Technology can inspire us in unexpected ways. Take for instance this living room makeover inspired by the new HDTV it was set to receive. Take a look at how IKEA Besta cabinets were used to change this place from drab to fab:
The slim and sleek panel-of-glass design of my new set deserved more than just to stand alone on the same old TV stand that had made itself at home for years. I considered wall mounting but it seemed that solution would require drilling big holes in the wall - to appropriately hide all the cabling. As often is the case in our household, IKEA had the answer. Their Besta cabinets had just the look I wanted in a wall panel system that would minimize the number of holes in our wall. From start to finish this project took a whopping three and a half weeks of hacking and improvising. The result however is something that really steps up the whole interior of our house.
Since we chose to mount and secure the whole shelving system to the wall, extra planning had to be undertaken. Placement of all the components and electronics of the system needed to be thought out while allowing room for future expansion of components.
A drill and a hole saw bit became good friends as we made new routes for cabling between cabinets and even through the metal wall panel frames. Patience and organization were key to getting everything to sit flush against our main wall.
Surround sound speakers were also mounted to the panels, with anchors to secure and hold each 10 lb dome. Measure twice (or three or four times), drill once.
Our 3 cabinet-wide configuration proved a bit too long for the IKEA Inreda LED lights to span across, so some splicing with standard electrical wire was also necessary.
These are just a few highlights of the many hacks we had to come up with to make this happen. More details on all this, plus how we turned a cabinet door into a drawer can be found on my personal home remodeling blog — House.0.
The site also has links to our IKEA shopping list for the project, as well as the Besta Configurator I made in Google Sketchup so you too can go from concept to reality. Hope you enjoy!
• Read more: House.0
(Images: Chris Perez)
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it kind of reminds me of an lobby for some talent management company or expensive real estate...not a living room.
not bad but very impersonal
those speakers are assaulting me--i was compelled to reregister.
I wish i had this kind of space!
The only thing that bothers me is that the cable box and blu ray player and probably sound system are all behind closed doors. So you have to open things to use a remote?
Its good looking, but you gotta put function first!!
Bravo!
The accent lighting looks amazing! I'm not too fond of the surround sound speakers either, but to each their own. @caseyinto - A Logitech Harmony 900 will solve this. It has an RF system that duplicates your IR commands so all of your equipment can be behind closed doors.
@Caseyinto, We have the same Ikea BESTA system in white and opted for closed shelving above and below like shown here, but instead did bookshelves on either side of the TV. Below the TV we also have two small open shelves for cable box etc so that they are remote accessible. It is possible to do with this system. I also like the Logitech idea Kirazona mentioned.
While this isn't my style at all it looks amazing. Compared to the before picture which looks like place I don't want to be the after looks like the place I want to watch all my movies and tv shows.
whoa- my logitech remote isnt that fancy! I didnt know the technology existed- pretty cool. I used to have a Besta Burs TV stand, but I just moved the cover from the top shelf for electronics.
"Not bad?" This is phenomenal. How many living rooms manage to make a TV screen that big look "personal?" What a BS comment.
A bit of gender stereotyping here - do all women dislike loudspeakers while all men like them? I actually like looking at them, and if they are visually imposing and sound good then that's a satisfying environment for me.
Gorgeous. I'm jealous.
We also use the Besta system (in high glass white though) for our TV components. I highly recommend the "Next Generation Remote Extender" which basically always the remote to work through the doors. We wanted a clean and continuous surface and did not want glass doors. The extender allows all of our components to be behind a solid door but the remote still works. You can also purchase multiple receivers so one extender will work with many remotes. Also, just wanted to praise the Besta series in general...we use it all over our house and LOVE it.
edit: high "gloss" white not glass
Obviously the TV is very important almost monumental to them and at least they found a clean and functional solution to deal with that beast. bravo.
Kirazona has it about right. I use a Logitech IR extender with IR blasters behind the doors to control all components with the doors shut.
Wow! Stunning!
NOT FOR EVERYONE..I WOULD NOT WANT THIS IN MY LIVINGROOM BUT I THINK THE TRANFORMATION R O C KS!!
"Vase of flowers" LOL. This IS a bachelor pad style, after all! I think it looks great, my boyfriend would love it! Wouldn't work in my apartment, but it's nice and sleek and modern looking. To the poster wondering about the remote controls, glass doors can work, too, that's what my parents have and the remote control signal goes right through with no problems.
If only I'd seen this before my husband and I started, uh, "discussing" huge TVs vs decor...
"A bit of gender stereotyping here - do all women dislike loudspeakers while all men like them?"
In my universe (comprised of my wife, my dog and I), the answer is YES!
It looks very elegant! Good Job!
Off topic, but why is it that a cable box and rental needed when all new TVs are cable ready?
Eh? They have vases there, it's not inconceivable that they might have flowers in them sometimes.
I dunno how I feel about the speakers. They're kind of too cute? XD
"A bit of gender stereotyping here - do all women dislike loudspeakers while all men like them?"
I'm a lady who loves loudspeakers- but i keep them tucked into the credenza, neighboring bookshelf and on either side of the seating area.
Nope - not phenomenal. Try wanna-be waiting room chic.
I think it works because the TV is now visually part of a larger wall unit, whereas before it was just a monolith plonked in the middle of a wall.
I'm always impressed when people take a bunch of stuff from IKEA and turn it into something that looks high-end and stylish.
I think it looks cool. I would absolutely enjoy spending time in this room. I think it's more a lifestyle thing than a gender thing.
really like the white cabinets v black doors and the effect it has for/with the lighting. Great to see how you transformed your space. Inspirational!
Looks good, hope you've properly vented the unit with the components in it. I actually went with the white Besta with the Holmbo doors, not on quite as large a scale though. The DVR and first gen AppleTV I have generate a good amount of heat, so I added a small, silent fan to the back bottom shelf. Its plugged into a switched outlet in the DVR so it turns on when the cable box is turned on, really made a difference. I also have to say how much I love my Harmony 900 remote. One remote to run everything, even behind closed doors, get a new piece of hardware, just connect it to your computer and update it's programming, it's awesome!
I like the before better. Throw up some nice artwork, a cozy rug, some window treatment.
I prefer a home to seem personal-but perhaps that his style.
beautiful! where did you purchase your sectional?? I'm in search for one and yours is fab!
It might look a little less cold/commercial if you painted the Besta wall a dark grey & paint or wallpaper the wall (Besta to ceiling) to draw your eye away from the television.
White speakers might have been a good idea?
yeah, the before looks more "homey"...probably safer against earthquakes too...?
I don't like technology, and don't even own a TV. But, I think this looks totally great!
Looks amazing.great job.
It's like an hommage to the television. I can't imagine doing anything in this room but watching that big screen. Hope it's not the only living room in the house.
Count me in the "no" column. Looks like a showroom in an electronics store or some office, not a home.
I think it looks smart but I am not a fan of the wall mounted speakers. Either have them professionally painted white or put them down low under the TV IMO.
Also I like the large sofa which gives you the choice of paying attention to the TV, window or fireplace. I am not a fan of the TV being the focal point and I think this example is a good trade-off.
Excellent! I love clean sleek modern spaces, free of clutter and mess. To me that's personal. Especially since so few people can pull it off. Bravo!
FABULOUS! Very Vegas :)
Very, very well done. It looks completely professional and provides a wonderful, clean look.
Love the new look. But I also liked your previous setup. Where'd you get that low and long TV stand?
Looks great. I can't believe more people don't appreciate those elegant-looking (and really great-sounding, for their size) KEF speakers! Though considering how expensive those floorstands were, I bet you were sad to no longer be able to use them.
One thing, from an audio-snob perspective: that center channel placement isn't very good. You'll get early reflections from the bulkhead above it that are going to hurt dialog intelligibility on TV/movies, and lead to a disjointed soundstage on multichannel music. You can fix it a little bit by aiming the center channel towards the listening position (the stand has a ball joint to allow that) and putting a piece of foam on the bottom of the bulkhead, extending out maybe the width of the television.
Also, ideally, the front three speakers should all be in a line. Others looking to duplicate this setup might want to raise the TV a little bit, and mount all three front speakers in a line under it. Use the ball joints to aim them up. Also, coincident-driver speakers like the KEFs sound best IMO when they're cross-fired ahead of the listening position, so use the ball-joints on the stands to toe the left and right speakers in.
Wow, that looks incredible. Like coming home every day to a Vegas suite. And to think this was all DIY from IKEA and not some institutional interior design firm.
Bravo.
For those who won't like this... do you not have taste?
You seriously need some bigger speakers.
Where's the clock from in the "before" photo?
Man, mess on these negative nancys. It looks amazing and looks even better when taken in regard with the rest of your home. I like the green stripes you did on the top later on as well.