Designing for TV viewing sounds simple enough, doesn't it?  All you have to do is buy one of those mounting bracket packages and hang the TV on the wall.  Oh...wait...where do you plug it in?  Forgot about the cable box and blueray player.  How do you get the cables to the TV?

If it's done well, designing for TV viewing can be seamless and beautiful.  Of the many details to work out, and we find cable management to be the most challenging.  In this design, all of the cables run behind the wood cabinet in a series of chases.  What if you change components?  No problem...each component has a lead wire so you can can pull cables in either direction to switch out equipment.  We used a dark finish on the lower cabinet so that the power outlets fade into shadow.  We think the success of this design is a partnership between designer and cabinetmaker.  Our pals at Stroba ( www.stroba.com )  helped us pull this one off. 

 

With the fall comes family gatherings and savory feasts... October's Room of the Month features a Dining Room that's sure to make you want to linger around the table for hours.  Stylish, warm, comfortable, and available for purchase at our Shop page.  

 

Sometimes the simplest solution comes from balancing scale and proportion.  In this suburban Detroit home, it was hard not to be daunted by the soaring fireplace wall.  While the grandness of the space is wonderful, the fireplace was lost in a sea of drywall and there was no visual focus. Without a reference to human scale, this wall was adrift!  We designed a fireplace surround and mantel, which introduced a strong horizontal line and...voila! ..the scale of the wall is broken down and your eye has a comfortable place to rest.  But why stop there?  With the remaining wall above the fireplace, we punched the center back to create a niche for artwork and added wall sconces flanking the newly created niche.  So, by adding several very simple horizontal and vertical lines, the proportions and scale are adjusted.  Add the interest of new materials, textures, and lighting and this wall now anchors the room.