The Flat Screen Dilemma

He sat furiously typing on the laptop, staring at the screen. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Looking for a Hooker" was the response. "So tell me when you find one OK?" "Sure". 

Here we are with that age old dilemma - what type of furniture piece do you use when you've purchased a flat screen TV for a living area? If you don't know, Hooker is the name of a manufacturer of furniture - quality wood furnishings at a pretty decent cost. We've had the TV in an armoire for the past 13 years. When the screen starting to black out my husband did the HD dance. The quest and questions began about what to look for, what to purchase and the most terrifying of all -  WHAT will this do to the decor and style of the Great Room? I have fought this transition for quite some time, enjoying the fact that the TV could simply disappear into a furniture piece.

Options, there are options. Let's explore them. One - create a bookcase wall using custom or semi custom cabinetry with a wood panel to mount the screen on. That is an option that I have designed for clients and the costs can begin at $10,000 and go up depending of course on the length of the wall, ceiling height, design and wood species. And it looks fabulous - only not to my wallet.  So we went with the Second Option - locate a furniture piece that works with the open floor plan and the Transitional/Arts & Crafts style home that we have. Definitely more cost effective. Definitely do-able.

First of all, please note that most furniture style pieces fall between 28" - 35-1/2" high.  Determine the length you need by the horizontal dimension of your flat screen.  A good rule of thumb is to allow 6" on either side. Determine your storage needs - will this house cable boxes, DVD players, gaming equipment and more? Make a list and check it twice - and above all measure your space before you go on the quest.   

I've got to say that for someone that fought this kicking and screaming - I love the look of our space and think that Football Sunday at our house has reached a whole new level. High definition not only defines your screen it's the way you live your life.

http://www.hookerfurniture.com/
http://www.stickley.com/