A TV saved my marriage.

I kid, I kid, but there is teeny bit of truth here. Who knew a TV (not a TV show, or a TV doctor) but an honest to goodness, physical, electronic device could have been such a pain point in my marriage? But more on that later.

Like most red-blooded Americans, I love a good “before and after” story, be it hair color, weight loss or room transformation. Hours of labor and planning and design summed up in a simple side-by-side image of what something WAS and what it now IS.

Loving a good refresh means that I’m always in flux. I see the potential to change and “improve” everywhere, at times, to my detriment. For instance, I live in a beautiful home, that was remodeled, only two years ago. What am I doing while on bedrest? Thinking of all of the ways I can change it. The guest bedroom was turned into an office, then turned back into a guest bedroom, then a nursery. The office was turned into a guest room, office, nursery (for a brief spell), guest bedroom and back to another nursery. Everything has changed, but nothing has changed. Except for my sanity, and that of my husbands.

With my need to change, I’ve been (rightfully) banished from making changes to my home (FOR NOW!) and charged with finding projects that don’t affect my family’s living space, which is why I leaped at the chance to refresh a rustic boathouse space with Emily Henderson (yes, that Emily Henderson!) and Samsung.

Talk about a dream project. Nestled in upstate New York, this boathouse was on a secluded lake with incredible views. We had 72 hours to transform the space from “rustic” to “chic.” We were both up for the challenge. This is not a reveal story (at least not yet) but I will give you a sneak peek at the before space and the design concepts that we put together.

Back to saving my marriage. With my house in constant flux, there needed to be a compromise in either aesthetic or execution. Joe has lived and stayed the course with me through all of these room transformations, and I wanted to do something just for him (and maybe a little bit for me as well). All Joe has ever wanted in this house, is a TV above the fireplace. A simple request, but one that was the biggest challenge for me personally.

I’m no Luddite, and I love watching TV, but I honestly never think about a TV as a focal point of a room; it’s just something that I never subscribed to or incorporated into my aesthetic. I knew this project involved a TV that would change the way I thought about how the electronic device related to decor, but I had serious, serious doubts. Believe it or not, my thoughts changed after the boathouse project with Emily and Samsung.

During the boathouse refresh, Samsung challenged us to incorporate their new TV, The Frame, into the space. As I mentioned, I was skeptical, but after seeing and experiencing The Frame firsthand, I’ve converted. Not only does The Frame look like art, with the ability to collage or matte your own images or feature pre-loaded photos and art to display, it sits COMPLETELY flush against the wall (like a picture frame). You can purchase different colors of Customized Frames to suit your decor, change the warmth and brightness of the artwork to fit the lighting in your space automatically with a built-in sensor, AND it comes with a handy, slim, easy to hid box for all those annoying gadgets that usually sit out on your TV console.

After the boathouse project, I had one last room refresh planned (aside from the current nursery project!) for the living room. Joe met the news with cautious optimism, especially when I reassured him that I was planning on including a TV above the fireplace. After the transformation was complete, he had tears in his eyes. Ok, no tears, but he was incredibly happy. And so was I. My house didn’t resemble a sports bar (my irrational fear of the outcome if I did place a TV over a fireplace) and I finally had a place to display some of my favorite pictures.

The big reveal of my project with Emily is coming to you in just a couple weeks. I can’t wait to share how our two aesthetics came together to transform a truly beautiful space. Stay tuned for more!

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Ed. note: This post was sponsored by Samsung. The compensation received in exchange for placement on Wit & Delight is used to purchase props, hire a photographer, write/edit the blog post and support the larger team behind Wit & Delight.

While compensation was received in exchange for coverage, all thoughts and opinions are always my own. Sponsored posts like these allow for the development of additional dynamic content to be produced, unsponsored. Thank you for supporting our partners!

Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.