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Commissioning Bespoke AV Furniture (2/7/2007)

By Simon Kiteley, Andrews Interiors

Televisions are getting bigger, AV equipment is getting easier to use. When even your parents have a plasma and PVR, you know it has gone mainstream. The days of people wanting to touch the 42" plasma are well and truly over.

What this means is that we can get back to what the equipment is really for - namely watching TV and listening to music - and making it less of a status symbol. Hiding the AV equipment and TV, when not in use, is gaining popularity in the average household, and so too is the sourcing and purchasing of custom AV furniture.

Of course, in the same way that you don't need a huge TV, you don't need custom AV furniture, but as we get a little more money in our pockets, we can afford to put style before function. So, rather than a generic grey stand to stop the TV falling to the floor, we want custom AV equipment to reflect our lifestyle - which makes the life of the custom AV furniture manufacturer just that little bit more interesting!

Custom AV furniture

As we all get more knowledgeable about interior design, the trend for custom furniture is gaining popularity. Hiding away those nasty-looking boxes is just an additional incentive.

Currently, the most popular custom furniture is a well-designed cabinet that simply houses AV equipment, however as more people become aware of it, the TV lift is quickly gaining favour. Then there are designs that do not hide the equipment but rather shout 'Here I am!' such as the media wall, and cinema-style set ups with automated curtains, blinds and even sliding panels.

A simple TV lifting cabinet that is an ideal starting point for most customers

In fact it is getting to the point where most designs can be achieved by using off-the-shelf lift mechanisms, placed on the side for a sliding action, or upside down for lowering, and allowing the furniture manufacturer to concentrate on what is important to the customer - making it look right.

For those that are looking for something really special, custom actuator systems can be made to push, pull and twist every element around, at the push of a button. But as these are only for the serious fanatic, expect costs to be high. Not only must the mechanics and electronics be considered, but the design phase requires extra special care.

With custom manufacture, almost all aspects of the furniture are customisable. The difficulty for the salesperson is to inform the customer of the options without overloading them. The client should however, be aware that some manufacturers' idea of custom furniture is merely to change the handles, so if one can't help, try another.

For materials and finishes, simply consider all the different options that are available for non-AV furniture. Polished wood veneered MDF carcases and doors are always a good start. MDF is more resistant to movement than solid woods, and gives a lighter but still sturdy construction, with a considerable saving in costs.

Design considerations

When designing and commissioning furniture, be aware that wood is a living material, and will move slightly over time. Solid wood butted together could start to show gaps and buckle, partly because of the heat of the AV equipment and partly as a natural behaviour of wood. This is great for a rustic look, but not so good if the customer wants the perfection that only plastic can give. So keep solid woods for lipping and frames on doors, but not for panels.

Crafted cabinet with TV lift on its way up

To keep the internal temperature from getting too high, ensure that the design has plenty of ventilation. But remember that hot air rises, so have vents near the top of the cabinet, while allowing a place for the cooler air to get in near the bottom. Remember - the draft coming in under your front door is only able to happen because air is getting out of your house somewhere else.

The huge range of veneers and laminates available means that the finishing options are endless. Veneers can be polished, stained or painted, all with different levels of gloss, sprayed or hand painted, in an endless range of colours. Laminates can range from simple colours, through wood effects to custom designs (see www.formica.co.uk), and metals and glass sections can be added.

When commissioning a cabinet, be aware that the type of finish can dramatically affect the price of the furniture, often much more than the type of wood used. One laminate can be four times the cost of another, and a colour high gloss sprayed finish could add a couple of days' labour to the cabinet's construction.

The design need not be limited to a box shape. Curved panels, doors and tops are all possible. For example, we have made doors which had three different radii in a single door. Laminates, veneers and even solid woods can be applied to MDF frames to give almost any shape, and by using a manufacturer with CNC (Computer Numerical Control) capabilities, the cost may be less than expected since CNC routers allow curved solid rails and lipping to be produced with ease.

Don't be limited by the configuration of the furniture. Where width is available, place the AV equipment beside the screen. Where it is tight, consider putting equipment in front of the screen or in a completely different part of the room.

Commissioning

Custom furniture is not cheap by nature, so when commissioning, it is good to allow the customer time to think about all the options, so that they get what they really want. Get a good joiner or furniture manufacturer involved early in the project so that the right decisions are made from the start. Otherwise we may find for example, a third-party designer selling a GBP4000 design to a customer who only has a GBP2000 budget, because some aspect of the design turns out to be difficult to manufacture.

The best thing to do is develop a mutually beneficial relationship with the manufacturer. From our point of view, nothing beats getting together with the customer to discuss what they really want, go through samples and discuss options. We try to go in 'naked', i.e. expose ourselves to the customer's ideals without pre-conceived ideas.

3D model of a media wall. For this customer, the TV is very much the focus. AV equipment is stored on the right with plenty of space for CDs, DVDs and magazines on the left, all with glass doors

We typically take 5-10 days to produce drawings and quotes, but no matter how good the initial consultation, it is almost guaranteed the customer, having had time to consider their choices, will have many questions and changes to make. Often this is where the touches are added that make a good piece of furniture great.

Once the changes are made, manufacture can begin. For custom-made furniture, I would expect to wait no more than 4-6 weeks for a company based in the UK, but this really depends of the manufacturer.

Installation and maintenance

Installation can vary, from the furniture being placed in the corner, to spending a day or two building a media wall. By the time the furniture is delivered, all electrics should be in place and plastering and wall surfaces finished. Once installed, the furniture is usually too heavy to easily move.

Maintenance is reasonably simple. The lift mechanisms have a long life and the furniture should be looked after like any other piece of furniture. The only maintenance problem we have ever had with the lift mechanism is a failure of the electronic controllers, so easy access to these would be advisable. Even considering failures, we have found reliability to be excellent.

Summary

As TVs get bigger and lift and mounting mechanisms become cheaper and easier to use, hiding the TV in a cabinet or hanging it on the wall are becoming the next logical steps for the home owner.

If you are considering custom AV furniture, make sure that you commission something that is right for the environment, and think about its style - even before thinking what equipment is going inside. Remember that it is the furniture that your customer will see every day for the next ten years.

Simon Kiteley is the Product Manager for Andrews Interiors Ltd, established bespoke furniture makers.

www.andrewsinteriors.com