Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, gone are the days when your entertainment centre needs to be an eyesore.
Minimalism and home entertainment centres have rarely been good bedfellows. Wires, consoles, remote controls, DVDs, the list of clutter is endless. Not so anymore though – with plenty of solutions available for streamlining your set-up.
Here are a few ideas to help you find those clean lines once more and live in harmony with your media.
Television
This is always going to be a tough one because at least some of the time you want the TV to be visible (otherwise why have it?), so the question lies in whether you want to completely hide it away when not in use or just help it to blend with the surroundings.
If a big black screen is spoiling your minimalistic ideals then you have options. The most straightforward is to buy a piece of furniture which the television can sit inside, that way you can simply shut it away when not in use.
If a bulky piece of furniture is not for you, there are other solutions. Wall-mounting the TV and covering it is now a great option thanks to how flats screens really are flat nowadays. You can then create “shutters” using pictures frames which fold over the screen when not in use, there are even companies who create special mirrors which look like a normal mirror when the TV is off yet allow the picture to shine through unobscured when you are watching something. Clever stuff!
Movies
If you are still clinging on to that DVD collection, now has got to be the time to wave it goodbye.
There are not many films you cannot get on streaming services so unless there is some special reason you just cannot bear to part with the disk, clear out and set up a movie subscription.
Gaming
If you enjoy a video game but would not describe yourself as a “gamer”, there is a rather quirky replacement to your traditional console.
Instead of yet another black box gathering dust around the TV, why not opt for a statement piece from Home Leisure Direct who sell retro and multi-game arcade games at homeleisuredirect.com.
If you just cannot bear to part with your Playstation 5 or Xbox Series X though, your other option is to find yourself a beautifully sleek media unit with cupboards and tuck them away inside.
Music
Now the DVDs have left the building, it is also time for the CDs to hit the road. Back in the 90s it was pretty cool to have walls of music displaying your particular taste in tunes, but if you are still clinging to that time, you should really consider letting go. Spotify is your space saving solution here.
Cables
With the best will in the world, you are likely to still be left with a few messy looking wires even after slimming down your media area, so what to do with them?
Happily, because this is such a bugbear for people, there are loads of fixes for this particular problem, such as clips and ties to keep the cables hidden away around the back.
To hide away the unsightly multi-socket and the tangle of wires rising from it, there are several options of cable tidy boxes to choose from to best suit your décor.
So if you have spare time this lockdown, why not make decluttering your media centre a priority, freeing your space and your mind of all that unnecessary visual noise?
James Daniels is a freelance writer, business enthusiast, a bit of a tech buff, and an overall geek. He is also an avid reader, who can while away hours reading and knowing about the latest gadgets and tech, whilst offering views and opinions on these topics.
