“Now that you’ve bought that new flat-screen TV you face the problem: where am I going to put it?” If you’re facing this dilemma, guest blogger Tony O’Malley of Tony O’Malley Custom Woodworking has some suggestions for your consideration.
Your old TV was a chunky cube; the new flat-screen is a sleek elongated rectangle. Your old TV cabinet or armoire is suddenly a big useless box headed for the recycling center.
You might find a credenza-type stand in a furniture store, but the larger screens and more stark designs of the flat-screen TV prompt many people to conceal it or hide it away altogether. Often the logical location for the TV calls for a customized approach.
A 52" flat-screen surrounded by books. Widescreen TV Cabinet and Library by Tony O'Malley Custom Woodworking at CustomMade.com
Built-in cabinetry is one solution some people are turning to. A very shallow wall cabinet can house a flat-screen TV because of its flat profile—just 3 or 4 inches deep in most cases. This is a good opportunity to integrate your TV into a larger wall unit that comprises bookshelves, drawers, closed cabinets that house the related components, and other display surfaces. Surprisingly, built-in cabinetry will often consume far less floor space than that old massive corner TV armoire.
Surround a 52-inch plasma TV with warm, colorful books and suddenly the big screen is not so ominous, even in a smaller room. A painted built-in, with base and crown molding carefully matched to the existing moldings, becomes part of the room. This helps make the TV less imposing.
Hiding it Away
Sometimes you just want the TV to disappear. That’s a lot easier with flat screens, which can be hidden behind doors that either bi-fold or slide into pockets—or both as in the project shown below.
Now you see it. Now you don't. This library and media wall unit can showcase or hide your flat-screen TV. Tony O'Malley Custom Woodworking at CustomMade.com
Built-in vs. Free-Standing
Built-in cabinetry is, by definition, custom made. You can’t buy it in a store. Instead, you’ll want to seek out a capable cabinetmaker with demonstrated experience designing, making, and installing built-in cabinetry. So the process is more complicated than buying a TV stand from the furniture store.
Of course you can’t take a built-in with you if you move, but a carefully designed built-in will enhance the enjoyment of the room and add value to your home. Approach your built-in along the lines of a major investment, just as you would approach other home-improvement projects.
The built-in project shown here solved a thorny corner situation. The TV is mounted on an articulating arm so it can be pulled out and angled into the room for better viewing.
Built-In Corner TV Cabinet by Tony O'Malley Custom Woodworking at CustomMade.com
Fireplace cabinetry offers another solution to the flat-screen TV dilemma. Here the TV is mounted in the shallow wall cabinet above themantle. The doors are mounted on bi-fold hinges so they fit in the space beside the cabinet.
Fireplace and TV Cabinetry by Tony O'Malley Custom Woodworking at CustomMade.com
Check out Tony’s portfolio on CustomMade.com for more built-in cabinetry ideas.
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Do you have a wide picture of the built-in with the small corner portion under “Built in or free standing” I am interested in see the other side of the fireplace as well.
Holly, I’m afraid I don’t have a photo that includes the opposite side of the fireplace. It was not symetrical with the side I worked on for the TV cabinet. The TV had to be angled toward the seating, but due to the window it could only be angled 30-degrees. That’s why we used a fully articulating arm, so the TV can be pulled out to 45-degrees, which is the ideal angle for viewing. We also had to build a drywall soffit above the cabinets, because the ceiling is sloped. Our vertical soffit provided a clean line against which to trim the top of the bookcases with a crown molding. Tony O’Malley
I definitely feel like a television set can be imposing in a comfortable living room atmosphere. It’s great to be able to hide it away and turn the room into something warmer and more European.
We had a carpenter construct a buildout surround ( about 50 inches wide and 80 inches tall) for our new flat screen TV. The wires are all hidden and a built in cabinet stores the other components. It looks awesome!
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