Modern Hearth

The television has become the central element of American family life, replacing the fire place. Furniture in most living rooms are arranged theater like around the television. When the television is off, the focal point of the room becomes a dark, blank, void. Its hard to sit in a modern living room without feeling the need to turn the television on. In this design we attempted to minimize this effect by turning what is basically a storage cabinet into something that has the glow, warmth and romance of a traditional fire place. In some small way we hope that the beauty of the Modern Hearth makes it easier to turn off the television and curl up with a good book when one wants too.
This Maple and Mahogany entertainment center is divided into three zones. The lowest third contains storage for DVD�s and CD�s and a central alcove for audio/video equipment. The middle section consists of speaker cabinets and a cantilevered television mount. The mounting gives the television the appearance of floating. The top section of the entertainment center is a decorative screen. The screen is made of individual panels. Each panel is made from either solid maple or mahogany, or a thin veneer of maple or mahogany. The entire screen is backlit, and the net result is a glowing composition reminiscent of the fire place on the opposite side of the hearth.