We wanted to channel that Hangout-House Vibe: fun, good food, comfy… But without a wall for a TV, we couldn’t host movie nights or video game showdowns. 
The fix? A projector! 
We may not be screen-free anymore (womp, wHomp 
), but at least we’re still screen-hidden. 
The Constraints
Wall Space. The only possible wall in the living room where a TV could go is awkwardly placed with respect to the couches and is the first thing you see when you enter (no thanks, ugly black screens 
). The space above the dining-to-living room opening was just right for a drop-down projector screen, and as long as we kept cords out of sight, it would essentially disappear when not in use.
Screen ⇔ Projector Distance. We have a vaulted, cathedral ceiling, so there is zero flexibility in the distance the projector can be from the screen. Turns out getting the right zoom and throw distance to accommodate this mounting restriction is nontrivial… 
Ambient Lighting. The living room can be bright midday, and there are two skylights with no shades at all. 
Even though most of our watching would be at night, we needed something to work in a room with some light. 
In the end, after consulting Reddit and Wirecutter, we decided on a good-out-of-the-box “starter” projector (BenQ HT2060), projector mount (BenQ CM00G3), and screen (Elite Motorized).
The Process
Step 1: Installation (/make a mess)
I have no chill, and as soon as I found a projector that was going to work with our space, I ordered everything I needed just three days before we were hosting overnight guests in our house for a week. 
Since my installation attempts trashed our space (see 
), I needed to work late nights to finish up before our guests arrived. 
Step 2: Hide the wires
The most satisfying way to hide all the wires without snaking anything through the walls was to cover cables behind curtains and along the baseboard. 
The only two spots where cable covers can be seen:
Conveniently, the projector screen could be plugged into an outlet in our loft space upstairs!
Step 3: Adapt cabinet for connections
I routed the projector’s (carefully hidden) HDMI and audio input cables over to a new accent cabinet beside the couches. To keep things clean, I drilled a hole in the back of the cabinet to tuck in a surge protector and thread the cables through.
Step 4: Koopa shell yo 
The boys love Mario Kart (me too! 
) and insisted on going as their favorite characters (Donkey Kong and Bowser) for Halloween this year. 
The Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app works well so far: we set a 1-hour daily limit and allow play only on weekends before 8pm.
Cost
We had been talking about getting a projector for ages, and we decided to finally go
for it once the living room refresh was completed during the Big Move of 2025. 
| Materials (Projector) | Cost (+ tax/shipping) |
|---|---|
| BenQ HT2060 Home Theater LED Projector | $1167.69 |
| Accent Table by Bungalow Rose | $371.86 |
| Elite Screens Motorized 105” Projector Screen | $255.32 |
| BenQ CM00G3 Ceiling Mount | $83.94 |
| Laser-Cut Iron Table Lamp | $76.49 |
| 8K Fiber Optic directional HDMI Cable, 50’ | $53.11 |
| 3 packs of 153” cable hiders | $45.84 |
| onn 4K Pro Streaming Device, Google TV | $44.73 |
| 8-outlet surge protector, 6’ | $23.90 |
| Monoprice Premium 3.5mm audio cable, 50’ | $23.79 |
| Monoprice Power Cord, 25’ | $11.15 |
| 0.5” cord protector tubing cable | $10.61 |
| flat plug extension cord, 7’ | $5.48 |
| TOTAL | $2173.91 |
I consider the cost of our first-ever (only-ever?!) video game system to be separate, although it is a big part of the fun of the new projector. I’m open to game recommendations!
| Materials (Switch 2) | Cost (+ tax/shipping) |
|---|---|
| Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World | $531.24 |
| 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller | $181.67 |
| Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con Controller | $106.24 |
| HORI Compact Carry All Travel Bag | $43.91 |
| Boomerang Fu - Deluxe Edition | $21.24 |
| Etsy iron-on custom Mario name patch | $22.20 |
| Baba Is You | $15.94 |
| Overcooked! 2 | $6.63 |
| TOTAL | $929.07 |
Shilpa Kobren is the Associate Director of Rare Disease Analysis at Harvard Medical School where she focuses on analyzing genomic sequencing data with patient clinical information to derive insights into human diseases. Shilpa lives in an 1890s urban apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband and two energetic toddlers. She retains her sense of peace amid the chaos by creating and iteratively improving systems that optimize daily efficiency in her family's constrained living space.