Name: Derek (aka "uofmtiger")
Location: Memphis, TN
Size: Living room (~18x18), office (10x10)
Years Lived In: 12 years
Derek is a gentleman who understands technology and comfort in equal measure, bound together with an eclectic style that permeates throughout the home...every corner an expression of his joys and passions, as any good home should be. Just as the interior of his home exhibits both traditional and modern elements, his choice in tech gear is a partnership of yesterday's analog sounds with today's digital components. Oh, and did I mention his pair of trusty canine companions?
Apartment Therapy Tech Tour Survey:
My/our style: Cozy tech-centric with more than a touch of canine.
The inspiration for my home office/home theater: The main goal of the living room was to have a comfortable space for listening to music, watching movies, and entertaining friends and dogs.
The home office was setup with hobbies like music, movies, and photography in mind. Since the two rooms share a wall and closet, I was able to share all of the home theater equipment with the office using the extra HDMI output of a Denon receiver.
Favorite element in your space: It would probably be the headphone setup in the corner of the room. I am tall, so the Ekornes Stressless chair was a perfect choice after a long search. It has risers on the chair and ottoman that make it more suitable for my needs than most chairs. It also has a "Personal Table" that attaches to the chair that makes it a great space to work on a laptop or tablet. I use Airplay from an iPhone to send audio via Airplay to an Airport Express that feeds a digital signal to a PS Audio DLIII DAC which feeds and analog signal to an X-Can V3 headphone amp that usually feeds a pair of closed backed headphones.
I have many different headphones, but the Shure SRH940 headphones are perfect for the space since they are closed and block out most noise coming from the TV. I also have a vintage Marantz 2220B receiver in the setup for listening to FM or AM radio. It is a way for me to enjoy the room, while using the laptop, snuggling with puppies, or relaxing while listening to music.
In the office, my favorite element is the IMG Windsor chair. It is oversized and reclines like a Lazy Boy. It is perfect for leaning back and watching the TV hanging on the wall or just putting my feet up and listening to music.
Biggest challenge in designing my space: The biggest challenge in the living room was the many doorways which made it difficult to place furniture. We found that a sectional worked best for creating a cozy space while not blocking any of the doors that we use. We also added some small round side tables to take up less space.
The biggest challenge in the office was the small size of the room. I wanted the room to work for my many hobbies, have extra seating, a treadmill, and provide a place for a guest to sleep. We were lucky to find a chair that we liked that could fold out into a full size bed. The closet doors open and I have a Spirit Treadmill that folds down. The Asus LCD display is usually in front of the doors, but it is easy to swing out of the way thanks to the Ergotron mount.
I should also mention that IKEA Expedit bookshelves have helped with organizing both spaces. I have books, cables, hard drives, and more on the shelves in the office, but I display vinyl albums in front of everything for a much better look that reflects my personality.
What friends say about my space: "Killer space!! How long before your dogs stop barking?!!"
Area where there is room for improvement/future projects: I take comfort seriously, so in the living room it would be nice to replace the chairs next to the fireplace with something more worthy of lounging than the chairs in the space now.
In the office, the next thing to change out is the window treatments.
Proudest DIY (do it yourself) project: Mounting the TV in both rooms gave us a cleaner look while freeing up tabletop space.
Biggest indulgence with respect to my space: The Stickley sectional is the biggest indulgence. It was perfect for the space, really comfy, and everyone loves it... hopefully, we will have it for a long time.
Best advice about organizing or incorporating tech into the home: The obvious answer for creating a more streamlined looks is by putting equipment out of site by using a cabinet with doors. Not that I have an issue with seeing the audio and video components that bring us so much joy.
However, incorporating tech has gotten a lot easier in recent years, thanks to Apple, MOG, Netfllix, and others that are making it easy to stream music, movies, and photos wherever you want them without having to have tons of CD and movie boxes laying around.
Dream source for stuff: Stereophile, Sound and Vision, Apple, Amazon, Dwell, Room & Board, Smartfurniture, and Midtown Framers in Memphis for local art.
Resources
Home Office Hardware:
2011 27" iMac
2011 15" MBP with antiglare screen (also installed Windows 7 and VMWare Fusion4)
2010 Mac Mini
Gateway Desktop PC
Wacom Intuos4 Tablet
M-Audio Fast Track Recording Interface
Assorted hard drives and Buffalo NAS
Monoprice HDMI Switch
Airport Extreme
Living room home theater::
Denon 4311CI Receiver
AppleTV2
2 Emotive UPA-1 monoblock amps
Roku 2 XS
Wii
PS3
Project Debut III Turntable (on Soft Shot Hockey Pucks)
Bellari VP129 tube phono amp
Project Speedbox
Oppo 980H Universal player
Panasonic DMP-BDT100 Blueray Player
EyeTV HD
Directv HD DVR
Monster Reference PowerCenter HTS 3500 MKII
Airlink wireless security camera
Tivoli Pal Radio
Netgear 16 port switch
Slingbox HD
2 Monitor Audio Silver RS6 speakers
Monitor Audio RS LCR center channel
2 Monitor Audio RS FX surround speakers
Elemental Design A2-300 subwoofer
Samsung PN63B590 63 inch Plasma
Digicom Tilting Mount
Living room headphone setup:
Airport Express
PS Audio DLIII DAC
X-Can V3 headphone amp (with LIttle Pinkie Power Supply)
Marantz 2220B Receiver
Apple iPad (Original)
Apple iPhone 4S (for Airplay or Remote app)
Shure SRH 940, ATH M50, Sennheiser HD580, or Grado SR60 headphones
Home Entertainment:
Cambridge DACMagic
TC TCC754 Preamp
Heed Canamp
Sony STRDH520 Receiver
Yamaha C-750 5 disc universal changer
Nintendo NES
Atari 10 in 1 TV games
Asus VW266H LCD Monitor on Ergotron MX Desk Mount LCD Arm
Westinghouse 42 inch LCD on Cheetah Wall Mount
AKG K701 headphones
Logitech Z-680 speakers for movies
2 NHT SB2 speakers for music
Furniture:
Living room:
Ekornes Stressless Ambassador
Stickley 200 Sectional
Target Nolan storage ottoman with flip top
BDI Avion 8927 enclosed cabinet
Office:
Bush Series C Right L-Bow Desk
Azar Cubes
IKEA Expedit
Cube Chair
MStand Rain Design Laptop Stand
Large sized IMG Windsor chair
Accessories:
LIving room:
Crosley 302 Red Desk Phone
Hamony 880 Remote
Color selectable LED Candles with remote
Crate & Barrel Rolan Clock
Lighting:
Color selectable LED Candles with remote
Crate & Barrel Metro II Floor Lamps
Littlite gooseneck lamp
Hunter Ceiling fan with remote
Melrose International Metal and Glass Lanterns
IKEA Antifoni
Organizing Tools/Accessories:
IKEA Lekman boxes
Storage ottomans that also work as furniture
Belkin Conceal Surge Protector
Mesh roll out drawers
Additional Elements:
Wall Art in living room are David Lynch creations
Hatch Show Print Pictures in Office
Elvis with Panda poster signed by Alfred Wertheimer in office
Photo Tray from Pier1
Walmart blanket with photos of pups
Fender T-Bucket Acoustic-Electric Guitar
K&H Cuddle Cube medium pet bed
Photos by Derek (aka "uofmtiger")
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Fantastic! I love the red phone and cute pups. Now I must go to you tube and hear Green Onions
How do you have my dogs? Seriously. My black Schnauzer's ears stick straight up and has a light beard and my s&p just lays on pillows all the time. Bizarre. The tour is nice, but I am absolutely smitten with the pups.
Am I the only one confused about the shots with the red chair and the expedit? It looks like the same room, just different things on the shelving? Either way, it's a gorgeous place!!!
Hooray, Memphis! Great space!
My L-shaped office/tv watching space has been a nightmare to organize furniture in, but I have finally worked it out -- one added electrical outlet is the next step towards design clarity, followed by paint. I've been contemplating a greenish gold color similar to this one and seeing this post has totally solidified my decision. Excellent, thank you.
My goodness. This is wonderful. I've been looking for a way to stylishly incorporate my husband's and my record player, old vinyls, and Johnny Cash posters without making it look too frat-boy-ish. I was worried we were going to end up with the huge, wrinkled Johnny Cash poster push-pinned in to the wall. This is such an inspiration! Thank you!
I love the passion for what you do and love in the decor here. Cute cute pups.
I like your Hatch show prints!
My husband would probably enjoy reading about all the gear.
Media overload! I wouldn't know what to do with myself in a room like that. Is there a bookshelf for all the remotes? Oh, and I'm super jealous!
dunklekatze, the shots are from different days. The newest pic has the painting on the wall. My guess is that AT wanted to show the LED candles I had on in the older pic.
StandardPC, a Harmony remote makes it easy to control everything in the room with a touch of a button.
Thanks to everyone for all the comments. For the record, we have three wonderful dogs, not just a pair of them. :)
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am inspired to organize all of my tech toys!!!!
Can I come visit ?
Who makes those hollow rounded corner white cubes holding the Nintendo and your computer speakers? They look great!
ElevatorHappyFun, the cubes are from Azar Displays. You can get them on Amazon, but they are cheaper if you order direct from Azar.
missitaly, only if you bring treats. :)
I love the idea of displaying albums in front of whatever's on your shelves in the Expedit - gonna steal that :)
What is the black tufted square chairy thing in the office? I am thinking that would be great for my sons new apartment!
WOW
Marid22, the "square chairy thing" in the office is called an "Innovation USA
Cubed Chair". We found it on sale at Scan Interiors in Memphis. It folds out into a bed, too, which was something we really wanted for the space.
Is the laptop holder attached to the red chair? Where can I buy that?
Goddess, the "Personal table" is made for certain Ekornes Stressless chars and attaches to the chair with a clamp like mechanism. It can be removed or folded out of the way.
I love this space and those cute dogs!
You really succeeded in combining warmth with tech. I didn't think it could be done and almost skipped the post. I would have lost :-). I, too, love the 33 album covers in the book cases - well, and a few dozen other things. Thanks for sharing.
That is a GORGEOUS Apartment
"You really succeeded in combining warmth with tech. I didn't think it could be done and almost skipped the post."
Herahere,I understand. I wondered how my spaces would fit in on the pages of AT. Many of the tours I have seen rarely have a TV, much less headphones, speakers, amps, and DACs. However, I figured there would at least be some spill over from their tech pages that might appreciate the setup. Anyway, I am glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks again to everyone for the kind comments.
Take-out ok ?
Color and warmth - love it! This was such a welcome post!
Ditto on the great comments (color, warmth, tech & gear, dogs, furniture) but I love it so much, I had let you know!
This is so, so cool. Marry me?
Woah--gadget porn! And great posters. The love you have for technology (and terriers) is truly inspiring--but I won't show my husband this one until after Valentine's Day.
Funny: he has no kitchen or bathroom!! Maybe he doesnt need them.
Ezra, this was a "tech tour", so they concentrated on the two rooms with the most tech. I know it is a bit confusing because the tour is posted with the "house" tours, but this was not a full house tour. For the record, I have more than two rooms in the house.
Thanks again to those that posted the kind comments.
OK, you have inspired me! I like to keep decor uncluttered, but I do love my electronics. Your space incorporates all the gadgetry while remaining cozy (not industrial), so this gives me some ideas of how to achieve that, too. Love it! I could have a field day there.
I'm wondering if any of those desktop speakers are wireless? I'd like to hook up a pair of small speakers to my iMac, but I'm trying to cut down on cables/wires.
IT'S ME DEE, glad to hear that you are inspired. None of my main setups contain wireless speakers. I do use an Airport Express in a couple headphone setups, but I haven't run across a pair of wireless speakers that can compete with the sound quality of wired speakers. I do have a wireless Creative Bluetooth speaker that I got for carrying out to the pool and to bring on trips to the beach, but the sound quality leaves something to be desired.
B&W does have the Zeppelin. It uses Airplay and is reported to sound decent, but I think it has limits for non-portable use. Personally, I elected to find ways to hide speaker cables, like a closed cabinet in the living room and a desk that has a backing that goes almost all the way to the ground. If I had an open desk, I would probably buy one of the desk raceway cable management systems.
Good luck!
I am truly inspired!!! I think I just found tech heaven. You did an awesome job!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanted to know what brand ear buds and I am really digging the iPhone stand!
Quarterroy, thank you for the comment. The ear buds are Etymotic Research ER-4P (if I use them with one of the headphone amps, I use a P to S adapter that makes them more amp friendly).