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Kensington Home Technology has been featured in The Sunday Times, as their Tech Consultant under the banner 'Ask the Experts':

I've just bought a property where the living room is quite small. Is it possible to hang a TV screen on the wall, or from the ceiling to save space? Any advice you can offer would be appreciated.

There are a number of ways of hanging a television in a room where there is very little floor space.

For example, there are a wide range of wall brackets available, either fixed or with varying degrees of tilt and swivel depending on your requirements. Flat wall brackets position the screen very close to the wall but require the screen to be fixed in the correct viewing position.

Arm brackets allow the television to be placed flat to the wall when not being watched but then swiveled out into position as required. Arm brackets tend to stick out further than flat wall brackets so there is a tendency for the bracket to be visible from the sides. Consider Future Automation (01438 833577 www.futureautomation.co.uk) who have a number of well finished products. Prices start from about £129.

To mount a television from the ceiling I would suggest using a ceiling mounted pole. Try Vogels who have a suitable product in a variety of sizes from about £135 (available from BBG Distribution 01923 205605 www.bbg.eu.com). When mounting a television from the ceiling you need to consider the final height of the screen as it may be uncomfortably high for viewing from a seated position.
When installing any television it is important to remember that you will also need to fit power, an aerial and source cables. These can be unsightly and ruin the look of a room. Chasing the cables into the walls and ceilings is the best solution but is difficult to do neatly. Omnimount (07979 328 790 www.omnimount.co.uk) has a range of self adhesive, stick on trunking that can be painted to match your existing décor, from about £45.

Due to the varying size and weight of televisions, I would recommend employing an AV specialist to fit the screen, to make sure that the wall or ceiling is suitable to take the weight of the screen and to ensure the correct fittings are used. A list of companies in your area can be found via CEDIA (www.cedia.co.uk 01480 213 744).

Malcolm Stewart is co-founder of Kensington Home Technology, a custom installation company

e-mail your questions to propertyexperts@sunday-times.co.uk