I love your farmhouse table! But I definitely wouldn't choose an entertainment center because the finish is the same. In fact, that would probably bother me a little bit, I would want it to blend but be different. Now it depends on whether you want the doors and it sounds like you do. I actually like the Hooker one better. Not because of the doors necessarily, I just like the look. We bought a Hooker tv cabinet MANY years ago for our old traditional 27" tv and it still looks like new. I threatened to paint it when we moved here but couldn't bring myself to do it, the finish on it still looks great. We use it still to hold the tv in a room where we don't watch much tv anyway so I like having the ability to close the doors on mine. Just my thoughts, hope that helps and I'm sure you'll get lots of great advice.

I suggest that you have a look at Stuart David furniture - you can google it. There are vatious urls. We chose them for our computer armoire because:
It needed to look good, as it's in the LR.
I wanted pocket doors, as there's not a lot of wall space on either side, and very few companies have that option.
And I wanted a decent selection of stains and styles.

I got what I wanted from S.D., a good-looking armoire stained walnut, that fits exactly as I needed it to. We also have a matching low bookcase-console that's across the room and pulls the place together.

S.D. has a very large selection of styles and sizes in entertainment and office furniture. It's not cheap, but it's not the priciest, either. But IMO it's quite well-made. I had hoped to purchase from E.A., but their selection was just not wide enough.

The only issue with S.D. is that you can't order online; you need to find a furniture store that carries the brand.

Mimi - Thanks so much for taking the time to post. I also like the Hooker unit, as I think it has great character. I'm glad to hear you had a good experience with this company. This is an exciting step toward furnishing our sparse great room. :o)

Jan

I really wouldn't worry about matching the entertainment center to your table in the dining area. It just needs to blend. We recently purchased a Hooker entertainment center for our 46" TV, altho I believe it would accomodate an even larger TV.

Anyway, I also wanted to add that I recently saw an ad in the paper with a Sligh entertainment center that may have the best of both worlds for you. I checked their website, but did not see the same EC that I saw in the newspaper, so I will try to describe it to you. There is a center area for the TV with bookcase sections on both sides, but when you want to hide the TV, the bookcase sections slide together and meet in the middle to hide the TV. I can't remember what is behind the bookcase area after they slide to hide the TV, tho.

Hooker is more affordably priced, but you may want to check out Sligh, as well. Good luck. And by the way, our family room is painted the same color as yours -- Wilmington Tan.

We purchased a Hooker Entertainment Ctr. for our 58" tv with doors. Although the doors are rarely closed we purchased it for that reason and are glad we did. Also it is very well made , looks nice and I think it will last us many years.

What would I do? I'd look in Craigslist and my local paper ads first and see if I could stash the money I'd saved in the bank or pay off principle on a loan. You asked - lol.

I wouldn't worry a bit about an exact match for the table because yes woods can mix -- within reason -- like you probably couldn't pull off a Swedish blonde next to a dark walnut.

jan
many of the ent unit w/doors don't work w/the LCD TV's - the door projects slightly and causes poor viewing from the sides.
Think of how this would be untilized - likely that the doors would be open more than closed than I would opt to look for one w/o doors - also you would want it to sit around 30" in height - be sure to ck seating & height/angle of tv

Personally I'm not a fan of spending $$$$ on an ent ctr - the loose their value rapidly and are not something that will likely be an heirloom. I looked for something for our 32" LCD set for awhile - no luck, too pricey etc...
I just ordered a painted black all wood one from eBay - should be here this coming week -

What other furnishings in that area? Perhaps you want to have those before determining the TV unit/table. The style, color, legs etc... will help determine what type. I have had ours on an old coffee table for over a year -

good luck

Definitly do take a look on craigslist - I have been seeing a lot of large units on mine - I guess people are starting to just hang them on the wall.

Personally, I would choose the Hooker unit over the EA unit because I do not like matchy match. In fact to oceanna's comment I think Sweedish blonde and walnut could even work as long as they styles were compatible.

You may also want to check out Stanley furniture. They have a lot of entertaimnet centers for large LCD tvs. We went with Park Lane from them. PS - You can get better pricing than the MSRP.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stanley

Oops, I should have said I have Lincoln Park.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lincoln Park

Have you considered doing a wall mount in a wall-hang cabinet with a table under it? The type of cabinet I am talking about seem to be few and far between (I have seen some online - Neiman Marcus) Basically, the TV is wall-mounted and then a box is placed around it mounted on the wall. This "box" is trimmed out (crown molding, for example) and doors are put on (most use multiple with hinges between sections). I think this is a pretty striaghtforwar project for a cabinet maker; assuming you aren't looking for a massive piece of furniture. The only caveat is the electrical - you'll need a power outlet up of the wall behind the TV and down low (for components) and you'll need to snake the cable through the wall from behind the TV to come out low to plug into your components.

I have been looking at these for my family room but the ones currently available aren't deep enough. (I checked against a wall-mounted LCD that we have in another room.)

patches123 - I've had my eye on that same Lincoln Park ent center but have hesitated due to price. So far I've been quoted in the $2700 ballpark, excluding tax, shipping, etc. It's less than MSRP, but ouch, still a bit more than I was budgeting.

I vote for complementary, but not matching, finishes. I think that'd keep your options open for future pieces (if needed). Whereas if you have two prominent pieces in the same finish, you might get locked into having everything else match also.

I have a 57" in a Sligh entertainment center. It has no doors. My husband prefers it that way. We got it for around $3999 as a discontinued floor model. I know i've posted this before a zillion times but here goes:

{{gwi:116357}}

Thanks everyone. I'm relieved to hear that variation in wood tones is actually desirable, as I like the Hooker model better than the EA piece.

bac717 - glad you're satisfied with your Hooker furniture. It is very nice, and it looks great in your room.

Judiegal - I think we'll like the doors, as you mentioned.

Oceanna - I've never purchased from Craig's List before, but I am tempted because I hear so many good things.

jejvtr - You bring up some really great points, and I've been slow to make up my mind because of the concerns you metioned. Our great room is pretty much a blank slate, as we'll likely add new furniture as time goes on. We don't intend to keep our present sofa and loveseat.

Patches - Love the Lincoln Park stuff. Thanks for sharing. I appreciate having choices, even though I have a hard time making up my mind.

Rucnmom - The wall mount sounds interesting. I don't tbink I've seen anything like it before.

Teresa - Now I understand about the complimentary beauty of different wood tones, and I think I just need to break out of old attitudes and beliefs about these things.

dgmarie - Wow! Your entertainment center is stunning. I'm definitely going to look at Sligh.

dgmarie, your room came together beautifully! Your fabrics, pillows, rug.... all combine for a sophisticated and yet welcoming atmosphere. Love it!

Jan -- how is your search coming along? I have a few other thoughts I'd like to share regarding an entertainment center. First of all, with the size of your room, I think a cabinet for the TV would be better than hanging the TV on the wall with a cabinet beneath it. I've always thought, too, that with the TV hung on the wall, you have no flexibility in rearranging the furniture. Also, I believe that Sligh entertainment units offer a "magic eye" or something like that, that allows you to use the remotes for the DVD player and things like that while the doors are closed. Another consideration is how many sections the entertainment unit comes in. Ours has a center section that we could use all by itself in a smaller setting in the future and two bookcase sections that could also be used separately. Good luck with your decision.

Sorry Jan. Your post and monablair's showed up after I submitted my reply. I certainly don't mean to hound you!!

Monablair-thank you! your kinds words actually made my day!

jan in WI: yes check out Sligh--they make a line for home theater size tvs. One note--ours did not have a finished top. I had to make one. The center comes in 4 pieces and can be used without the cabinet underneath if you had a floor style projection tv. The black behind the TV is a curtain that it comes with. You need to be sure whatever you get has proper ventilation.

I know I'm in the minority here, but I wouldn't invest so much into a piece of furniture designed to house a TV. The more I see TVs mounted on the wall the more I am getting accustomed to them, and as the technology progresses they will become slimmer and slimmer, which will make cabinets to house them less desirable, and less necessary. TVs are part of our lives, and a nice wall mount where the cord is not visible under the TV looks good just about anywhere. A big entertainment unit takes up a LOT of space, and a lot of air, and kind of takes over your room. And, in the end, when you close the doors, the doors are so enormous that is looks kind of odd, and you're not kidding anyone; everyone knows that there is a TV inside! Smaller TVs, on the other hand, can hide in armoires and cabinets more successfully since the size of the furniture piece is more typical and the doors will be smaller. We debated over this for quite awhile, and are very happy we wall mounted the TV, placed a great looking buffet under it, (which could be used in any number of places in the house in the future) and just enjoy watching it. You can get the remotes now that go through the wooden doors; so that opens up lots of possibilities for furniture to house your DVD player, etc. Take a look at Craigs List sometime and do a search on Entertainment Centers. You'll likely see several that can't be adapted to today's TVs and are being sold for pennies on the dollar. I think you could always be vulnerable to that in the future if you buy something primarily because it works for the TV you want now. Good luck with your decision, this is just my two cents, and I'm sure you know best what will work for you.

I'm with jjam.

Have you thought about the possibility of making a small nook somewhere in the room for tv-watching, instead of integrating a huge tv into the entire living space?* If it's only one or two people who watch at any given time, it's a viable alternative. Then you can have a smaller tv, smaller furniture to accommodate it, and more money left in the bank account. ;)

*Idea stolen directly from "The Not So Big House" by Sarah Susanka.

And I'm with bungalow house and jjam. Funny thought I had recently, how MIL's old, beloved tv console finally gave up the ghost, much to her dismay

I was in a Scandinavian design store recently and checked out the BDI home theatre furniture (very nice and sleek) and then the Salamander furniture which is also nice and flexible as in build your own, in case anyone is interested.

Hi - checking in again.

I visited the Sligh furniture site, and unfortunately, they seem to only have one style of unit which has doors on it. It is really quite large, and probably equally expensive. They do have a number of open units though.

bac717, I agree that the room is large enough to have a cabinet, versus wall mounting. I guess I'm opposed to wall mounting, not because it is inherently ugly or anything, but because it definitely brings a contemporary feel to a room over real wood furniture. Even though the cabinet is designed for modern TVs, it is still a beautiful piece to incorporate into the room. The rest of our house has an aged feel, with some reproduction pieces, and antique style elements. So it's important to me that it blend with the rest of the house.

I agree with everyone as to the potential future obsolecense of a piece like this, and given its present expense, one must wonder about the practicality of this decision. This is a concern. I read somewhere that placing painter's tape on the floor to get a feel for the dimensions of the furniture, so I think we'll try that.

As for finding a nook in the room, that's a good idea too. I'm not sure where it would be, though. Also, my husband and I do not get to go out at all because we have two special needs children, and we don't have a sitter who is equipped to take care of them. So watching a show or a movie together in the evening, after the kids go to bed, is our big entertainment. Someday, hopefully this will change, but for now, it's our life. Thus, the reason hubby feels he deserves a big TV. We never go anywhere on vacation or spend money on events or travel.

Jan

Found the picture from the book that illustrates the tv nook.

What did we do before Google?

I'm not sure how to do it in your room, but you may be able to come up with something if you separate out the two seating areas.

Anyway, just a thought.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Take a look at Attic Heirlooms by Broyhill. We bought a unit for our master BR and are satisfied with the quality and price. I don't think you need doors for your FR. We have doors in our FR unit and have yet to close them.
Scroll down the page and see those that have adjustable light bridges.

Here is a link that might be useful: Attic Heirlooms

I would go in a completely different direction. I would treat the entertainment center as woodwork and get one that matches your white trim. A finish carpenter can make one in the dimensions you need if you can'd fine one you like. That is what we plan to go. It will basically look like a buffet with bookshelves over it. The area behind the TV will be painted black so the TV floats in that space. The buffet part will house DVD, CDs, games, etc.

Jan, I'm in the same predicament as you. I have been looking for a piece for my GR for the tv and have been debating the whole wall mount, entertainment center, doors open/closed issue for awhile. Like you I posted a thread asking for suggestions. The issue seems to boil down to the size of the tv. What I have found is that the larger the tv, the harder it is to find a reasonably priced unit. I scour Craigslist everyday and most of the units are for tv's up to 36 inches.

I am now down to two choices, a french armoire or this piece I found at Maitland Smith. I called NC to get pricing as I thought it would be perfect and guess what, my 42 inch may not fit. I'm waiting for confirmation from the dealer. Note, this tv cabinet also comes in all wood as well as partially painted.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hand Painted TV Cabinet

Jan,
You have a very pretty house.

My DH loves his TV and audio stuff!! He would not do a media room - he wanted it downstairs where we entertain. He has a 2 foot cube for a subwoofer!! Well, I looked at Sligh, Hooker and EA for something to hold this dang sub - nothing!!

I went to visit a custom cabinet shop - solid cherry Entertainment center for $1500!! We built it larger for a bigger TV - you know how men are!!

I did not get doors....With our set up showing audio equipment and all it would have been like trying to hide an elephant so why bother!!
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Smiles:)