If you have a twenty year old TV wall unit, chances are it’s a “beast”! It wasn’t that long ago that TVs were nearly as deep as refrigerators and you needed three burly guys to carry one upstairs. In other words, it may be time for a new entertainment center to go with your new streamlined TV. Check out the following tips for sourcing a wall unit that is perfect for you.
SizeThe depth of your entertainment center used to be dictated by your TV. The good news is you can reduce what was probably 24” deep down to a skinny 12” and and find youself with a whole extra foot of space in the room! Cool, yeah? If you prefer the base to be a bit deeper than the upper section, 15” on bottom and 12” on top works well. You may want to do this especially if you are going to leave your TV on a stand. Just check you TV specs to make sure the stand fits.To wall or not to wall If your room is not very big you may want to go wall to wall with your entertainment center. Just make sure you have enough space on the side walls to accommodate the depth. It’s also okay not to go all the way up the the ceiling. The benefits of this option are price, more of a “furniture” look and not having to interrupt your room crown.Remember the wiresA back panel behind your TV can lend a cohesive look as well as being a great way to hide unsightly wires.
The perfect finishLast but not least consider that a painted finish, with no glaze in a standard satin sheen will be the most cost effective way to go and it will allow your unit to blend right into the surrounding woodwork, just like you added water and it grew there!
If you’re after a true furniture look you can invest in a stain finish on Maple, Cherry or any number of woods. This will be more expensive but you can still save a bit by leaving off the glaze. Remember the the trend is towards simplification and clean lines. Plus when you have a wood grain that should be the decorative element allowing you to use a very simple door style. If you are looking to design your own entertainment center, send me your ideas and I can help you make them happen!
FASHIONING A FIREPLACE, BEFORE & AFTER
We helped them select an electric fireplace insert, the plug in and your done type. Except we weren't done. We needed to design and build a custom cabinet masterpiece around it to show it off as well as house their flat screen TV. Our design concept was to make it look as much like a traditional fireplace mantle as possible using wood stained in warm tones to complement the cozy room in which it resides. See the final product above. They love it!
DESIGNED INTO A CORNER
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| This solution is a great example of efficient use of corner space. |
One of our clients has a great house in one of those lovely historic neighborhoods in West Palm Beach. They have a spacious family room with lots of windows. Views of lush vegetation and palm trees complete the "old Florida" mood. So what is the problem you say? The rub is that all those great windows really cut down on the wall space you need for a TV or entertainment center. The solution is a unique custom built corner unit to house TV and necessary components. Corners can be tricky but we were able to add some open shelves around the TV and doors below to house components. It is finished in a soft white paint.
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| A work in progress |
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| The Final Answer! |