Outta Sight

Last week, I drove by a business here in town that advertised custom wall beds as one of the products it offered. Wall beds, I thought, wow... I had assumed the futon phenomenon had forced those down with the ship that was the 1980s. I remember being fascinated with the only wall bed I ever had the opportunity to interact with; Hotel Efat, Luxor, Egypt, 1984. That dry, old-spring creaking sound as it moved up and down and dad quashing my intention to fold my sister up in the bed.

Let's make clear here that no "wall" bed had ever been banished to its drywall confines because it had been deemed unsightly or inappropriate. Rather, it was simply a matter of space confines in that particular room and there was nothing of "get that eyesore out of my sight" involved in the decision.

>>Fast forward

Most hotel rooms nowadays "conceal" the television in an armoire-type cabinet, rather than it resting fully-exposed on top of the double dresser. More often than not, you open a pair of doors to reveal the TV. Conversely, in regards to the wall bed, it is clear this has nothing to do with effective floor space management. The TV is not expansive, likely 25 inches in depth at the most, and very likely not going to be located in an area of the room that could be used for other purposes.

It lead me to thinking - there is, for evidently a large enough proportion of the population, something about a TV that is unsightly, inappropriate or perhaps simply a bad influence upon a living space when not hidden from view. I feel quite certain these hotel chains wouldn't volunteer to absorb the cost of adding new TV cabinet furniture to thousands of hotel rooms if this wasn't the case. So what is it exactly? Could it be they hope shutting in the TV is removing the temptation of turning it on just for the sake of doing so, thus saving electricity?

That many households use TV armoire / cabinet furniture is not as much of a mystery to me. I understand individuals who believe in maintaining a certain air in their living areas that is conducive to conversation, intellectual stimuli and a more familial environment. That both this mentality is so widespread and pervasive that it has spread to the hospitality industry, and / or that a sufficiently widespread section of the populous is seeking the same stimuli in their hotel rooms, is hard for me to believe. Yet, the reality is that most hotel rooms hide the television from immediate view. However, as stated, I can fully relate to those who see the benefit it in doing it for the home, and particularly in the living area.

While the wall bed has very nearly gone the way of the dodo, should you wish to locate any appliance behind closed doors in your home there's now likely a furniture piece designed for just that purpose.

With the welcome rise in home based businesses recently, like-minded individuals may feel the same way about their personal computing tools in a work space that may be designated to take on a different feel on occasion. Poker night with the guys while your wife and kids have the living room to themselves, for example, or a quiet and charismatic spot for your daughter and her clarinet tutor's weekly visit.

Cymax Stores very much has its finger on the pulse of decor aesthetic-sensitive furniture design. For those for whom the preceding passage has piqued an interest, I recommend a visit to www.armoirescentral.com , featuring a number of competitively priced computer armoire cabinets available for delivery right to your door with the wonder of online shopping. Both Sauder and Ameriwood computer armoires are a welcome combination of quality craftsmanship, innovative design and reasonable pricing. Standard Furniture's Kathy Ireland Series computer armoires are, quite simply, an elegant addition to even the most stately and well-appointed homes with their exceptional quality and beautiful woodworking.

I imagine few would argue the sensibility in hiding appliances from view in certain areas of the home. Seeing the TV as putting a damper on the atmosphere of your hotel room? Not so clear on that one.