When I told friends about my entertainment unit design, many queried my specification of solid doors. Doors were chosen over drawers for the storage sections only to save cost. I then went for uniform door material for aesthetics. This raised the question regarding the use of remotes through solid doors and I thought I'd share with you a clever little device called Infrared Control (IR).
David 'discovered' this nifty item to solve the same remote use problem in our last house, pictured above (sorry for the very dark, dodgy picture!). We installed all the T.V. and stereo equipment behind a section of wall with a 'hidden' door to access it, leaving us with remote operation difficulties.
Enter the IR!
Popping an IR Target discreetly into the wall means you can operate all that hidden equipment without having the doors covering them open. Renting? Hide it in a pot plant!
I'm no boffin so if you're interested, read this great article HERE which explains all the details and further benefits of the system. (Like operating your gear from another room!)
Problem solved! Yee Ha!
x KL
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Wow! Very nifty. I will definitely be bookmarking this. I like the solid doors. Works well with the stream line look you are going for. The stone top will look lovely too!.
ReplyDeleteI still want to get stone cut for the top of my tv unit, just can never justify it at this point in time.
I think I want to mount my tv on the wall too. Like yours, because of the kid in the house. But that wall is double brick. Arghh.
Thanks for the enthusiasm! The insider trick is to find a local stone mason and deal direct. If you're flexible with colour / type you'll score a better deal as they always have off cuts from larger jobs. Damn the double brick...your only solution is to block out the wall to create a slim cavity for the hidden wiring. X kl
DeleteThat is so clever! I think I read about it on your blog ages ago, and at one point thought of asking MrB to do it during the electrical stage... but... as everything was taking forever and we kept adding more and more things to the list I had to draw the line somewhere :(
ReplyDeleteThe unit looks amazing!!!
B
THanks B. Hope I'm not repeating myself post, post wise! LOL! Might have something to do with now being over 50!!!! These gizmos are not hard wired, anyone can use them and from memory, not very expensive.
DeleteOhhh. So you are saying there is still hope???? I really hate having to open the doors every time I want to watch a movie…. :(
DeleteB
OH KL! You make everything sounds so … smooth. Love it!
DeleteWhich one of these, if any, would blend in with our fence/facade the best?
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XF3qHuBCpEQ/Uhrcww8uKJI/AAAAAAAADRM/K_nD9ev3pII/s320/letterbox4.jpg
B
Lol! Top left would be my pick, numbers above re letterbox quandary. Yup still hope re the IR. Easily retro fitted! Well worth investigating for the closed doors! From reading your blog it will be easy peasy for your hub. X
DeleteThank you for your comment on my latest blog post KL.
ReplyDeleteI dont feel like paying twice as much for the custom made plate + letterbox, but am worried that a standard bunnings one would look to insignificant on our 1.2m long wall. Do you think it would still look ok? Or should we get a gigantic house number to balance out the wall?
B
Well B, I'm of the opinion that a letterbox is a bit like loo buttons, rangehoods and bathroom exhausts; very important necesities but not items to make a feature of. Yup, accentuate your house no if you wish but your fence and landscape will be enough to decorate your house which is the star attraction. Do you really want to focus on a letterbox or have your eye drawn (through judicial hard / soft landscaping) towards that magnificent entry and feature windows? Think of it as a painting...where do you want your eye to be lead and rest?
DeleteI've literally never heard of this! Clients ask all the time about the technical side of tv install, and I always make the electrician answer :)
ReplyDeleteStacy
I'm sure the states will have a version...this little gizmo is decorator gold! (Allowing aesthetics to rein!!!)
DeleteAnd doors are so much better for stashing away all the odd-shaped paraphernalia that seems to be attached to entertainment centres too…good call.
ReplyDeleteyup. win-win. functionality and aesthetics! whoop whoop!
DeleteAwesome article.
ReplyDelete