Help me avoid making _ugly_ furniture!

[Mark Visconti]

I am attempting to design an entertainment center (details in a minute) and an equipment stand. If I can come up with a palatable design, I will probably do some matching built-in bookcases as well. I'm using sketchup. I haven't done cabinetry before and this is biting off a huge problem, but it's still strangely motivating.

Requirements:
1)The center and equipment stand are to be placed in the corners of a room (WAF for existing furniture layout).
2)The entertainment center will house a 37" flatscreen and hold an electric screen that requires about 9' in width. The remaining areas will be used for books or trinkets and trash. It will be placed diagonally in a corner, but I'm not looking at a corner design.
3) The house is a 100+ year old four square'ish style. If it wasn't, I'd go out and buy one of the all metal/glass stands and mount the screen on the wall and be done with it. Obviously, equipment stands and entertainment centers were unusual in the early 1900s, but I need it to not be too scary (by my definition).
5) Build order - entertainment center then equipment stand. Later - bookcases
6) Finished in predominantly cherry (ply) to match the speakers

Small list, I know. I'm working on the "design" (and I use that word very loosely. Travesty is closer to the mark) of the entertainment center and equipment stand. I'm finding two things - 1) a 9' wide mounting area at the top of a bookcase looks really strange. 2) the word "strange" is a bit too kind. I've backed off designing the equipment stand until the entertainment center is mostly finalized.

I'm hesitant to post the frankencenter picture, but since I have not seen an entertainment center with a projection screen mounted in it...

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Part of the shelf layout is due to center speaker placement and lcd flatpanel size requirements. Height is due to the screen size and center screen requirements. For now, forget about minor issues like the projector mount being longer than 8' which likely means split it up or hardwood only for some sections. I could split the top shelf into two shelves for more functionality. That's the least of my problems.

Maybe the reason I couldn't find something like this is because no one would want one. There must be a way to make it not so ugly without building the base out to 9' and doing the giant square.:(

[David DeCristoforo]

I have to agree with you about the wide valance at the top which is awkward to say the least. I would think about separating this from the cabinet so that the screen valance would mount directly on the ceiling and be fabricated in a manner intended to minimize it's presence by, for example, making it as small as possible and painting it to match the ceiling color Then I would reduce the height of the upper carcass section and incorporate some kind of crown or small pediment to "top off" the unit and further separate it from the valance. Maybe you would want to try just those things and then see what it looks like at that point.

[Joe Pasquarella]

What is the diameter of the 9' screen you are going to mount? Could it be mounted directly to the ceiling - behind a valance painted the same color as the rest of the ceiling?

[Mark Visconti]

I've considered the ceiling mount route. Old house - cove ceilings - plaster - diagonal to the joists - would need to run electric up the wall and into the ceiling - all reasons I thought it would be nice to create something that would remove the need to fasten it to the ceiling.

That said, if I go the ceiling route, I can create a MUCH smaller cabinet to hold a flatscreen.

The case that holds the screen and that is mounted is about 104" long by about 6" in diameter. I think if I mount it on the ceiling (10'), I can just buy a white case and leave it alone.

Mark

[Ken Werner]

Mark, you have to go with your gut here. It's telling you that the design is ugly, and it is correct. A wide top looks inherently unstable, and will be disturbing no matter what you do. Take a fresh look at your needs and see if you can rethink them. The idea of a disguised valance sounds great, if the room allows. As Yoda said, trust the force.
Ken

[David DeCristoforo]

I too live in an old house with lath and plaster so I totally understand your concerns there. My advice to you is to not to even worry about it at this point. Get you design "right" first and then figure out the "how to" part. The Wright Bros. always used to say "Get it right on paper first." Not necessarily an axiom I subscribe to every time, but good advice nonetheless. The nice thing about CAD is that it makes it easy to redesign over and over without having to commit. Even with hard drawings, paper and pencils are way cheaper to make mistakes with.

[Mark Visconti]

Ceiling mounted screen it is. There's a reason no one does this and I think I have investigated enough to figure out why :)

Thanks for the input,
Mark

[Neil Lamens]

Hi Mark:

Now just thinking here!!!!

Let's try to deconstruct this. You want the valance connected to the wall so you don't have to run electrical lines up above a ceiling and down a wall.......Couldn't agree with you more.

So, you need the valance............some how...connected to wall for easy installation.

Next question:

Do you need all that cabinetry below. What is it supposed to house??? Electronic components, media storage??? What is the function of all that shelving besides holding up the valance?????

You decide that while I take off on a flier................Let's assume you can deconstruct all that space into wall hung individual component spaces. Then we'll mount 3 sheets of cabinet grade ply, your choose of species, with a 1" build-up hunging on a french cleet in the back. Lets visualize these mounted panels as a painters canvas. Then mount your valance at the top of the canvas again french cleet, run your electrical lines behind the wood panel canvas. On the rest of that wooden canvas hang your component boxes wherever the heck you want. Hang some so they appear floating, Others you could touch the floor bec creative here.

I think we're on to something here...........deconstruct that lower cabinetry into separate storage units and paint a picture below the valance.

Sure keeps you from running that electrical line over the ceiling or up a wall.

Make it easy man!!!!!.............Neil