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April 1, 2006
• Vol.3 Issue 4 Page(s) 65-67 in print issue | |
Make Your Devices Blend Right In Disguise Or Display Your CE At Home | |
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Jump to first occurrence of: [KENSINGTON] Depending on your taste and budget, there are numerous options that combine your love of CE with your personal sense of style. Whether your home is shabby chic, country, or contemporary, smart shopping and creative planning help integrate your favorite devices into your home. You’ll find a range of gorgeous media-friendly furniture—in all price ranges—that can accentuate or minimize your TV, stereo, or home-theater system, as well as all of your CDs, tapes, and DVDs. Here, we offer some room-by-room solutions to your biggest decorating dilemmas.
For a distinct, made-to-order solution to your media-management problems, a quick perusal of the IcOn Furniture Collection (www.iconfurniturecollection.com) presents dozens of creations ranging from traditional to contemporary. This furniture company designs its products with CE devices in mind and bills itself as “the first furniture manufacturer to successfully integrate furniture and electronics.” In fact, IcOn Furniture Collection partners with LG Electronics (us.lge.com) and offers more than 60 LG products you can integrate into each purchase. Mix-and-match components until you find just the right look and feel for your home.
 In The Bedroom Although Oprah swears she’ll never have a TV in her bedroom, most of us find it too tempting to lie in bed and watch late-night TV or DVDs. Because bedrooms are supposed to be bastions of solace and serenity, however, it’s especially important that the CE we bring into this room blends in. Tastefully concealing devices in armoires or cabinets keeps them out of sight—and out of mind—when not in use and has the added benefit of blocking out the LEDs that glow on many CE devices even when they’re not in use. (Who wants little red and green eyes glaring at you in the night?) Pier 1 Imports (www.pier1.com) manufactures six entertainment centers that are well-suited to bedrooms. Among them are the Lotus ($450), a set of shelves designed to match an Asian-themed room; the Sausalito ($600), a large armoire-like piece made of ebony-colored solid pine; and the Enise ($719), which is part of the Enise bedroom collection. Restoration Hardware (www.restorationhardware.com) makes what it calls “audio bureaus” that do double-duty enclosing TVs or audio equipment, as well as storing linens, clothing, or CDs and DVDs. There are two styles: the Mission ($2,695) and the Marston ($2,595); the Marston comes in two colors and is made in the United States. If space or budget concerns are an issue, install a wall-mounted TV stand such as the Observatär from Ikea ($24.99; www.ikea.com) or any of the wall-mounts offered by Sanus Systems (www.sanus.com). This is an excellent choice for kids’ rooms because it ensures that children can’t sit too close to the TV, and if you keep the remote, you can control which programs get airtime in their rooms. Be sure to take into account the size and weight of any TV you decide to mount. For speakers that blend into a carefully decorated bedroom, SoundPads ($19; www.si5.com) from SonicImpact are stick-on speakers that you can attach to almost any object—framed photographs, bookcases, thin tables—to turn them into permanent stereo speakers. Stick the SoundPads where you want them—choose wisely because they’re permanent—and hook them to your stereo as you would any other speaker. For a more sophisticated option, Artcoustic (www.artcousticusa.com) literally turns speakers into works of art. The UK-based company has 14 speaker and subwoofer models that hang on the wall and look like framed prints. Each has an interchangeable screen that features artwork, photography, or just a single color. There are thousands of pieces of art to choose from, and each one beautifully masks its true purpose without interfering with the sound quality. There are also many possibilities for iPod owners who want to subtly blend sound into their environments. The Kensington Stereo Dock for iPod ($89.99; us.kensington.com) connects to your home stereo, cradles and charges your iPod, and operates via an infrared remote. Loading your music collection into your iPod frees shelf space formerly occupied by CDs, and the clean, white design makes the Stereo Dock practically invisible. The Klipsch iGroove Shelf System ($279.99; www.klipsch.com) is an alternative for iPod owners. It weighs just over 4 pounds, takes up about a quarter of the space of an equivalent-sounding stereo system, and is compatible with other MP3 players, so non-iPodders aren’t left out. In The Kitchen For most of us, kitchen counter space is at a premium, so adding CE devices to a plethora of kitchen appliances takes extra thought. But being able to cook along with Rachel Ray or listen to Vivaldi (or Sheryl Crow) while you create a meal or entertain guests is well worth the effort. Because accidents happen, protecting your devices should be priority No. 1. You’ll want to position them out of reach of spills and splatters. Once you’ve scoped out the available surfaces, you may discover that investing in under-the-cabinet mounted devices is your best bet. The Polaroid FDM-1000A 10” Under-The-Cabinet LCD TV with DVD Player ($349.99; www.polaroid.com) swivels 180 degrees and folds flat to maximize visibility and space. It also comes with an FM tuner, so you can listen to your favorite radio programs. We also like the Jensen JCR-280-1 under-cabinet CD player and clock radio ($99.99; www.jensen.com). Whether you do one room at a time or give yourself a whole house extreme makeover, you can create the look and feel you want at home, without sacrificing anything in the CE department or spending extravagantly to achieve the interior design you dream of.
by Naomi Graychase |
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