ELECTRONICS AND GOOD DESIGN...CAN THEY MIX?

Three years years ago I had a 19" tube TV hooked up to a VCR and a DVD player.  Yep, I sure did! :)  I didn't have a smart phone and had never sent a text message.  I thought ordering online was just for smart people and my idea of being "techie" was downloading a song on iTunes...and believe me...that was a challenge!  I was stuck in the stone age...no offense to anyone out there who still lives like this. :)  It's just not for me anymore.  My eyes have been opened!

Fast forward to the present and you will find a totally different girl.  I'm happy to say I have made A LOT of advancements in the technological world.  But...some of these "advancements" have left parts of my house looking a little too much like a bachelor pad.  Sure, I enjoy being able to stream music wirelessly, but I don't LOVE seeing all the gear that goes along with it.  I want my home to feel like Pottery Barn, not Sharper Image. :)  

Here is what I started with.  Yuck!  What was I thinking?  Seriously!!  It's terrible!  Why didn't someone say something to me?!?!  Do my family and friends really not care about me anymore??  My mother must have been worried sick.  I mean...her daughter...living like a....(gulp)...bachelor.  I kid! Hehe...but let's be honest here- THIS is not good. :)

Soooo....today I took a small step to hide some of the gear.  This might not be for everyone, but I love it and it totally works for me!   

I picked up a basket at Hobby Lobby that was big enough to fit my receiver and Blu-ray player.

Then I cut a pretty large rectangle out of the back of the basket.  It was a little difficult to cut into a perfectly good basket, but I reminded myself that it was for the sake of good design. :)  I could have cut a smaller hole, but I wanted to make sure the electronics wouldn't get too hot.

I just used a little hand saw to cut the basket.

Everything fit inside the basket without a problem.  There is plenty of room for the door on the Blu-ray player to open, and I can still operate everything using the remotes.  I will probably have to pull the basket forward just a bit to load a movie, but that isn't a big deal to me.

Well, here it is...maybe not quite Pottery Barn yet, but I'm working on it.  Either way, it's still a big improvement from before and I'm lovin it. :)

 Soooo...I must know!  How do you hide your gear???  What have you done for the sake of good design?  I know I'm unique, but I can't be the only one fighting this battle. ;)