Molly needed a TV cabinet that also housed the stereo speakers, DVD player, and cable box.  We both wanted the speakers contained, so they were integrated into the cabinet behind white speaker grille cloth.  The handles are cocobolo wood with bronze stand-offs by Hawkeye.

Molly is a fond collector of all the arts, including and especially music.  She wanted open and enclosed shelves for her records, CD's, and stereo equipment.  Molly's house was built in the 1950's and has a luxurious, minimalist Hollywood atmosphere.  The stereo should be easy to use, for parties, private listening, or any occassion.  Witht the design, I tried to strike a balance between a cabinet that blended in to the house and called just enough attention to itself.

This piece was the last piece the designer placed in the livingroom.  The owner wanted a new TV and a unique piece of furniture that would hide components and wires.  

The designer wanted the piece to reference the mid-century modern architecture and furnishings while still making a strong statement of it's own.

Since the development of LCD and Plasma televisions I've produced a nmber of solutions to replace the deep cabinet and still hide the bulkier component of a sound system.  This exploration has led me to more sculptural furniture forms as well as a more dynamic use of materials. 

These projects were commissioned by Castleview Productions for their new office in central Austin. We designed these projects to meet their budget, and we built and delivered everything to meet their time frame. During the design phase, they gave us plenty of room to use our imaginations. To keep costs down, we specified stained maple, painted formaldehyde-free mdf, and ordinary steel. And we even used a salvaged stainless steel refrigerator door for the bar in the kitchen!

Michael Benedikt teaches architecture at the University of Texas.  He was my teacher and, for a short while, my boss when he had an architecture firm.  Michael designed this media center for his remodeled living room in a cool mid-century house.  Visually, the cabinet is made of an outer layer, a C-channel in section, made of burled birch and painted black on the inside.  Within that layer are the operable components, doors and drawers covered in madrone burl.  Michael found industrial ball joint bearings for the handles, which swivel nicely around your finger as you swing open the door.  Everything fits inside including the TV, stereo, speakers, CD's, cassettes, cable box, DVD player, and air conditioning ducts which blow from custom grilles on the ends.