TV Stand design Dilemma

[JGS]

I had planned on building an entertainment unit along one wall to house a TV, amp, sat. receiver, etc. I had a design finished and was going to make it with cherry to match the tables I had made for the room.

After chewing on it for a while I have come to the conclusion that it would be too much for that room. Too much cherry and too big a unit. While shopping for the TV I saw an ad that showed a TV on top of a stand that was the same colour as the wall and therefore blended into the wall. The stand had an unbroken front. i.e. It was just a large plywood box with a smooth front. I liked the look. However, by adding shelves to house the DVD, centre speaker etc. I loose the clean look that I am after.

I guess I could make the front panel removable for when I am using the system however, I am looking for a more elegant solution. So, do you have any ideas?

Thanks, JG

P.S.- the walls that I am trying to match with the unit are a beige colour

[Phisherman]

For my theater room I built 4 curved shelves, completely supported by the wall and up off the floor. The shelves have two openings at the back to feed the power cords on one side and the data cables on the right. Open shelving provides the needed circulation--for enclosures a circulation fan should be considered. A small utility table with drawers keeps DVDs and remotes.

[Stephen M]

My solution:

2 pieces: TV pedistal and component enclosure.

The pedistal is 20"-high cabinet with drawers for CD/DVD's tapes. By going with a piece that is just under the TV rather than surrounding it, you end up with something which is much less massive. You can't, however put the components under because that solution is ergonomically poor (unless you just use a remote).

My component cabinet has long legs to get the controls up where I can reach them without bending.

[J T]

Thu, Jul 5, 2007, 6:10am [e-mail] (JGS) doth queryeth: So, do you have any ideas? Thanks, JG P.S.- the walls that I am trying to match with the unit are a beige colour

You must be married, otherwide you wouldn't care if the TV was on a beer crate. So, do like any other married man that wants to live in peace does, ask your wife what she wants.

And I'm sure glad you cleared up the color thing.

Hypertext Webster Gateway: "beige" From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide) Beige \Beige\, n. [F.] Debeige. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide) colorful \colorful\ adj. 1. having striking color. Opposite of {colorless}. Note: [Narrower terms: {changeable, chatoyant, iridescent, shot}; {deep, rich}; {flaming}; {fluorescent, glowing}; {prismatic}; {psychedelic}; {red, ruddy, flushed, empurpled}] Syn: colourful. [WordNet 1.5]

1. striking in variety and interest. Opposite of {colorless} or {dull}. [Narrower terms: {brave, fine, gay, glorious}; {flamboyant, resplendent, unrestrained}; {flashy, gaudy, jazzy, showy, snazzy, sporty}; {picturesque}] [WordNet 1.5]
2. having color or a certain color; not black, white or grey; as, colored crepe paper. Opposite of {colorless} and {monochrome}. Note: [Narrower terms: {tinted}; {touched, tinged}; {amber, brownish-yellow, yellow-brown}; {amethyst}; {auburn, reddish-brown}; {aureate, gilded, gilt, gold, golden}; {azure, cerulean, sky-blue, bright blue}; {bicolor, bicolour, bicolored, bicoloured, bichrome}; {blue, bluish, light-blue, dark-blue}; {blushful, blush-colored, rosy}; {bottle-green}; {bronze, bronzy}; {brown, brownish, dark-brown}; {buff}; {canary, canary-yellow}; {caramel, caramel brown}; {carnation}; {chartreuse}; {chestnut}; {dun}; {earth-colored, earthlike}; {fuscous}; {green, greenish, light-green, dark-green}; {jade, jade-green}; {khaki}; {lavender, lilac}; {mauve}; {moss green, mosstone}; {motley, multicolor, culticolour, multicolored, multicoloured, painted, particolored, particoloured, piebald, pied, varicolored, varicoloured}; {mousy, mouse-colored}; {ocher, ochre}; {olive-brown}; {olive-drab}; {olive}; {orange, orangish}; {peacock-blue}; {pink, pinkish}; {purple, violet, purplish}; {red, blood-red, carmine, cerise, cherry, cherry-red, crimson, ruby, ruby-red, scarlet}; {red, reddish}; {rose, roseate}; {rose-red}; {rust, rusty, rust-colored}; {snuff, snuff-brown, snuff-color, snuff-colour, snuff-colored, snuff-coloured, mummy-brown, chukker-brown}; {sorrel, brownish-orange}; {stone, stone-gray}; {straw-color, straw-colored, straw-coloured}; {tan}; {tangerine}; {tawny}; {ultramarine}; {umber}; {vermilion, vermillion, cinibar, Chinese-red}; {yellow, yellowish}; {yellow-green}; {avocado}; {bay}; {beige}; {blae bluish-black or gray-blue)}; {coral}; {creamy}; {cress green, cresson, watercress}; {hazel}; {honey, honey-colored}; {hued(postnominal)}; {magenta}; {maroon}; {pea-green}; {russet}; {sage, sage-green}; {sea-green}] [Also See: {chromatic}, {colored}, {dark}, {light}.] Syn: colored, coloured, in color(predicate). [WordNet 1.5]

JOAT If a man does his best, what else is there?

- General George S. Patton

[Gordon Airporte]

Creating a door out of a piece of cloth stretched over a frame has several advantages: it's (pretty much) acoustically and thermally transparent and there are an endless number of fabrics to choose from to match your walls. The downside is that it probably won't be transparent to IR, so getting remotes to work would likely be a problem.

[Paul Franklin]

If all your gear is remote controllable for normal functions, you could use an infrared repeater setup so the front panels don't have to be exposed. Put them behind hinged doors so you can access when needed or to insert CD and DVD's, but totally hidden during normal use. The IR repeater just has a tiny receiver sensor and then a little transmitter for each component. As another poster mentioned, you could use color coordinated grille cloth in front of center speaker to let the sound out. With everything sealed up, you will probably need to worry about cooling and probably will need a small fan and openings in the sides bottom and top for air circulation.

Done carefully, this would get you the seamless box look you like.

HTH,

Paul F.