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Crate&Barrel media cabinet below plasma TV

16 years ago

We recently purchased a 50" plasma TV to be mounted on the wall of our den. I want a cabinet to store the DVD player and other electronic components. It needs to be 48"-58" wide and about 30" high. I don't want an open cabinet, but the doors need to be glass so that a remote control will work through them. I've been surprised that it's been difficult to meet these requirements with a cabinet that resembles a piece of furniture, rather than a laminate TV stand.

I found one at Crate & Barrel that meets my needs and looks okay. The closest store would be a 5 hour roundtrip, so it's not practical to check it out in person. Does anybody know about the quality of Crate & Barrel? The cabinet would be shipped unassembled, and it can be seen here http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=911&f=14856

Many thanks for any advice you can offer.

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Comments (7)

dcollie
16 years ago
At $ 349 and you have to put it together, that should tell you about how durable that piece will be. A 50" Plasma TV is HEAVY (over 230 lb) , and I'd be concerned about sagging / collapsing issues. Some of that kit furniture made in China is not too pure.

I too, found no one making anything decent, so one day I sat down and designed one, from scratch, and had one of my suppliers build it - shameless plug - Its now the top-selling piece in their line.

I have the prototype in my own home that I fitted with a pull-out, articulated arm for the Flat Plasma to come out of the upper cabinet and rotate into the room. This is all solid wood (tiger maple, cherry, or painted poplar), and is available as the lower section only in two sizes. Doors are stacking bi-folds, but I suppose it could be made with tempered smoked glass in lieu of the raised panels.

Here is a link that might be useful: Flat Panel Entertainment Center
quandary
Original Author
16 years ago
dcollie -- You make perfect sense. I guess it was wishful thinking on my part that the Crate & Barrel piece would work. Our TV is 100 lbs and we plan to mount it on the wall, but I still want the media cabinet to be of decent quality.

While searching online, I found one from Pier 1 that I thought would be perfect and it looked great. However, upon visiting the store, it was a piece of junk.

I'm just frustrated and tired of looking. I really want to get it set up and out of the way. I'm afraid I lack your vision, so I would never dream of designing my own. That one is beautiful and the stacking bi-fold doors are a great idea -- much more attractive than glass and less obtrusive than regular doors when open. I'm not surprised that your design is a hot seller! I couldn't find the dimensions or price on the website.

Thanks for your advice.
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Here is another thread that will answer some of your questions - linked below. As to how heavy mine are - no idea. But they are not lightweight. What keeps them from sliding off? They are drawer glides, so they have stops on them. They won't slide off. We have to reach behind the panels (in open position) to release a lock in order to take them down. I have no idea how far they extend past the TV, if you mean when open how far they stretch out. The glides go a good ways, if not all the way, across the top/bottom of the panels. Sagging? My panels are quartersawn oak. The glides hold up to 100lbs. The ends/top/bottom are finished, so if you are looking from below/either side, you see finished panel. I can't really give you any more details than that. Someone who knows their way around the workshop should be able to make you something similar. I posted on a Decorating thread about other options, some lightweight: You could use pre-bought stretched canvas panels (paint, wallpaper, decoupage, fabric covered) for a more light weight cover. If your TV is not recessed, you could still make a cover deep enough to cover. If lower on the wall, the panel(s) could go up instead of sideways. This couldn't be done in our case due to height and surround sound speaker built-in wall above ours. Here is a link that might be useful: Other TV thread
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ci2eye
16 years ago
This company has a great reputation among audiophiles for producing an excellent cabinet for audio/visual equipment. I don't own anything they make and can't personally recommend them but they do appear to produce an excellent product.

http://www.salamanderdesigns.com/
dcollie
16 years ago
>I couldn't find the dimensions or price on the website.

Every dealer sets their own price, so its unlikely you will easily find pricing. Here's what I sell them at:

Standard Size (Base Only) 55.5" W x 22" D x 32" H (Outside)

Painted Poplar $ 1,059
Painted Case/Tiger or Cherry inserts and deck $ 1,319
All Cherry or All Tiger Maple $ 1,499

Large Size is 6" longer in the length

Painted Poplar $ 1,099
Painted Case/Tiger or Cherry inserts and deck $ 1,399
All Cherry or All Tiger Maple $ 1,619

I've loaded some additional photos of these units to the link below.

-Duane

Here is a link that might be useful: Flat Panel Entertainment Center
Larry Wasson
16 years ago
Sligh makes some nice looking entertainment consoles. They can be purchased through Boyles, LexFurniture, or Elite at a substantial discount. Glass doors are not needed for auxillary components because they use an infared repeater system by http://www.furnlite.com at an approximate cost of $150. Controls up to 8 components. Only needs a 1/2" hole for the infared eye.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sligh Furniture
lkremodel
16 years ago
Duane: That is a beautiful piece of furniture! I have just the spot for it. Now, if I can get the job I want...it might be possible.
dcollie
16 years ago
Its a superb piece if I do say so myself, and I just convinced the maker of it to offer tempered smoked glass in place of the raised panels in the four lower doors for a $ 150 upcharge. That way the remotes can run the equipment with the doors closed.

Duane

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