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kavita10

Husband vs. Wife: a Family Room Challenge

kavita10
il y a 8 ans
It's been 4 years since I had an interior designer draw up plans for a custom wall unit with a fireplace. The 50 inch electric fireplace is still sitting in the garage. My husband will not let me build a custom unit from one end of the wall to the other. He claims he needs the space for his various sound system pieces (subwoofer, speakers) As a result I need to leave a couple of feet on either side.
I asked our interior designer if there was anything we could do to accommodate my husbands preferences. She said leaving space on either side would not look pleasing...and that she was unable to help us.
Surely there is something that we an do. Anything is better than what we have going on now!
Any suggestions would be most appreciated. I need your help to end the standoff between my husband and I
Réponse sélectionnée
  • PRO
    Urbana Design Studio
    il y a 8 ans

    I would recommend that you design your husband's subwoofer and various components into the cabinetry. We have done this several times and it looks great. I definitely think the cabinets going across the entire wall will look better. - Shannon

    Commentaires (19)

    • kavita10
      Auteur d'origine
      il y a 8 ans
      These were the original plans.
    • PRO
      Easy Clean Toothbrush Holder
      il y a 8 ans
      Dernière modification :il y a 8 ans

      What about speakers in the ceiling - don't some of them look a bit like recessed lights nowadays

    • Judy Mishkin
      il y a 8 ans


      draw a scale picture of your wall, and put on it *exactly* every piece of equipment, have your husband decide how far apart and how high the speakers should be, along with the tv and the fireplace, and then give that drawing to a cabinet maker/designer/contractor whoever is going to be on board with this. include a color print out of the style of cabinetry you want.

      there is no reason why this cannot be worked out without tears.

    • acm
      il y a 8 ans

      Another vote for incorporating the stereo components, like you did the TV components. Make a space in the lower-left cabinet for the subwoofer (which can be enclosed, I think), and then make sure that the other speaker scan be fit into the upper shelves or side cabinets (open). Or redesign the cabinets to all be open, or have some "closed" with speaker mesh, or have just a couple of lower cupboards.


      Traditional Living Room · Plus d'infos

      This honestly shouldn't be a stand-off. Start with a new designer, and explain that you need the fireplace, the TV, and the stereo parts all taken into account. Include your husband in the design process -- remind him that he's going to get much better sound with his speakers spread apart than he does with them all huddled under a table, whether it's for music or gaming!! (Also, if he drags his feet, see if there's a carrot you could add, like some bar storage space or something.)

      Saratoga Home · Plus d'infos


      Small Bespoke in Brooklyn Heights · Plus d'infos

      You didn't ask for other design input, but I'd plan to have all of this built painted white, like your trim, rather than installing a disconnected wall of darkness into this airy space.

    • kavita10
      Auteur d'origine
      il y a 8 ans
      Thank you for your suggestions! I agree it should be wall to wall but my husband's concern is that the subwoofer cannot be enclosed, it affects the sound. Is that true?
    • kavita10
      Auteur d'origine
      il y a 8 ans
      Also, the designer was trying to match the wall unit to the kitchen cabinets. Would white cabinets still look fine?
    • Jillian - Interior design student
      il y a 8 ans

      A compartment in your cabinetry or entertainment center is a great place to conceal a sub. Many recommend a front-firing model for in-cabinetry use. Side- and down-firing subs tend to create more cabinet rattle since they send sound waves directly into a cabinet surface.

      Keep the space around the woofer enclosure to a minimum to reduce unwanted resonances from this 'secondary enclosure.' The cabinet's interior will have a resonant frequency all its own that will exaggerate this range unnecessarily, muddying up the bass. If you can't minimize the space, stuff fairly dense batting or insulation around the sides and back to reduce the level of this resonance. To hide the sub behind closed doors, make sure the doors aren't solid but rather a material like speaker-grille cloth or perforated metal to allow bass to flow into the room.

    • acm
      il y a 8 ans

      If it can't be enclosed (I thought it could), then make an open cube cabinet to exactly fit it (or a better one -- carrot! heh). A lot of what a subwoofer does happens in the floor. But speaker cloth (notice the first photo in my examples above) should do the trick too.

      It's fine to have white cabinets, even if you can see the kitchen from there. The decision is usually whether you want to showcase the cabinets or make them part of the room's background. Usually the contents of the shelves are busy enough...

    • acm
      il y a 8 ans

      Some research on subwoofers indicates that enclosing them is not idea. However, they also don't need to be right close to the rest of the system, so it should be easy to, say, put that part in a corner behind the couch or something. You could get some advice at a stereo store about the best kind of subwoofer to use in your particular room and/or enclosure. In the wall might be best (again: carrot!) and even better than the current setup.

      http://www.avsforum.com/forum/113-subwoofers-bass-transducers/1081346-can-sub-placed-cabinet-does-need-exposed-open.html

      http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/down-in-the-corner-tips-on-how-not-to-set-up-that-subwoofer-you-just-bought/

      http://community.crutchfield.com/Home_Theater_and_Audio/f/11/home-a-v-components-speakers/t/15422/subwoofer-inside-cabinet

    • Judy Mishkin
      il y a 8 ans

      "my husband says" that subwoofer can be anywhere in the room, but not stuffed deeply into a corner, a foot from the wall is good. so really it can go in another location in the area.

    • Judy Mishkin
      il y a 8 ans

      ha, was doing my research same time as acm.

    • Jessica Kerry Mack
      il y a 8 ans

      It's possible that the current subwoofer may not be a model that should be enclosed. You could potentially wire it so it went to a different part of the room but that probably isn't the best solution either. Ask him if he's ever considered replacing the subwoofer with (please excuse the name) the ButtKicker? It fastens to the bottom of the chairs in the room out of sight but relays all the subsonic sensations. http://www.thebuttkicker.com/

    • avery2pt0
      il y a 8 ans
      Dernière modification :il y a 8 ans

      Kavita, you're getting some great advice. So, just to chime in re: the color.....yes, I think white would look fine as long as it's the same white paint that's on your baseboards/trim work currently.

    • Judy Mishkin
      il y a 8 ans

      you have dark furniture, on the far side of the chair on the left would be a fine place for the subwoofer. you can put a coaster on top.

    • PRO
      Nandina Home & Design
      il y a 8 ans

      Here is one of our designs. Hopefully it will help you move things along.

      Classic Inspired · Plus d'infos

    • shirlpp
      il y a 8 ans

      After 4 years, do you still want the electric fireplace in this space. Can you put it somewhere else.

      Southampton · Plus d'infos

    • hiccup4
      il y a 7 ans

      Did you ever find a solution? I'm having the same issues with a pair of floor speakers. Would love to know if you made a decision!

    • PRO
      Harmonic Series
      il y a 7 ans

      We prefer to eliminate these kinds of issues with Amina invisible in-ceiling speakers. The design is not compromised and everyone gets what they want. Let me know if this helps.

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