TV shelving has undergone somewhat of a design revolution recently, as bulky televisions transform into home entertainment systems with sleek plasma TVs and surround-sound speaker systems.
What worked as a home entertainment center in the past, just doesn't fit the new media look.
Decorative Glass Shelves
So what are the newest ideas for TV shelving?
Idea 1: Corner TV Shelves
With today's screens averaging between 32 and 37 inches, they're around 10 inches larger than a decade ago. With that in mind, you can either make the TV the focus of the room, or take a more unusual route and place it in a corner unit. Corner TV shelving units save space and take the focus away from the TV and back into the center. Again, it's a matter of personal preference, but many families are trending towards sidelining the large screens into a more defined space.
Idea 2: TV Swivel Shelves
Depending on how you arrange your furniture, you may want to position the TV out of the way, but yet available for easy viewing. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is to place your television on a swivel shelf which can shift the screen from one angle to another with almost no effort. That way, your entertainment is available when you want it, and conveniently facing in another direction when you don't.
For those of you for whom actually getting up to turn the TV around is too much like hard work, feel free to indulge your inertial by buying the latest and greatest TV swivel shelf - the version that comes complete with a motorized swivel and a remote control.
Idea 3: Wall Mounted TV Shelves
With the latest plasma and LCD screens, mounting your TV on a wall and saving floor space is a popular choice. Apart from taking on a role as wall art, your viewing pleasure is also protected from banana sandwiches, chocolate fingers and other toddler pleasures. Strictly speaking not shelving, wall mounts are available as flat mounts, some with an optional tilt for better viewing angles, and swing arms which allow the screen to be swiveled.
Idea 4: Hide the TV Altogether
Now that screens are just so large, many people want to hide them away when they're not in use. I've seen some ingenious installations recently, including a TV hidden behind fake artwork above a fireplace mantle shelf. When a button is pressed, the artwork rolls up leaving just the frame, and the TV moves forward from its secret hiding place to replace the painting. Beautiful in its simplicity and perfect in its execution.
Of course there is another alternative, dare I suggest it: Get rid of the TV altogether. Somehow I don't predict that one as a trend to watch out for.