If you’re of a certain age, you probably have had plenty of memories of lying on top of shag carpet in the family room staring at a television—probably even black-and-white—inside a hefty media console that was probably made from heavy, dark wood. Every TV was more or less the same, and chances are your parents kept that console around until you were savvy enough to realize it was long outdated.
Home entertainment furniture has come a very long way, with more choices than you could possibly imagine. These styles have evolved not only as trends have, but as the electronic equipment itself has. There are sizes and types of TVs that we could only have dreamed of in our cartoon-watching days, and the pieces that accommodate them changed as well. After all, your LCD widescreen in its flat screen TV cabinet would just laugh in the face of that old console of the ‘70s.
A Centerpiece in the American Home
More than any other nation, America loves its television. TVs became widely available in the 1950s and there has been an evident theme of keeping up with the Joneses. It all began with that early black-and-white set to color TV to cable to satellite and now to high-definition widescreens and beyond. Families are understandably proud of these enjoyable additions, which become the focal point of the room where everyone prefers to spend the bulk of their waking hours.
A piece of equipment so revered should not merely be plunked onto the floor. It deserves a proper perch, and since it will be looked at for hours on end that placement should be attractive. Traditionalists aren’t interested in economical veneers or ultra-contemporary glass-based units. When shopping for a piece they’ll look no further than solid wood entertainment centers. Wood is expensive—although quality TV furniture of any material will be—but it is timeless and it fits in with almost every décor.
It’s nice to change up your TV cabinet when you make interior design updates. Other times a furniture change is made strictly for practical purposes, when the old piece can’t accommodate new equipment. Empty-nesters or families hit by the current economy may be downsizing to a smaller home with smaller rooms, and a corner television stand can help them to maximize that lesser square-footage by better utilizing the space.
You may find that everyone seated on your new sectional sofa can only get a good view of the screen if the TV is angled into a corner rather than flat against a wall, even more so if windows in the room cause daytime reflection. People have different reasoning for their choices, and for some it can be as simple as a matter of feng shui: the energy flow through the room is optimized with certain things facing certain directions.
Family Members’ Needs and Desires Bring on Changes
Changes in the makeup of a household often make changes in entertainment furniture a necessity. The former bachelor, who was content to have his beloved tube sitting atop the same small TV stand he used back in the dorm, may find that his new bride has no desire to look at the TV unless it’s on. For her, only a TV armoire, with doors to cover that dusty, blank screen, is the only thing that will do. (Some of the taller armoires could even hold audio equipment if its owner so desired, especially after the rise of the CD player and the fall of the turntable, after which access from above was no longer necessary.)
If the man of the house has finally caved into his desire for a big flat-screen TV, he needs an beautiful piece of plasma screen furniture to set it up right. And should he also become a new daddy or grandpa, he should consider a television wall mount or ceiling mount before Baby begins to toddle around touching everything within reach.
In most families, Mom is the one who does most of the cooking, and she’ll certainly appreciate some entertainment in the kitchen. Surprise her with an under-cabinet TV mount so she can watch her favorite soap, talk show, or cooking show while she’s fixing your favorite dish. That’s a fair deal, don’t you think?
