A low cabinet designed to hold components and have a TV siting atop it.

In the last few years we have seen the transition from the old, bulky CRT type of television to flat screens. The cabinet required for this type of television is much different from the traditional gigantic wall unit. We are now making pieces that are very similar to credenzas and servers: lower, longer pieces that are partitioned to hold AV components and media (CDs, DVDs) while the television sits on top or hangs on the wall. Here are some things to think about:

The essential problem with designing media cabinets is that the cabinetry is likely to long outlive the components. Our approach is to design furniture that does exactly what it needs to today but is also of a size and configuration that it will provide alternative uses in the future.

We currently use physical media (CDs, DVDs) to store movies and music, but the trend is towards storing all of that information on some sort of hard drive. When using a computer instead of discs or tapes, the cabinet doesn't have to be as large as it would otherwise need to be, but it does need to accomodate a wide range of component sizes. We always custom size our cabinets to your components, keeping in mind their limited lifespan.

We often include drawers which will hold CD's and DVD's but also have removable partitions. If these formats disappear in the future, the partitions can be removed and a useful storage drawer remains. The parts of the cabinet that hold the components are outfitted with doors, adjustable shelves, and wire and heat vents.

Many don't like to look at a TV when it is turned off, but I think that battle has been lost. The new televisions are much wider than the old ones, and the cabinetry is not as deep, so doors that open and slide into the case are no longer feasible.

Many of the new TVs are enormous. These aren't as thin as the flat screen and can be accommodated in a wall unit or special media room. This requires a much more extensive (and expensive) set of cabinets. We do each of these on a fully custom basis.

Before you talk to us about a cabinet, buy (or at least decide upon) all the equipment that you plan to use. Then we will know exactly what we need to do to make the cabinet work for you. You can fax or email us a list of the component sizes (if you have them) or their exact name and model number. We also make stereo cabinets, which are usually designed to house a large collection of media (often including records and tapes) and components, but not a TV.