I have fallen in like with the idea of a fireplace media stand but the choice ones are $500 and way up to thousands of dollars.

My best friend thinks I should buy the cheap ugly one for $200 and be done. I just moved from a house to a 1-closet apartment so any extra storage is bonus, but the $200 product is incredibly unappealing to me.

Could I make my own? Has anyone ever tried this? Electric fireplace inserts are much cheaper and my choices for the surround would only be limited by the kneehole size in whatever Craigslist office desk is the cheapest that week.

I thought I could hinge the pencil drawer for my DVD and Wii components. Paint the kneehole area with heat resistant paint? While reading some reviews online for various true f/p media stands, some pointed out that only one part gets warm on their f/p and that bad instruction manuals meant a good portion of them didn't actually connect the f/p to the surround. So really the same concept: an insert with a box around it.

I really like the idea of a f/p media stand, but if it costs over $500, it also needs to be able to wash my clothes. Am I overlooking something important in my DIY idea?