TV Armoires for the Bedroom

For most of us, watching television is one of our favorite ways to unwind after a busy day. It is inconceivable to miss even five minutes of NCIS, The Good Wife or Bones. You like watching TV as much as anyone else. But when it comes to the bedroom, you would like to draw the line and leave the television behind in the living room or the family room (where it belongs). What if you're like a lot of us (me included!) who have a partner who likes to watch the late night movie in bed?

What do you do? Compromise with a TV armoire. While it will be on in the room when you want to read quietly or even drift off, an armoire will at least be out of sight when not in use. And maybe your partner will be inspired to use headphones...it could happen. If this decor design solution appeals to you, here are some tips for buying the perfect TV armoire for your bedroom.

TV Armoire Size and Height

TV armoires are designed to hold smaller-sized televisions, typically any type of television, from a CRT TV to a flat screen, 34" to 37" in size, but the actual size of the armoire can vary. Make sure that it will fit the space it's intended for.

You will want the television to be the perfect viewing height when sitting up in bed. The viewing height of the television will largely depend on the height of the armoire's TV area in relation to the height of the bed. Make sure that the shelf the TV will sit on is adjustable.

TV Armoire Doors

So that you will be able to comfortably view the TV screen while sitting in bed, select a TV armoire with 270 degree doors. These types of doors allow you to fold them against the sides of the armoire, out of the way. Another option is pocket doors, which typically slide into the body of the armoire cabinet.

TV Armoire Features

A television armoire will not only hide away the television when it’s not being used, it will also give you more storage options. Give some thought to what kinds of features your TV armoire should have in order for it to be the most useful to you.

Some manufacturers offer a TV/wardrobe armoire specifically designed with both uses in mind. These dual purpose TV/wardrobe armoires have features that allow them to be used as a wardrobe or a TV armoire and can easily be converted back and forth from one use to the other.

Common TV armoire features include wire management, adjustable shelves, pull-out trays for DVD/CD storage and cubbies and/drawers.


- E.L.

The Fine Art of Arranging Bedroom Furniture

One of the cable stations in my area offers a triple flicks movie night. I park myself in front of my entertainment center armed with munchies, an afghan and a hot or cold beverage (depending on how chilly the day’s been) and don’t move until I need something, and then I only get up in the commercials. At the risk of being politically incorrect, it’s chick flick heaven and it’s my own delicious secret Saturday night guilty pleasure. I’ve never shared this secret with anyone before, until one day after work I took the elevator down to the lobby with a co-worker who made a reference to one of the triple flicks that had aired the previous weekend.

I only admitted to watching the triple flicks movie night on a regular basis because there was no one else in the elevator. When I mentioned that I occasionally would do minor household chores in the commercials, my co-worker reacted vehemently to such a sacrilege. She then confessed to rearranging her bedroom furniture to accommodate her movie night picnic with watching television (for a six hour stretch) in ultimate comfort and without having (literally) to move a muscle.

She put her extra television on a corner TV stand, places the phone on her nightstand and loads up an accent table (brought into the bedroom from the living room for this express purpose) with provisions until it’s time to pick up the phone to order take-out (for delivery, of course). Unlike me, she doesn’t attempt to assuage her guilt with the occasional bout of housework. Her platform bed has been suitably plied with pillows. And there she sits, propped up for a three-movie marathon, in decadent repose.

To my co-worker, I expressed my deep admiration of her skill and expertise. Silently, I officially declared myself as a triple flicks movie watcher amateur. I resolve to do better by buying (immediately) a TV armoire, a cordless phone and extra, extra pillows.

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.