivori said.

The 2018 Frame also comes with a thin translucent “One Invisible Connection” cable to power the TV and transmit data, eliminating the common cord clutter found under a lot of TVs. At the same time, the image library, which started with only 100 options, is always a work in progress.

“We are constantly adding new artwork and partners to the Art Store to offer customers the widest range of both classic and contemporary art available,” Sivori said. “As The Frame evolves, we will continue to give consumers the freedom to design the living space of their dreams and the flexibility to change it whenever they like.”

The Frame comes in 43-inch (approximately $1,299.99), 55-inch (approximately $1,999.99) and 65-inch (approximately $2,799.99) sizes. To learn more, visit Samsung.com.