When Tom and I got married, we entered our union with some decorating baggage. I came into the relationship with a 1990s-style overstuffed beige sofa and love seat (Yes! Beige. Me!) that my cat had loved a little too much. Tom came in with black leather and chrome recliners and a stereo system that had no less than 10 components. Hello, Bachelor Pad!
I knew that it would be easy to get rid of his chairs and my sofas once we had enough money to replace them. But, the stereo system was another story. Until we met, it was his baby, so I knew it was going nowhere. He set it up in his light wood and chrome media stand (another pre-Lindsay purchase), and I just lived with looking at it for several years.
Then, Baby Zack came along.
Within days of Zack learning to walk, he moseyed over to the speakers and ripped the covers off of them. Tom realized that having his big stereo system out where our dear baby could destroy it was a bad idea. So, we went out and bought a nice wooden media cabinet with a glass door. I think it may have been the first piece of furniture that we bought together.
That media cabinet ended up being my first foray into a type of decorating now referred to as #Techoration. Basically, #Techoration is the idea that we can design and decorate around our items like televisions, speakers, and gaming systems instead of just living with looking at them all the time.
Since we bought that media cabinet, my thoughts on techorating have evolved past adding furniture pieces directly intended to house media components. You may have seen shots of my kids’ playroom, which was the first spot that I started actively decorating around our technology. I wanted to make this space a place that served more function than just a playroom, so a TV was a necessary evil.
I really don’t mind the look of a black, flat screen TV. I know a lot of people like to frame them or hide them behind cabinet doors, and those are definitely valid things to do in a room. Instead, I prefer to have a good looking piece of technology that blends into my furnishings.
There are several things that you can’t see, though. The first is extra wires and cables. We set up the TV in such a way that all of the extras are hidden behind the TV and my blue vintage stereo cabinet. The biggest thing, though, is the DVD player and cable box. If I were to open the left side of the cabinet, you would see that they are both sitting on a shelf behind the doors. Sure, we have to open the doors whenever we want to watch TV in the playroom, but that’s not a big deal at all. I prefer taking a few seconds to do that over having to look at those big boxes all the time.
The other space that I’ve really embraced #Techoration is in our master bedroom.
Because I wanted this TV to hang on the wall over our dresser instead of sitting on a stand, it was important to me that all of the wires and cables were hidden behind the wall. A quick internet search will reveal a lot of how-to ideas on hiding those cables. My only caution is to do it immediately upon hanging your television – otherwise, it might become one of those things on your to do list that takes months to get accomplished. I mean, I’ve just heard that’s true. I certainly wouldn’t know from personal experience. ::sarcasm:: And if you are just moving into your home, make it a point to hide those cables immediately – moving in is a perfect time to techorate your living space!
We also have a cable box, DVD player and a Roku box in this space. That’s a lot of little black and silver boxes! I have them hidden behind our dresser. In all honesty, it’s not the best set up, so we’ve been looking into getting an IR extender. That extender would allow us to more easily use the remote controls without needing the boxes in plain sight by giving you a tiny little lens that you stick on or near your TV that sends the remote signal to your cable box.
It takes a little work to decorate around your technology, but I believe that it’s time well spent. By hiding the ugly little necessities in our modern lives, we can enjoy them without having to have to see LED lights, hear whirling DVD players or give up the surface space that they all require. If you would like to check out more #Techoration inspiration, visit the inspiration hub by Verizon FiOS®. There you can find more techorating inspiration, get moving tips & tricks, and enter the Upgrade Your Move contest. Just fill out the entry form and pin your dream #Techoration set-up for a chance to win a $4,500 Visa® prepaid gift card (and I get to help pick who wins!).
How have your techorated your home? I’d love for you to share with me your ideas in the comments section!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Verizon FiOS®. All opinions expressed are my own.
We (well, pretty much just me) turned an old chest of drawers into a media cabinet for the living room. I still love it every day!
I can’t find the pin, but a friend of mine turned a dresser into a charging station for all their phones, tablets, games, etc. She papered each drawer, drilled holes out the back of the drawer, and snaked the cords through the holes. No more looking for chargers or seeing a million wires! Everything tucks out of sight but is right where you need it.