Entertainment Center Ideas: Do More Than Just Display Your TV

The focal point of most living rooms is the television. Choosing the right solution for your home can be difficult. How you display your TV largely depends on what type of entertainment center you use along with the TV. Today, thanks to flat-panel televisions, you have a wider array of home theater designs possible.

What type of entertainment center is best for your home? Ideally, you want a solution that will help you maximize the space and do more than just display the TV. You also have to take into account your surround sound theater system, Blu-ray player, video game systems, cable/satellite TV DVR, and streaming video devices.

Types of Entertainment Systems

You will find entertainment systems range from the very basic to complex and elegant designs. Let’s look at the differences between the various types to help you select the right entertainment center style for your home.

• Entertainment Center Stands

This style is your very basic entertainment center solution. It typically involves a single stand for the TV. It may include one or two shelves or small storage cabinets in its design. The primary drawback to basic TV stands is you have limited space.

Far too often, instead of looking neat and presentable, the TV stand becomes cluttered and overcrowded with too many devices and equipment. Not to mention, there are all of those unsightly wires that hang all over the place and which cannot easily be hidden.

There are also “add-on” stands you can use to accompany the basic stand. These can provide additional storage space. However, you end up with multiple pieces of furniture around the single stand. Plus, you will have to buy longer cords to be able to connect everything together.

• Entertainment Center Armoires/Chests

These designs are perfect when you have a small amount of space and want added storage for clothing, books, games, and other such items. Armoires have closeable doors, so you can shut the doors when you want to hide the TV.

Chests are better suited for wall mounted TVs or when you want the TV elevated higher off the ground. There are normally a few open shelves for other equipment, along with drawers and cabinets for storing other items out of sight.

• Entertainment Center Wall Units

This style is essentially one big piece of furniture that takes up most of the space along one wall. It will become the main focal point in the room due to its size. Designs can include a variety of different features, such as:

• Book Shelves
• Cabinets
• Drawers
• Open Shelving
• TV Wall-Mounted Backdrops
• Sliding Pullout Shelves

Not only do wall units provide plenty of space for all of your home electronics but also have space for knick-knacks, books, pictures, and other such items you want to have displayed. Since wall units are so big and take up a lot of space, they may not be the best solution in smaller rooms.

• Entertainment Center Built-In Units

Built-in entertainment centers include all the features of wall units, with the added bonus of being built into the wall. Additionally, they can be built to encompass the entire space from floor to ceiling so you can maximize every square inch of wall space.

This solution works well in cases where you have an irregular wall where part of it is recessed. The entertainment center can be built into the recessed area and made to look like a part of the wall for a seamless flow.

Built-in units also work well when you have an interior wall you can use to recess the unit partially into the wall. This built-in design is great for smaller rooms when you want a larger home theater entertainment center design. With this type of design, only part of the unit extends into the room so you can still maximize the entire living space.

Custom Designed Entertainment Center Solutions vs. “Store-Bought” Solutions

When you are shopping for entertainment center solutions for your home, the two basic options are either “store-bought” or custom designed entertainment centers.

“Store-Bought” Pros

• Can buy and take home a solution today.

“Store-Bought” Cons

• You have to assemble the entertainment center.
• Your entertainment center is mass-produced and will not be unique.
• The quality of the materials may not be the best.
• It is easy to damage the unit while putting it together.
• The prices for some “store-bought” units can cost as much, sometimes more, than a custom-designed solution.

Custom Designed Pros

• You can choose from a wide array of colors, styles, and materials.
• You can incorporate custom lighting into the design.
• The entertainment center is “one-of-a-kind” because it was built specifically for you.
• It offers unique designs to suit your tastes and sense of style.
• It opens up the option to explore built-in designs.
• High-quality materials are used to construct custom designed entertainment centers.
• Wholesale pricing is available for homeowners, along with free consultations.
• Professional home entertainment center installation services are included in your costs.

Custom Designed Cons

• It can take a little time to build your custom designed entertainment center. However, when you are willing to wait, you are sure to be much more satisfied with the finished product compared to something you bought at a store and had to assemble yourself. Not to mention, your friends and family will be amazed by how stunning and elegant the room will look with your new home theater design.

Other Built-In Solutions for Your Home

There are other built-in solutions for other areas of your home. You can have multiple solutions done at the same time while your new entertainment center is being installed. Custom built-ins and storage solutions can help you:

• Declutter Your Home
• Reclaim Lost Space
• Keep Your Home Better Organized

You can have a built-in or storage solution created for:

• Kitchens – Help keep your counters free of excess clutter.
• Bathrooms – Get the space you need for towels and personal hygiene products.
• Garages – Keep your garage from becoming disorganized and have space for your cars, as well as a workshop, storing seasonal items, and more.
• Pantries – Help keep your food, spices, and baking supplies easily accessible.
• Home Offices – Have a professional looking office devoid of clutter.
• Guest Rooms – Make space to have room when guests visit.
• Walk-In Closets – Get the room you need for clothing, shoes, and other apparel.
• Laundry Rooms, and More!

Some people even incorporate an entertainment center into the design of another custom built-in or storage solution.

For example, you have a room you want to use as a home office and guest room. Built-in solutions can work great so you can easily use a single room for dual purposes. You might want to have a built-in wall bed installed to keep the bed out of the way when it is not needed. You can also use a built-in desk solution that can double as an entertainment center to maximize the usefulness of the room for work and guests.

As you can see, you have much more flexibility with custom designed entertainment centers and other built-in and storage solutions compared to “store-bought” options. If you are not sure what type of solution is best for your home, we encourage you to contact us for advice. We offer:

• Top-quality materials at wholesale, direct pricing to save you between 20 and 30%—possibly more.
• Free in-home consultations to discuss your needs to help you custom design your home to reflect your personal style.
• A wide selection of materials, colors, sizing, and prices for every budget.
• Access to professional designers and installers.
• Custom plantation shutters for your doors and windows to complement your built-in furniture.

To arrange a free consultation with one of our expert designers to discuss home theater designs or other built-in or storage solutions, please feel free to contact Bay Home & Window at 888.766.5919 today!