|
So with my recent self-gratifying milestones, went ahead and bought myself a new toy in the form of a 55" LED TV from walmart for $450. Nothing fancy, no 4K 3D, smartness, or 240hz, but an upgrade over my aging 32" that makes annoying buzzing noises. Now the problem is sticking the 55" over the 32" will make it hard for me to wank so close to the screen and/or watch movies.
After a mild scolding from the wife for buying too much TV, I figured the room could use a better layout. Here's what our bonus room looks like. Sorry non-soccerfans, I measured in inches!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/EVtaza1.png)
Legend: + Show Spoiler +
Basically the bottom grayed out half is the wife's space (also it is slightly elevated with steps), and above the line is my man-cave. The wife has her painting, beading, whatever projects randomly spread about.
EDIT: Some additional considerations from a reply below:
+ Show Spoiler +But I guess I should add a few more variables into the mix: ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/MosIcmK.png) 1) The kid is getting everywhere. He is climbing on top of chairs to climb on top of desks/tables/3rd shelves, etc.. Locating the TV in the middle of the room is going to eventually lead to the pulling a cable and toppling the tv onto his head. Most likely the TV will be wall mounted eventually. 2) Cables. The TV currently has a bunch of cables as shown by the black fuzz. The majority of my computer equipment is on top of the desk (including UPS, laptop, trashcan....). The PC and PS3 are connected to the receiver which has 4 surround sound speakers I have currently located at the red fuzzy dots that would need to be re-arranged. 3) Viewing distance. According to the lazy bible (wikipedia), the optimal viewing distance for my current 32" is 4ft which is close to the distance from my chair to the current TV. With a 55" it says it is 7ft. ( Link ) 4) I'd like to be able to see the TV while looking at the 2 (redline) LCDs on my desk. Even if I'm being forced to watch True Blood. 5) If the wife is painting from the gray area, she'd like to see the TV as well, but not required. So tall shelves along the dahed line in essentially the middle of the room aren't ideal.
I've made two configurations that don't seem all that good, so am fishing for ideas.
Config A:
+ Show Spoiler +
Config B:
+ Show Spoiler +
Poll: Which config?Neither! (see awesome ms paint masterpiece I have provided) (5) 56% A (3) 33% B (1) 11% 9 total votes Your vote: Which config? (Vote): A
(Vote): B
(Vote): Neither! (see awesome ms paint masterpiece I have provided)
|
Im sure there is a better way to go about this, im no master designer though. Perhaps you could move/get rid of some of the shelving so you could have more space to make a better layout. Just my 2 cents.
|
Here's what I would do. I've been in a few rich houses in my day and I've always seen the tv sofa desk configuration as so. ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/WjD5ymg.png)
You could even swap the two top shelves in the pic with the tv and sofa respectively depending on space and position of the tv for more centered for the computer users. But I never liked seeing a tv in the corner, and with one this size you really won't have to turn your head at all to see the screen.
Because chairs are naturally higher than sofas it makes a lot of sense to have the desks behind the sofa and not the other way around. Cheers!
Better windows?
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/5Kr9fmb.png)
|
Both options are either worse or not much better than the original. I'd suggest rethinking this dude, I really don't see the positives. Config B is better, but not by much because it constricts the room severely, though if you do want to make a change, I'd use that one.
|
(Does the door in the room open out to the right? No door?)
Here's my suggestion:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/CH1sklx.jpg)
* 6 feet between TV and person-on-sofa ( http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/hdtv-set-up/ )
* Enough space between furniture to comfortably walk through the room.
* Space around/behind computer chairs to not feel crammed in.
* Tall shelves against walls, trying not to block windows.
The downsides...
- The TV is an island so it'll need an extension cord running from behind the couch along the bottom of the room. Or hide the cable under a rug.
- The back of the TV is exposed to the door, might want something small behind it.
|
Also is it possible to stack the two small brown shelves?
|
You have to consider there is electrical and wiring, you don't really want it exposed in the path of travel.
|
The term "More money then sense" comes to mind 
Your room organisational skills are clearly lacking :D
And hp.Shells design is pretty awesome.
|
![[image loading]](http://img802.imageshack.us/img802/7388/lx4b.jpg)
You're welcome.
(And if you can squeeze the black shelves left to the wall then all the better)
|
Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51493 Posts
On September 05 2013 17:14 ThunderGod wrote:You're welcome. (And if you can squeeze the black shelves left to the wall then all the better)
Listen to god, god is right. God is awesome.
ALL HAIL GRAND DESIGNS MASTER /BOW
in all seriousness this is clearly the best answer and how i would have it.
Also, those green circles took me like 1hour to figure out WTF they were xD
Your legend failed 
|
I guess i better contribute a setup.
Providing the room is big enough, have a nice new table
![[image loading]](http://i40.tinypic.com/15gt1sn.jpg)
My paint skills suck ass so im guessing its going to be alot more cramped, but removing the table and the space between the desk and shelve units i dont see a problem really. Creates a nice "enclosed" area to sit and watch TV with a sort of alley into the room, almost seperating it into two seperate areas.
|
I think you need to completely redefine this setup. Like, radically. Fortunately, I see a potential for truly killer solution here.
1) The corner table should obviously stay in a corner, no question.
2) Put a sofa in the other corner, so you could be cosy and relax there.
3) Put one shelf next to the sofa - you'll be able to reach for the books easily while you're on it.
4) Another book shelf has to go somewhere to the other side of the room, I can't find a place for it here.
5) Now, here it gets tricky. Put a TV in the middle of the room, two chairs close to it and a book shelf directly in front of the TV screen. Why, you may ask? Well, television sucks anyways and this arrangement will force you to read more intead of staring into depressing news. Also, two chairs next to each other will automatically encourage eye-to-eye small talk with your wife.
6) Put computers on the ground, next to each chair. You want to have access to TeamLiquid at any time, right? And if it's ment to be like that, to avoid arguments, your wife has to be equally privileged, right? So there's a computer for her too.
7) Throw the concept of "the wife's space" and "man's cave" outside the window. Preferably with that tiny, awkward computer table. She's your wife, man. Having separate space under one roof kills marriages way too often.
8) Enjoy the final effect: + Show Spoiler +
|
Nice suggestions hp, gz, thunder, capped and pandemona. I used to run a similar configuration to hp's 1st when I was single in an apartment (only 1 desk). But I guess I should add a few more variables into the mix:
ADDITIONAL INFO!:
+ Show Spoiler +
1) The kid is getting everywhere. He is climbing on top of chairs to climb on top of desks/tables/3rd shelves, etc.. Locating the TV in the middle of the room is going to eventually lead to the pulling a cable and toppling the tv onto his head. Most likely the TV will be wall mounted eventually.
2) Cables. The TV currently has a bunch of cables as shown by the black fuzz. The majority of my computer equipment is on top of the desk (including UPS, laptop, trashcan....). The PC and PS3 are connected to the receiver which has 4 surround sound speakers I have currently located at the red fuzzy dots that would need to be re-arranged.
3) Viewing distance. According to the lazy bible (wikipedia), the optimal viewing distance for my current 32" is 4ft which is close to the distance from my chair to the current TV. With a 55" it says it is 7ft. ( Link )
4) I'd like to be able to see the TV while looking at the 2 (redline) LCDs on my desk. Even if I'm being forced to watch True Blood.
5) If the wife is painting from the gray area, she'd like to see the TV as well, but not required. So tall shelves along the dahed line in essentially the middle of the room aren't ideal.
and LOL wingpawn. That made my morning. The smaller computer desk isn't really designated the wife-puter as she uses 2 tablets and the HTPC downstairs more, its more the offline computer where I runs the illegal softwarez like Rosetta stone, 3D modelling/editing, and data archive.
Edit: added some info to OP.
|
Invade wifes space / stack the shelves (if its possible to do safely) ?
Then rotate your giant badass desk 90 degrees and youve still got the wires relatively hidden enough with enough space for your bigass TV + you can see it + no drastic changes to the layout. I dont actually know how your monitors are, but ive always been able to see a TV over mine fine personally. Depends entirely on your setup. I DO think this is going to involve getting rid of one or more of those shelves though
![[image loading]](http://i44.tinypic.com/65tp38.png)
Yep, paint skills improving.
Also whoevers idea you steal gets part of your 1 million dollars. <Austin powers meme>
|
It would be much easier if you used AutoCad =)
|
Then here's my other suggestion. The sofa people are gonna hate it though.
Edit: If possible rotate the big desk with the two monitors so that it faces the tv more instead of facing the top wall. That way your chair is less in the way of the sofa, and more situated toward the tv. The downside is you have to walk around an awkward corner to get to the other computer. Why do you need that other desk btw? Can't you just put the laptop / whatever it is, warez, on the big desk with your other monitors? like to the left or something.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/DEqm5SS.png)
Edit 2: This big new tv is REALLY turning out to be more trouble than it's worth. Can't we just go back to the little yellow one?
|
On September 05 2013 21:12 Capped wrote:Then rotate your giant badass desk 90 degrees and youve still got the wires relatively hidden enough with enough space for your bigass TV + you can see it + no drastic changes to the layout. I dont actually know how your monitors are, but ive always been able to see a TV over mine fine personally. Depends entirely on your setup. I DO think this is going to involve getting rid of one or more of those shelves though + Show Spoiler +Yep, paint skills improving.
Heh, much better paint skillz! I can invade her space, but its been sort of walled off to reduce infant mortality, so no item is required to stay. The desk is an IKEA galant corner type so your position would force me to have a 20" waistline. (im fat)
On September 06 2013 06:22 Disregard wrote:
It would be much easier if you used AutoCad =)
MS paint > autocad!!
On September 06 2013 07:00 hp.Shell wrote:Then here's my other suggestion. The sofa people are gonna hate it though. Edit: If possible rotate the big desk with the two monitors so that it faces the tv more instead of facing the top wall. That way your chair is less in the way of the sofa, and more situated toward the tv. The downside is you have to walk around an awkward corner to get to the other computer. Why do you need that other desk btw? Can't you just put the laptop / whatever it is, warez, on the big desk with your other monitors? like to the left or something. + Show Spoiler +Edit 2: This big new tv is REALLY turning out to be more trouble than it's worth. Can't we just go back to the little yellow one?
Good suggestion. I was leaning towards just putting the TV in the current location and just move my LCDs out of the way or take one LCD out and just using the TV as a 55" monitor (tv tuner!). I'd have to pull the desk a bit back at least. I will see after work today! Really don't want to have to rerun wires as they are all tie wrapped and hidden away mostly! /lazy
|
|
|
Unpacked the TV, and it's a bit more unwieldy than I imagined, and realized I had cut the speaker wires to length for exactly the current position (bad idea) so may be stuck with a lame configuration! Might get a new TV stand if I can't reuse something as the current stand can't even really hold the tv base safely.
|
I hate looking > 90° to see the TV D-:
|
Alright, here's the first swing at it:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/3Q2oqDv.png)
1) Moved big desk back to have a better viewing angle
2) Sofa into the middle of the room next to shelf to create a little 'nook'/play area with kid in sight.
3) Moved desk out into outland.
4) Watched Zombieland for the 8th time.
I ended up moving a cabinet with drawers (orange box) into the room to put it on since the kid has basically made the first 5' of shelves unusable. So far it isn't too bad. The sofa is at the minimum recommended range for the TV, and my chair is under that, but I'm ok with it so far. Watching the US Open and being able to see the ball was nice. Wife still thinks sofa is too close, and has protested by watching from a Poang.
Thanks for reading :-D
edit: this is what I'm forced to watch now:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/J1Z4Hbp.png)
NFL on the left, Tiwtch in the middle, and True Blood on the right -_-
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/IXyigcS.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/CriDXwo.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/8LBmiLJ.png)
![[image loading]](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/802/lx4b.jpg/)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/0rmc5MM.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/uQOTkPM.jpg)
