Is there such a thing as a cozy style when decorating with tech? Michelle Smith from Feminine Modern certainly thinks so, as she showcases her styling chops (and undying love for vinyl) in her lovely North Carolina home.
The draw of a vinyl player is a simply irresistible touch that many, including Urban Outfitters and other fashion retailers, have selected as the go-to device for drawing out that homey nostalgic feeling of technology from 'way back then.' However, what we simply love is how Michelle has placed the record player in a conveniently listenable spot - on the shelf of a waist-height table in the hall - where records can be thrown on easily at a moment's notice.
In addition to functional placement of tech, the storage of records has also been taken into consideration. Using an old milk crate as a side table, it can be used to hold records, books, and other miscellaneous media as needed.
It's amazing how a little bit of consideration to placement can help frame how it can be used in the home. If the record player was hidden behind a shelf or if the records were stored in the basement instead, the home would feel disorganized and chaotic. Having them close to one another connects the dots and together, it feels like there's nothing better than kicking back to enjoy some Marvin Gaye with friends and family.
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Nice! Where did that record player come from. It looks really well made.
Forgot the question mark up there. ~?~ Oops... : )
The pic is way to close up to convey whether this is good placement or not. Can't see where the table is, can't see how tall it is, can't see what's around it.
This is really thin for a post.
Am I crazy? That looks like a very awkward spot for a record player. Looking under a table and squatting...I can think of better places for one!
yeah...i think this post was a stretch to add content on a slow day. first photo could have been better to illustrate the headline of the post, and the second photo seemed absolutely pointless. yes, i see the milk crate. no, i don't see the records you were saying it holds.
try again.
@MANDYDAVIS, It looked like a USB Turntable so I did a google image search and it seems to be an Ion, possibly this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Ion-TTUSB-Turntable-USB-Record/dp/B000BUEMOO
IMO these look pretty cheap, primarily plastic. I would go with the audio technicas or one of the more stylish retro ones they are selling on Urban Outfitters. The retro ones are probably not super high quality either, but let's face it, a record player is bound to get more mileage as eye-candy than actually playing records ;)
Thanks EXALTRON for the info. I really appreciate the feedback. Have a great day!
I do not recommend buying any turntable from Urban Outfitters or anything that remotely resembles the turntable pictured above. If you really want to buy a turntable and don't have much to spend, please look in the used market for an actual vintage turntable. They can be had for less and will sound WAY better. And there are other ways to convert vinyl to mp3 than using USB (go from stereo/standalone pre-amp to line-in on computer for example). It kills me every time I see those things for sale and uninformed people buying them. There is a reason turntables were never made out of cheap flimsly plastic.
Do not buy an Ion turntable. They are very poorly made. Also, unlike a CD a record benefits highly from the equipment. Save and buy a decent turntable (Project makes some nice ones that aren't too expensive) and a decent cartridge (shure and dynavector make some nice inexpensive ones) and you will have much better sound than from the plastic Ion.
We use a 4x2 Ikea Expedit to hold our vinyl and have the turntable + speakers on top of it (we use the Expedit long side down). Efficient, neat and convenient.
Hi Mandy, The comments above are correct. It isn't a greatly made record player. It is an ION and my Mom bought it so that I could transfer my Dad's bluegrass records onto CD for them. I had a better vintage record player but got rid of it a few years ago when my Mom loaned me this one for the record to mp3 transferring. It works for my purposes and I like being able to listen to my records in a convenient spot. I do love to scour for them at thrift stores and the like, and have amassed quite a collection but my collection isn't precious and I've never really been a musical equipment technophile.
To add: the placement of the turntable is terrible (to echo Radioriot) for use! Plus, it's at a terrible height if you have pets of any kind (hello cat bed!). Plus, I really hope she just played that record - otherwise the dust that would accumulate on it would be horrible. I know the Ion doesn't have a dust cover, but as others have said, it's a terrible turntable.
Makes me wonder if she loves vinyl or loves the idea of vinyl.
those in the know, have known for years that record players have a functioning place in the home. ikea's expedit shelf is the homes of a great many dj and record collectors. i have my vintage space age looking record player sitting right on top of it. it becomes a work or art or feature, instead of a dirty little secret.
That looks like a really crappy turn table.
We just moved into a new (old) house, and thought long and hard about how to integrate my husband's multi-thousand LP collection in our fairly minimalist decor living room (previously, he had been cast away to a 3rd floor "music room" but we wanted to create a shared space everyone could enjoy, i.e., music for hubbie, no clutter/LPs overwhelming the room for me). With a custom-installed Ikea BESTA system, and a media console from West Elm, I think we succeeded!
-http://www.flickr.com/photos/47937624@N00/6471298281/in/set-72157628321336779 (there's an identical set on the left side of that doorway)
-http://www.flickr.com/photos/47937624@N00/6471296707/in/set-72157628321336779
yeah, if you go with a record player I really recommend finding a nice vintage one. I just finished building my own 1970s stereo system. God, I love craigslist. http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/8372/recordplayerl.jpg
@mntngr That's an awesome setup! What does that cool tape recorder-looking thing do?
it's a reel to reel tape player/recorder. I can have it record four mics at the same time. It's pretty sweet. Wish my camera didn't break so I could take a better picture instead of using my phone.
Apartment Therapy isn't what it used to be.... lame posts like this are the reason I barely visit this site anymore. I get so tired of looking at mediocre house tours and reading uninteresting posts.
That's crazy! It's *exactly* what I wanted when I decided to store my record player front and center in the living room. I even wrote a blog post about the importance of putting things where you'll use them based on my record player here: http://www.insideways.com/2011/10/put-things-where-youll-use-them.html
That placement doesn't seem at all practical if you like to play records on a regular basis.
Terrible turntable placement for playing records. It should be a couple of inches higher waist-high, and not have a tabletop on top of it.
Nothing to promote in such bad placement.
@MNTNGR, you'll get better sound if you move the speakers to the ground or dedicated stands. You want to minimize vibration in your turntable to make it sound its best, and having the turntable sit on the same cabinet as your speakers will create a lot of extra vibration. Plus, it'll allow you to spread out your sweet looking turntable and receiver!