Custom Entertainment Centers

I sometimes think of the TV as the family member who no one invited but showed up…   Whether up high for viewing or at a traditional height, TV stands need to accommodate not only the TV, their auxiliary units but also their accoutrements.

This example in Oak uses drawers for storage as a base.  Drawers do double duty: they fill in the height with storage use and allow the customer to access items while standing (i.e., not on his knees).

Made in Walnut with a natural stain, this entertainment center keeps the television outside of the cabinetry. The stackable stereo components are behind a smoke glass to create a balance with the TV screen.  One pull-out drawer is for a turntable and the smoked-glass lower cabinet stores the priceless jazz collection on vinyl.

In this example of a wall unit/entertainment center, the customer had me build a 6 x 6 foot unit using Sugar Pine for a light and natural look.  A quasi-bookshelf in appearance, everything is accessible without doors or drawers.  The TV swivels on a Lazy-Susan to allow for optimum viewing throughout the room.  The adjustable shelves hold everything from a reel-to-reel, coffee-table, art books, and receiver. Cables are tucked out of sight and pass through designated holes.

White wash finish can lighten the overwhelming size of an entertainment center.  The first example in Pine, acts as a room divider enjoyable from both sides. 

This TV console is framed by three separate but attached cabinets – two on the side to match the height of the TV and one spanning the total 8 foot length.  Made in Alder to stain like Cherry, the two bottom doors are cloth covered to conceal the home entertainment speakers. The cabinet has a 30 inch depth to contain the TV, but the two side piers did not have to be as deep.

I used Alder with a light fruitwood stain to build this wall unit. The TV console was housed in a semi-permanent corner cabinet.  The wood and stain complement the nearby kitchen cabinetry.  The encasement of the console unit blocks the visual blemish of extensive cable cords. Raised panel doors have hidden handles and the attractive top molding crowns the unit.

Made in Alder with a Cherry stain, these two twin towers are cabinet ends to a large TV console.  The top cabinets have full glass doors and inner lights to display artwork.  The lower smoked glass doors house the multitude of electronic components. The two adjacent wooden doors cover a pull-out cabinet for lateral storage of DVDs, CDs, etc.

The pull-out cabinets on either side of the TV stores scores of classic movies – all within easy, standing reach.  Of note, the far lower left “drawer face” is actually a faux front door for photo albums.

At five feet high and one foot deep, this solid Mahogany entertainment storage center opens out for access and closes in for a handsome cabinet.  The heavy base helps ballasts the weight of the open doors.  Solid brass hardware glows against the Mahogany, don’t you think?

These two complementary cabinets in the same design are built in solid Oak and trimmed in exotic Paduak for a dramatic outline.  One is open and airy while the other conceals the clutter.

Every so often, a customer knows the aesthetic value of Cherry and appreciates the aging of this wood. The lower bank of drawers exemplify the unique grain of Cherry – with time, these waves of grain will deepen in hue and character. The shelves are of such a span that the front and back of each shelf has a double rib to support the heavy, expensive stereo equipment placed side-by-side.

The un-tooled, old world look of Shaker style is handsomely accomplished in these two solid Cherry pieces.  Wheels are concealed behind a floor molding.  The TV is separate from cabinet to allow for technological changes, i.e. a rectangular flat plasma TV.  The top drawer in the side tower slides out as a turntable tray.  The customer selected grey-pewter handles to complement the glass door and metallic grey of the equipment.