DIY Modern TV Table

Width and Height

• Your TV table can be wide or narrow, short or tall. Determine the dimensions based on both the width of your TV and your desired placement of other components, such as DVD players, VCRs, CD systems and game consoles.

  Wide tables not only provide a stable base, they also give visual balance for large TVs, making them appear less top-heavy. If you want to make a wide table, keep it relatively low so it is less bulky than a tall table and also sleeker looking. Leave the shelves open, or cover them with short sliding doors, which are popular ways of creating a storage area.

  If you choose to build a narrow table, make it tall. Narrow tables are a good complement to smaller TV sets. They take up less floor space and are often styled to look more like cabinets, so you might prefer to use hinged doors on this style.

Construction

• Your TV table can be as simple as a top with prefabricated metal legs attached. Build the top from 2-by-4s glued together for a thick, cutting-board look, or cut it from a single piece of plywood. Cover the edges of the plywood with edging tape or molding.

  Construct a box from plywood or lumber for a table with added storage. Tops on wide tables need extra support, so provide this with dividers spaced out inside the box. Add premade legs or homemade wooden legs to raise the box to the desired height.

  A well-designed TV table helps route connecting wires neatly. Add short tubes or channels along your table’s back edges to help keep the wiring together. Or use a double back (two back panels with a space between) to eliminate the tangle; the wires hang between the two panels, out of sight.

Storage

• Add thin sliding doors of Plexiglass or wood to hide clutter, or leave the front open for easy access. And while shelves or cabinets are part of many popular designs, it is rare to see a TV table with drawers. Design the storage area primarily for the entertainment accessories, rather than other items.

  On occasion, builders create a tall, narrow table with no cabinetry underneath, striving instead for the airy look of a column with two or three shelves attached. Build one of these “towers” in a minimalist-style room; they are less desirable if you have a lot of equipment in your system.