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bowmanj0997

Help me design around my husband’s audio equipment!!!

5 years ago

Ok, I love my husband, but I inherited everything you see in this picture and I need to somehow design around it while filling in these two story walls. I marked with an x the two items that can go. I would also like to get rid of/ replace the console. I have very modern transitional chic style. Just looking for a fresh pair of eyes to shoot some ideas for me. Feel free to include pictures or links.

Comments (21)

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    A room is more than one wall. Show the rest of the space. For starters:A much larger tv ad a much larger console to hold the junk .

  • PRO
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    We finally went to the dark side with audio stuff and I love it but have to admit the sound was a bit better before but not enough to live with the monster speakers. I would look at Besta from Ikea for that wall that way you can have a nice looking wall and he can have all the equipment too



  • 5 years ago

    You need a much larger console for all that stuff. Start surfing for inspiration photos. Or you can build in cabinetry - check IKEA’s website for ideas. Here is a photo from a recent trip I took to a showroom.

  • 5 years ago

    I can’t post a picture atm, but it’s open concept the left side is entryway and stairs with a chair on the short wall. The right wall is fireplace and windows. Opposite wall is kitchen. I’m sitting on the sofa. My husband is already shared his desire for a new larger TV, so that will probably happen. Honestly though, we don’t really watch much TV! Lol! Thank you all for the pictures, that’s what I’m looking for right now a larger console that is large enough to fit all of the sound equipment. I was also thinking about adding very tall bookcases on either side to add height. I would like the bookcases to end flush to the hallway opening but I can’t find any y’all enough. And I also thought about large floating shelves on either side since the floor speakers have to remain on the floor. I would also like to rip up the carpet and add wood floors, but we are saving up for that!

  • PRO
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I would go something like this


    If you can get long enough console, get two identical instead.

    You might want to check IKEA

  • 5 years ago

    That is so nice! I will show this to my husband tonight! Thank you!

  • PRO
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    You also could mount your speakers on the wall or have them on the top of console.


  • 5 years ago

    celerygirl - if those are floor speakers, they're gonna stay on the floor. Trust me. I have stereophiles in my family and they are verrrrrry particular about placement.

  • 5 years ago

    NO WAY would my hubs let me put his speakers in a cabinet, shelf or on a wall.

    Trust me, I've tried.

    He'll spend half a day placing his monster speakers so to have "the sweet spot."

    Sigh....such is married life.

  • 5 years ago

    One of the greatest days of my life was the day my husband agreed to give up the surround sound. We started out with the huge 4 ft tall speakers, giant receiver and the 800 smaller speakers. You needed a diagram to run all the wires. Then he downsized to a system that only used 6 speakers. Then one glorious day on a random trip to Best Buy he saw the Bose soundbar system. He said that if he could get that then we could get rid of all the other equipment. I heard angels sing and I said, here take all the money, lol.

    Now we just have 2 tiny speakers, a sound bar and a subwoofer. And it sounds better than all the other stuff ever did.

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    Doesn't he have a man cave that this could all be relocated to?

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Audiophiles are indeed particular souls, and with good reason. The equipment is an investment, and when you start looking at the uber high-end brands, there's no comparing it to even one of the better lines such as Bose. No idea what brand of equipment your hubby owns, but he values it and that's all that matters. I agree with the suggestion to simply get a larger console to tuck away as many of the components as appropriately fit, but I would not fret the fact that there are speakers on the floor. I think we tend to get a bit obsessive over having our homes picture-perfect, when the reality is that we share them with others who have a host of interests and tastes, and they too should have a say in what goes into a room. Besides, those speakers are not at all obtrusive IMO. (You want obtrusive? These ginormous, tall corner pieces are very similar to my father's Klipsch horns. They currently sell for just under $15k. This is not your Bose sound. ;-))



  • 5 years ago

    Hey guys! Thanks for your help. Last weekend we literally drove ALL over Atlanta with a tape measure trying to find something that would fit all of his AV equipment (minus the speakers) and didn't look TOO modern. We found a sideboard that is almost perfect from Restoration Hardware. To make it a perfect fit though, we are probably going to hire a furniture builder to create a custom console with matching floating shelves. My husband drafted a design on his CAD software and I wanted to run this by ya'll before we pull the trigger. This is designed with a 65" in TV.


  • 5 years ago

    I love the cabinet but think it should be longer, something like 2x the width of the TV makes a nice balance. You might try moving the speakers to the end of the cabinet and see if they can be used to elongate the cabinet. I do like the shelf balance.

  • 5 years ago

    I'm the one in my family that cares for sound over design. My husband keeps moving the speakers back against the walls, "because they look better there." Yeah, but they don't SOUND better there! And the components can't be enclosed, because you don't want them to overheat. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one!

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I've always liked this media cabinet. It has acoustically transparent doors so you can put the center speaker in there. Just one less thing to see, although you would want to re-calibrate your receiver to account for a slight dampening effect. https://www.scandesign.com/products/octave-media-console-toasted-walnut

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    If in-ceiling speakers are out of the question (or budget), I'd go with the suggestions above: low media cabinet, TV mounted on the wall. There's no hiding those large speakers if that what you choose to have.

  • 5 years ago

    Thank you guys! Lessa, I will talk to him tonight about making the cabinet longer and see what it looks like. We have a smaller TV currently 55" and I think that it might be fine...ill get him to draft something. Unfortunately, the speakers need to be where they are and have room around them to produce the "proper sound."


    HL, we looked at that Salamander and BDI in person, but honestly I don't like the design. And for the price, I am not impressed with the particle board that these designs are built with. Aside from the steel frame, it's just not our thing. This was our top contender before going to look in person. https://www.scandesign.com/products/elements-tv-stand-8779. The center speaker is too tall to fit in any media cabinet anyway.


    The back of our design will be vented and have fans installed. The speakers and other equipment will be well taken care of, LOL!!

  • 4 years ago

    jeans B,


    Did you get this resolved? Have you had the cabinet built?


    If you do have a cabinet custom made, I would recommend having them build in a space for the center channel speaker so you don't have to have it sitting on top of the cabinet. That will go a long way toward cleaning up the overall look.