At the beginning of the pandemic (we’re talking the days of “Tiger King” and banana bread baking), I was struck by the urge to redecorate my bachelorette pad. Realizing I’d be spending a lot of time at home (but not knowing it would be this much time), I decided I wanted my space to feel like a fun, surf-inspired boutique hotel.
I added a neon pink sign in the living room, palm wallpaper on an accent wall in the adjoining kitchen, and layers of blues and creams because the color psychologists say those shades are calming and, dangit, I needed all the chill vibes I could muster “in these unprecedented times.”
But the piece that absolutely transformed my space the most and that has hands-down become my favorite buy of the last two years was the Samsung Frame TV. I took down my clunky, 15-year-old TV — complete with its jumble of cords — and replaced it with a sleek piece of tech that’s quite literally a work of art.
The Frame is a 4K smart TV designed to seamlessly blend into your home decor, with add-on “bezels” that look like a picture frame surrounding the screen. When the television is off, “art mode” goes on, which displays preloaded paintings or photos that you upload yourself, with a matte effect applied.
The best part? For an extra $4.99 a month, this TV has helped quell my wanderlust by giving me unlimited access to Samsung’s Art Store, which is stocked with 1,400 works of art. The digital library includes works by old masters like Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh to modern pieces from landscape and cityscape photographer Serge Ramelli and abstract pieces in lively colors from Patricia Vargas.
To solidify the breezy vibe of my home, I like to keep sunny beach portraits in a steady rotation — like South Beach’s colorful lifeguard stands, captured by French photographer Léo Caillard, and Dean West’s snapshots of faraway European beaches I’ve only traveled to in my imagination during the pandemic.
From installation tips to incorporating the television into your home’s aesthetic, here’s what else you need to know about Samsung’s The Frame TV.
Samsung Frame TV Options
The Frame Tv
Brittany Anas
The latest model of The Frame comes in a range of sizes: From 32 inches ($599.99) to 85 inches ($4,299.99). I went with a 55-inch TV ($1,397.99) and installed it above my fireplace.
A point of confusion is that you may need to buy the actual frame (the bezel) separately. That’s to say, a major con is that The Frame doesn’t come with the frame you’re probably seeing in design mags. The television has a thin black bezel around it, but if you want to customize the color it costs an extra $99.99 to $199.99 depending on the size of your TV. Color options include white, natural pink, modern teak, and more. For my TV’s bezel, I went with a beige that looks slightly gold.
The bezel comes in four pieces that magnetically snap onto the television, which makes the frame part of the installation super simple. It also makes things easy if you want to switch to a new color at any point.
If you don’t want to hang your television, Samsung also sells a studio stand ($299) that looks like an easel. My dog gets the zoomies, so this wasn’t a good option for me.
This is definitely a design-forward television (which you pay a premium for), but the 4K QLED technology delivers a great picture. It also has some other uniqueness, like a remote control with a built-in solar cell that will recharge the battery using light from your home.
I’ve read some critiques that the sound quality leaves something to be desired (which is common with most built-in TV speakers). You can add a soundbar — although that might disrupt the minimalist aesthetic that this TV is designed to achieve. The sound is just fine for my viewing habits (watching Netflix and streaming fitness classes for living-room workouts).
Samsung Art Library
The Samsung Frame
Brittany Anas
While the television comes with a couple of dozen complimentary digital art pieces to choose from, you can add on the aforementioned $4.99-a-month subscription to the Samsung Art Store, which gives you access to the full gallery of 1,400 works.
The art library is divided into categories to help you find the artwork you love or a piece to align with your mood. For example, there are curations like “A Walk in Sunset,” “Food as Art,” “Summer Getaway,” “Wonders of Winter” and more. Recently, a collection of Very Peri images (Pantone’s purplish color of the year) was added. You can also search by color or medium to sync up the artwork with your space. I love this because it lets you try out different portraits.
You can also choose galleries from sources like The Louvre, Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium, Etsy, and more. When the art is on, the television uses a light sensor that helps match it to the brightness of the room.
To get the most out of your Frame TV, from a design perspective, Ginger Curtis, of Urbanology Designs, recommends switching out the artwork seasonally. You can also add impact by designing the television into a beautiful gallery wall, she says.
Installation Tips
To get my TV on the wall, I hired a handyman on TaskRabbit who specialized in TV installation and had a good deal of experience with The Frame televisions. He got my TV up and running in under an hour. Nearly everything I needed for the installation came with the television, including a wall-mount kit, a translucent cord, and Samsung’s One Connect Box that’s a central location for all of your HDMI inputs and your power, which I tucked behind a stand-up mirror near the TV.
Mounting hardware, though, can depend on the type of wall that you have. Some general tools that you’ll need for installation include a drill, a level, a stud finder, and tape. Samsung has a five-minute YouTube video with installation instructions. Worth noting: Lifting the TV and hanging it to the wall is definitely a two-person job.
The installation kit comes with a template that you can tape to the wall and ensure its level before you attach the mounting brackets to the wall.
Once it’s up, you’ve got your own little art museum in the form of a television!
Source: https://www.sfgate.com/shopping/article/samsung-frame-tv-16806148.php