Looking for suggestions/help for a TV Cabinet

[jbrewer]

I'm looking for some direction for building a cabinet to house our TV, DVD, etc. The thing that is causing me the frustration is how to build it so it will look aesthetically pleasing when the ceiling slants as it does and the "platform" is triangular rather than square.

Basically wanting build a "cabinet" frame with two doors that will close to hide the stuff when not in use. This is one of those times when explaining it in words is harder than showing the picture, so below is a photo of the area where I want to build the "cabinet". Maybe I'm making this more complicated than it needs to be - any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

View image in gallery​

 

[Glennbear]

I had a bedroom with a similarly sloped ceiling in my last house. I would tend to ignore the ceiling and fit the piece to the corner. Any effort to match the ceiling angle would be too problematic aesthetically IMHO. :wsmile:

 

[BumoutBob]

John, you can do a lot of good things in that corner. First off, you need to determine the size of the HDTV that is going there. This will set the width of the unit, and second it will set the debth from the corner. My Tv is 44" wide and 31" tall. On height, for LCD TVs try to keep the verticle viewing angle as low as possible to see the best color.

Find and measurer all the electronic equipment that you want to put into the new unit. Add three inches debth to the biggest one for cables and make sure the stand will be that deep. Design in a shelf for each unit. Minimum would be a DVD. Probably you will have a cable box and maybe an audio receiver too. A simple audio unit would be stereo and you might be able to build in the 2 speakers on the edge of the unit. Doors!!!! All electronics units use remote controls. When ever you use the TV, the doors must open for the remote. How important are doors.

cables: drill 2" holes in each shelf and on the top for the passage of cables.

What if you have a suround sound system. In that case you need to make room for a L speaker, a R speaker, a center channel, and a subwoofer. Where to put them all. Center channel can be built into the top of the unit just below the TV. TV ends up on a flat shelf on top. A covering around it and doors in front of it make a much bigger project. Keep in mind that HDTVs are wide. Not productive to build a cabinate for and old analog TV. They're not making them anymore and in 3 years what you buy as a replacement will not fit. (my 32" HDTV fits in a corner cubbord)

Subwoofer. I built one subwoofer that fit in a corner like that behind the TV unit, and the sound projected from a port in the top. Mine was 15" sq and made the TV stand sit out in the room a lot more. Sub worked well there, but no where else.

Might not matter wheather you build a triangle and fill the corner or not. It will take more wood that way. Think about allowing access( just a hole or removable panel) to the back so that you can easily change a cable or add a unit.

How does the TV or antenna cable run and where is AC power. A surge protector is a GOOD thing, allow room for it, provide a cable path to it. and be sure you can reach it from the front. My $.05 Bob

 

[HMH]

I'm by no means an expert, but it seems that if you were looking to create a vertical continuation of the fire place, (effectively creating a false chimney), you could scribe the sides tight to the walls, and just get the top "close enough", (+/- 1/2" or so). You could then install crown molding tight to the ceiling, to cover the gap, (this may be easier said than done if you have a popcorn ceiling...)

I'll second Bob's advise regarding routing the cables, there are few things more aggravating than trying to sort that out after the fact.

Good luck!

 

[Bigdog72]

The way designers handle this type of situation is really simple. They will have a square unit built with a flat top. Then they will decorate the top with items that are gradually taller to fill the space.

YMMV and I don't think of myself as an expert but this is the way I have seen it done in many new model homes.

 

[Dutchman]

The way designers handle this type of situation is really simple. They will have a square unit built with a flat top. Then they will decorate the top with items that are gradually taller to fill the space.

YMMV and I don't think of myself as an expert but this is the way I have seen it done in many new model homes.

This is correct.
Just measure to the corner (shortest point) and design your cabinet with that as the height. I would advise against trying to build something to go to the ceiling. I would recommend a shelf about 5" from the bottom, your dvd,... goes under the tv in this compartment. If it works out spacing wise, put an upright in the middle between the bottom and the tv shelf. If you need more room for your electronics move the tv shelf up making sure you still have enough height. Make sure you look at the relationship of your hinge and the posts to ensure the doors lay/fit nicely against the walls.