Furniture/shelving to display your systems?

[spacecadet]

So we recently moved into a new/old house (well, almost a year ago now) and we just finished renovating our second bedroom. I'm planning to use it as a guest bedroom but also as a game room. Currently all my systems are in boxes in a closet, and I want to get at least most of them out there in the open.

 

The trick is this room is really small so we need to save space, and with all the new house and renovation expenses, we also need to save money. So I can't just go to Pottery Barn and spend $1,500 on a big entertainment center. On the other hand, we don't want anything ugly - it's a new room, and guests are gonna see it, so it needs to at least be presentable. I don't want like, aluminum garage shelving or anything. All I really need is something like an open bookcase. Ikea had something I thought might work up until a couple weeks ago, but they seem to have sold out of it... this picture still exists, but the product page itself doesn't: http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/30949_XXXXXXXX_S6.jpg

 

What are you guys using? I'm open to other ideas. I'm willing to compromise in certain areas but I just need something to hold 9 or 10 systems, like a 19" LCD television, and at least look like an actual piece of furniture while not costing too much. That Ikea bookcase was $59 - but that was ridiculously cheap, I know.

 

I've looked around everywhere and I don't see much else like that. I'm half-inclined now to just buy some individual wall shelves and stack them. Seems like a lot of work, though... not to mention a lot of holes in my brand new $1,400 plaster walls!

Edited January 14, 2007 by spacecadet

[RJ]

I have the IKEA Magicker TV stand, it's about 3' high & 5' long w/ shelves (some adjustable) to hold various systems.

 

I'll post a pic tomorrow as I dont feel like breaking out the camera right now...

 

Actually, it's on Ikea's website, type MAGICKER into their search engine...it's the $139 TV unit.

 

www.ikea.com

Edited January 15, 2007 by RJ

[christianscott27]

Ikea stuff is really a mixed bag, its all particle board laminate so for long term or heavy weight use its gonna warp. Some of their more expensive items are made of real wood but even then the "flat pack" you-build-it engineering limits its load bearing. With Ikea shelves theres a rule, you can only rebuild it 3 times before it totally falls apart from the pegs pulling on the particle board holes. My sister calls it Apartment Furniture, once you move up in the world you got to Pottery Barn I guess. Ever look at Craig's list and see all cheapskates trying to resell their old Ikea shelves, ughh. Yeah I'm ranting, I like Ikea though, its a great place for things like rugs and housewares.

 

If it suits your modern/industrial/loft look I strongly endorse metro shelves

 

http://www.metro.com/consumer/

 

These are solid, they will outlast you. The open wire contruction means you can move cables around without boring holes and dust wont collect so thickly. They're full adjustable, as versitile as legos and set up faster than most DIY furniture.

[FABombjoy]

Ikea had something I thought might work up until a couple weeks ago, but they seem to have sold out of it... this picture still exists, but the product page itself doesn't: http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/30949_XXXXXXXX_S6.jpg

 

Hey, that shelf looks familiar!

 

I'm using it in my game room, although probably for a different intended purpose.

[Ghost Soldier]

I'm using it in my game room, although probably for a different intended purpose.

Your's is bigger than mine. 8-)

Edited January 15, 2007 by Ghost Soldier

[+HatNJ]

Ikea had something I thought might work up until a couple weeks ago, but they seem to have sold out of it... this picture still exists, but the product page itself doesn't: http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/30949_XXXXXXXX_S6.jpg

 

Hey, that shelf looks familiar!

 

I'm using it in my game room, although probably for a different intended purpose.

 

 

Nice setup and Nice pics im in a tight space for my gameroom/retro Computer/Ham Radio room those shelves loook good and a space saver

 

and Nice Camera I got the A620 in Nov. and love it

[Crazy Climber]

IKEA has some stuff that works but it all depends on what your going for. I use a few of there shelfs in my current set up, I'll post some pics as soon as I clean it up a little

[RickHarrisMaine]

How about this one from IKEA. My wife's building me a room down in the basement, and we kind of like this one.

 

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/serv...Number=70103090

[FABombjoy]

Your's is bigger than mine. 8-)

 

Once you go 6 foot, you never go back

[candiru]

Nice set-up, FABombjoy! A couple questions for you.

 

What type and where is the television you hook all those up to? I don't see one in your photos.

 

Are the systems on the upper shelves a pain to play, being up so high? Mostly I'm thinking of controller cord length.

 

I too have been thinking over some different ways of organizing my consoles.

 

Thanks.

[spacecadet]

Ikea had something I thought might work up until a couple weeks ago, but they seem to have sold out of it... this picture still exists, but the product page itself doesn't: http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/30949_XXXXXXXX_S6.jpg

 

Hey, that shelf looks familiar!

 

I'm using it in my game room, although probably for a different intended purpose.

 

Dude, that is basically exactly what I wanted it for. Amazing that you're using it exactly the same way. It really does seem to be gone from their site, though, and last I checked it was also sold out of my local store.

 

Only thing I wanted to do different was stick a small TV in the middle of it.

 

How about this one from IKEA. My wife's building me a room down in the basement, and we kind of like this one.

 

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/serv...Number=70103090

 

That *might* work and would fit in with our decor (we went really light in this room), but I'm not sure how big those cubes are. If that DVD player they have in the picture is 17", then it looks like *most* of my systems would probably fit in the cubes, but not the bigger ones like the 5200 or Neo Geo. So then it's just a question of whether I can fit all the big ones in the two longer cubby holes below the TV.

 

btw, I know IKEA furniture is basically dorm room furniture, and we're actually trying to replace most of ours with real furniture now that we have a house. But I literally can't even find anything like this anywhere else; most "real" furniture is just too big and thick, with less actual space to really put things. In this case, it's not the furniture I want to draw attention to, it's the systems.

 

We'll probably make a trip to IKEA to check this out and anything else they have... also now considering getting a few of these: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5280701

 

That's probably the only other type of thing that'd work... I'm just concerned about having enough space on the sides for all these oddly shaped and sized systems, plus obviously room for cables and whatnot out the back (though I doubt I'll ever have more than one hooked up at a time).

Edited January 15, 2007 by spacecadet

[Jubal]

funny this is really close to what I have been thinking about doing also.

 

I was wanting to get boxes to put the consoles into, like these

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/serv...Number=20024514

 

could keep a few controllers in the box with the its console

would just need to pull the lid off the box of the console I was playing

 

I wanted a bookcase w/ a solid back, 12" deep shelves, bout 30" wide. 2 boxes per shelf.

I want around 8" high between each shelf. That would make a 7 shelf bookcase would be around 5.5' - 6' very manageable.

I havent found the right bookcase yet tho.

 

was thinking of cutting a hole in the back of each box for av and power cords, then a hole in the back of the bookcase for each corresponding box to clean up the wires. was also planning to have the powerstrips and av selector all mounted to the back of the bookcase.

I dont have an AV selector picked out yet, anyone have suggestions?

Edited January 16, 2007 by Jubal

[RickHarrisMaine]

For an AV selector, I haven't heard of one that would work with multiple systems that are RF-based video ones. I was thinking of making one though. A few parts from Radio Shack and either a metal case, or a small block of wood to hold the pieces together, and it should be okay.

 

 

As for the IKEA system I showed, I believe the "cubes" are about a foot or so, give or take some inches, wide. But on the top row, you don't really have to put in all the vertical pieces, so you could make it work. And for like a Dreamcast and a Gamecube, it will be fine. Put the Colecovision and the 5200 on the bottom under the TV, and the 7800 and the INTV on the top row, and it should be fine. Sega Master and NES should fit okay as is. And hopefully there will be enough storage for game carts as well.

 

I would be happy with wire shelving, modular stuff, but I have to bow to aesthetics a bit on this.

[FABombjoy]

Nice set-up, FABombjoy! A couple questions for you.

 

What type and where is the television you hook all those up to? I don't see one in your photos.

 

Are the systems on the upper shelves a pain to play, being up so high? Mostly I'm thinking of controller cord length.

 

Right now I have an unremarkable 32" RCA, plain old NTSC TV. No hidef yet.

 

No troubles with the top shelf & systems, but I've also bought or made extension cables for all my systems, too. This shelf is sufficiently far from seating that all the consoles pretty much require extension cables.

[Jubal]

For an AV selector, I haven't heard of one that would work with multiple systems that are RF-based video ones. I was thinking of making one though. A few parts from Radio Shack and either a metal case, or a small block of wood to hold the pieces together, and it should be okay.

 

I am using one similar to

mine takes 5 coaxial type F inputs and 3 coxial outputs. it has buttons on the front allowing you to choose which input goes to which output.

 

sorry I can't find a pic of one more like mine in 10min of searching, but its made by Rotocon and I got it used ofcource

 

-Jubal-

[pmpddytim]

I know you said no to gargae shelves but......If you are on a budget I reccomend them becasue I think with some hacking you could make one of the Ikea shelves buy bolting some long planks of wood to each level those metal garage shelves. Might look kind of in dustrial and cool. And if you need controler storage on the cheap, over the door shoe organizers are great. You can even put them on the inside of the closet door if you or your wife don't want them in the open.

 

Here is my current set up:

 

-Tim

 

PS. PLease excuse the wires. I had to move some stuff and haven't cleaned it back up yet.

Edited January 17, 2007 by pmpddytim

[Ghost Soldier]

pmpddytim, I love the idea of using a shoe organizer for controllers. Next on my list to buy for organization.

[PressureCooker2600]

Your's is bigger than mine. 8-)

 

Once you go 6 foot, you never go back

 

i need one of those dammit....im stuck with 4 smaller surge protectors