(note: it's highly recommended you do not run power cables through walls without the expert aid of a professional installer for safety

Of which they did not have. If you go to their site there are some good tips in the comments about how to make this safer, but yeah, this isn't to code. Which makes me wonder what they are selling those orange dodads at Lowes for in the first place. The wiring in your walls is not the same as the type of wiring used on electronics power/data transfer cords.

Forgot to say it looks awesome, in any case.

Don't forget sticking a little repeater to the bottom of the TV so you can use the remote control for the cable box. You can also run your speaker wires through the wall so it's all nice and seamless.

However, if you looked behind our TV and cabinet you'd just find raw holes in the drywall. I'm an ME too and my husband is a computer guy, but our knack is for cutting corners.

Yeah we just used our drill to cut a round hole in the wall between two studs where we wanted the TV mounted, and then directly straight down from the first hole on the same level as the outlet.

You really don't need much more than that. Plus it's easier to just do this and patch it when you want to move out than buy all the extra stuff...

Running TV power cord in wall is against the code. TV sets power cord is not a in-wall rated and a potential power hazard. He should have used something like a Power Bridge Kit or a similar kit from Monoprice.

I agree. With the post above and the first post. As nice as this is, it is completely against code. There is a reason these codes exist, it is to keep people safe. Furthermore, if there was a fire in your house (whether linked to the these electrical cords or not) it could void your house insurance.

this definitely would not pass code inspection with those electrical cables running through the wall.. the real reason for those "orange doodads" is to run low voltage wiring or cabling through the wall. they also make green doodads.. these are typically for ethernet outlets or cable outlets or phone outlets.. i suppose you could run anything really through them.. just not electrical load devices..

gizmodo actually had an article on this not too long ago:
http://gizmodo.com/5297352/your-wall+mounted-hdtv-probably-violates-electrical-codes

I don't what disappoints me more, realizing this suggestion is dangerous, or hearing about someone destroying such a beautiful piece of furniture.

Can people offer other, less hazardous, suggestions?

We did something similar, but with a vintage Lane bureau as the TV stand. My husband was able to remove the back panel completely rather than cutting through it. We didn't wall-mount our TV, and we're lucky because the outlet is right behind the bureau, so the net effect is the same: no visible cords.

When we moved to our new house, I was OBSESSED with getting rid of cords and cables. It felt like some kind of hundred-tentacled monster had been sharing our old house with us. I've never been so tempted to become a Luddite as I was then.

Not a fan that the site promotes breaking building codes. It isn't only against the law, it is dangerous.

Off-topic, but I love that lmap.

Aside from the power cord issues, there something I didn't see: ventilation for the electronics in the credenza.

Those little boxes filled with resistors, diodes, IC chips and CPUs can put out some heat. Imagine having a cable box in there! Those boxes run hot all the time, even when "off". There must be a way to cool them off. Yes, it may mean cutting more holes in the backboard of the credenza. I hear wailing and gnashing of teeth at the very thought of it.

The home entertainment setup here is very simple, using (I'm assuming) HDMI connections only. The controls and sound are all routing through the TV to the Blu-Ray player via HDMI. I hope that Steve and Moriya will upgrade to at least a sound bar for better sound. Even better would be an nice sub/satellite speaker system with a good receiver.

If anyone is too worried about running the power cable through the wall, I'd recommend having another power point installed behind the TV and replace your long cord that comes in the box with a short one.

We just moved into a house with cable and power outlets over the fireplace, all ready for a tv. I like that the cables will be hidden, but doesn't one cable have to go to the cable terminal box? Any good design solutions for that? I've been trying to figure it out but I can't get around the idea that there will be a coaxial cable hanging from the wall-hung tv to a cable box on the mantle :(

Mike In Hawaii,

I was about to do the same for my cable box and dvd player with my credenza. What do you recommend? a few airholes drilled in the back as well? or placing the items on a little shelf within the credenza?

I was also concerned about the lack of airflow for the components in the cabinet, and the remote control wouldn't work either. If I had a 1950's credenza I'd totally use it and just bite the bullet with the remote, but this guy (BDI Eras entertainment center or something like it) seems like a better option to me (if I had the space for it).

This is all well and good, but since this is APARTMENT THERAPY, how about recommendations for doing the same thing (removing unsightly cords from the home environment) in an APARTMENT? Can't cut into the walls in a rental, even if it's up to code!

We simply bought cord covers (found at any Big Box hardware store, like this: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/ContentView?pn=SF_EL_Cord_Management) for our apartment, painted them the same color as our wall, and mounted them to the wall with easy to remove double sided stick-ons (the kind you use for 3-M hooks). Quick, easy, affordable, and removable for renters. Black zip ties are also a quick and easy way to gather cords together and keep them from taking over your space.
AT had a post a while back where they featured this solution.

There are small cabinet fans you can get for ventilation. They're a little spendy but it makes a great home for all your TV stuff, plus your cable modem and router (which also get hot). Obviously you're going to have to modify the furniture to make it effective, which brings me to my next comment:

Modifying the furniture is an owner's personal choice. They did not change the original design at all. If you were to put two side by side you wouldn't know which had a hole drilled in the back and which didn't. I think it's great they were able to repurpose a piece like this to fit their needs instead of going out and buying something new (and probably not as well-made).

For apartment dwellers who can't drill through walls: the simplest setup would be to have your TV sitting on that credenza/cabinet and carefully route the cords down the back. I'm guessing landlords don't like wall-mounted TV brackets anyways.

Reading the headline I thought there would be no wires, not that the wires had just been hidden inside the wall. I change my living room layout at leas twice a year so putting holes in the wall is a big no-no for me.

I'm not allowed to put these kind of holes in my rental, so embraced my wires instead using a technique I learned on apartment therapy! It worked great for me :)

http://www.insideways.com/2012/07/make-your-tv-wires-pretty.html

It looks awesome. Too bad it's not a viable solution for many of us. Fortunately, buying a tv stand with good ventilation works really well. No holes, no overheating issues, no worries if I want to rearrange furniture, etc.

While wall mounting can be done nicely and safely for a price, it seems to create more issues than it fixes.

wow, thanks! I had this problem and had never heard of a repeater. Going out to get one now!

Great tutorial, used it to do my install http://f.cl.ly/items/3y3D0E0N2w0a0Y0R3d3F/Screen%20Shot%202012-10-01%20at%2011.44.48%20PM.png

Short of routing a groove this solution doesn't really work for my brick walls.

Instead I'm building a credenza to deal with the mess of all those wires. I had some square bookcases that I've built a box around. The box is deeper than the bookcases so there's room for the wires at the back. I drilled 2 holes in the top: a big one for wires going in and a small one for the wires I need to connect my laptop to the printer and the tv. The second hole isn't strictly necessary but I thought I was a nice design feature.

Also my tvrecorder was was sticking out of the bookcase and obstructed the doors so i cut a recorder shaped hole in the back since I had the extra room and as a bonus the cables from the printer and recorder feed through the same hole.

The slim center bookcase slides out when I need acces to the wires behind the books and it does need to be emptied to slide out easily but so far it's been 2 times in the last year: once for setting up and once to connect my new tv. I routed 3 grooves. 2 in the front so I can install sliding doors and one in the back for a lip so the wires wont slip behind the credenza if I need to move it.

It's not done yet but here's a link with pictures to illustrate what I'm talking about: http://ploefff.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/skaenk-en-forvandling-part-4/