Frameless Entertainment Centres and Media Walls

As a working rule the cabinetry should read wider than the display by a comfortable margin — often a third again the screen width, so a 75 inch panel sits inside a wall of roughly 8 to 10 feet. Screens also grow, so the recess is drawn with headroom and the mount fixed to blocking that spans the studs. Ceiling height, the fireplace and the furniture line all move those numbers, which is why we draw the elevation before quoting.

Blum Tip-On is mechanical rather than electronic, so there is nothing to fail and nothing to power. Doors are set with a consistent 3mm reveal and the catch is adjusted after the carcasses are levelled, which is what stops a front sitting proud of its neighbour. On the widest drawer banks we specify Servo-Drive instead, since an electric opener handles a heavy loaded front more gracefully than a spring.

Not when the bay is built for it. Each equipment shelf gets ventilation top and bottom, an open or slotted back, and at least 2 inches of clear plenum behind the gear. For amplifiers and receivers that run hot we add a thermostatic 12V fan that only spins when it is needed.

In most cases, yes. Conduit is run between the display position and the equipment bay during rough-in, sized to pass a terminated HDMI end so future cables pull through easily, and left with a pull string. Where the wall cannot be opened, the same route is built into the back of the cabinetry and closed with a removable panel.

We build the openings, cleats and grille-cloth frames to suit the models your AV supplier specifies, including a centre channel behind cloth and a ported subwoofer bay with a clear path to the room. A closed, flush wall is acoustically live, so we also line the equipment shelves with felt and leave the speaker bays acoustically open rather than sealed. Bring the equipment list to the design visit and it gets drawn in from the start.

It depends on the appliance. Linear gas fireplaces vary widely in the clearance and the surface temperature they produce above the opening, so we work from the listed installation manual and, where needed, specify a deflector that pushes warm air forward. Sometimes the honest answer is to move the screen, and we will say so.

We build, finish and install the cabinetry, then coordinate with your AV installer and electrician on blocking, conduit and rough-in locations. Mains and low-voltage work is completed by the licensed trades on the project. Design starts at home — a consultant brings finish samples, measures the wall and the seating distance, and returns a computerized design and a detailed estimate free of charge, with absolutely no obligation.