3 Ideas for Entertainment Centers that Won't Cramp Your Style
Who Says AV Systems Can’t Blend with Décor?
Do you struggle with integrating audio and video equipment into your rooms? You want the entertainment, but you don’t want the equipment to be the focus. A long time ago, TVs and audio centers were encased in furniture to help them blend into a room. Those days are long gone, as most equipment – with a few exceptions – is black or silver plastic and metal.
However, today's electronics components do have an advantage. They're much more compact and easier to hide or disguise. You might be asking, what about giant flat-screen TVs? When turned off, they are large slabs of black on the wall. But because they're so thin – unlike the huge TVs of yesteryear – there are ways to make those blend in too. Keep reading for three ways to make your new entertainment center installation blend easily with your style and décor in your Goochland County, VA home.
SEE ALSO: 3 Top Home Theater Trends You Should Know About
Hidden Speakers
Many people love good sound, but they don’t want to see audio equipment and speakers. That’s one reason soundbars are so popular; the best ones are good for both TV and music, mount unobtrusively on the wall, and are easy to operate. It’s an excellent option in the right spaces. However, what if you don’t want even a soundbar on the wall?
Architectural (built-in) speakers hide in your walls and ceilings and are available in a plethora of models offering great performance for everything from background listening to home theater and hi-fi. Separate architectural speakers will outperform soundbars for home theater surround sound as well as stereo and multichannel music. Depending on the model, grills are paintable to match wall colors, and some can be finished over with other coverings such as perforated wood and custom finishes. Wondering about subwoofers? Those are available for in-wall installation too! Hide source equipment away in a closet or cabinet and enjoy superb audio with no intrusions on space or style.
Hiding Screens
If you don’t like the look of a 65 or 75-inch screen on the wall when the picture isn’t on, there are ways to hide them. Specialized solutions exist to make the screen appear only when summoned. They can descend from a ceiling above for a bedroom or kitchen or rise from a custom piece of furniture in a living area. A not completely hidden approach is mounting over a fireplace, and a motorized mount brings the screen down and swivels it to the optimal viewing position for your area.
Another option is hiding TVs in plain sight. Motorized art can be positioned in front of the TV and magically slide horizontally or vertically via a quiet electric motor at the push of a button. Combine your hidden TV with architectural speakers, and you have a high-performance AV solution that no one notices until it's time to watch and listen.
One more word about hidden screens: You can go even bigger than flat panels with a projector setup. The good news is that you can have a large projector screen unfurl from a hidden soffit in the ceiling while your projector hides in a back wall or lowers into position from a ceiling cavity above. You can enjoy cinema-worthy images with screens of 100 inches or more. Of course, your sound will be just as hidden with architectural speakers. Turn virtually any room into a media room without disrupting your sense of style.
Want to get started on your integrated entertainment center installation? Give us a call at (804) 741-5816 or fill out our online form to get started today. We would love to work with you!
