DIY Network

Building Storage Units If you want to hide the TV and display more books, here are some great tips and projects to get your place organized and looking great. From "Today Show Tips" episode DTST-124

Are you being swallowed up by electronic clutter? If you want to hide the audio/video equipment and wires yet display more books and collectibles, here are some great tips and projects to get your place organized and looking great in no time.

Displaying a Big-screen TV

If you've ever bought an entertainment center, you probably know that it's often not very good-quality furniture. The good news is that you don't have to spend a lot more money on big pieces of furniture. Today's televisions are so much thinner that they're changing the way manufacturers are building furniture for homes and how architects and decorators are designing around technology. Here are some options for displaying TVs..

• A company in Pennsylvania called Standout Designs makes a really beautiful, strong TV stand from pieces of solid maple that are 1-1/4 inches thick. You know it's going to hold even a large TV, which can weigh 100 pounds or more.

• Another display option is the wall mount, but there are considerations before you choose one. Do you want the TV flat against the wall at eye level? Tilted downward from over the fireplace? Or able to move away from the wall to different angles? There are mounts for all three scenarios. Prices range from $50 all the way up to $500.

  When you install the mount, be sure you get it into a stud. You'll probably need some help from a friend, too; the TVs are not lightweight. Or you can hire a service to install it for you.
  

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• For people who want the look of custom furniture, there's a product that lets you switch from looking at the TV to looking at shelves full of books and decorative accessories. A piece of hardware called Reversica lets cabinet makers create a two-sided panel with shelves on one side and a place to mount the TV on the other. If you're having company and want to hide the TV, just rotate the panel. It's kind of like a secret door; no one will guess there's a TV behind those books.

  The Reversica is strong, too; it will hold 600 pounds even when it's fully extended.

Reversica hardware lets cabinet makers create a pivoting unit that has a flat-screen TV on one side ...

... and shelves for books and decorative objects on the other.

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