DIY Entertainment Center

I have been dying to not only do this project once I found it on Pinterest, but dying to share it with everyone. The only thing that has stopped me is that I wanted my house to look like other bloggers, like they live in a magazine, but with two toddlers, 2 dirty, hairy mutts, and a husband that works more hours than he's home, that just never happens.

So. I have decided that on my blog, we're gonna keep it real.

Like this. We keep our cords taped down with ACU duct tape and have paint splatters on the floor. 

Judge me.

With that said, I would like to introduce you to our newest DIY project (and I say our because I pretty much just shopped for the pretties on it)...

Before I go any further on how this beauty came about, I must give credit where credit is due. I found this on Pinterest, here. When I found it, I knew I had to have it. After a little convincing from the husband, a trip down from my father in law, and as hopping trip with my mother in law, this little beauty became mine.

Just a quick before that I snapped while we were putting painters tape on the wall to mark off where we wanted the shelves to go.

You can also get an idea from this photo

We have been using this little entertainment center that I picked up from someone in Germany and spray painted black. For a 20' wall, it definitely didn't fit the room.

I gave Mat two options, one was the one that we did, and the other was a big, massive entertainment center with the huge cabinets. With how small our living room is (even though, in this picture there are 5 adults (#6 is me behind the camera), 4 kids and 6 dogs), he figured that would be too bulky. So.. The shelves it was!

We did our shelves a little differently than the inspiration found online. They used metal brackets, and we used wood. We bought 1x12 pine boards that we painted white. The bottom boards are 10' and the two smaller ones are just under 3' long.

My FIL then took scrap board and nailed to the underside of the shelves to make brackets. They were spaced evenly along the boards to line up with our studs.

You can see that in the photo above, and below. We painted them the same color as the wall so they would blend in.

I had been real skeptical about how this was really going to work out. I couldn't really picture it in my mind, and I was really nervous. My MIL took me out shopping and when I came home and saw what had been done, I was so happy.

I'm pretty sure there was joy.

And jumping.

My loving and patient husband hooking up our entertainment systems (that frustration is coming).

Before anyone asks, we used decorative hooks instead of the hooks the original poster used, and we also used a decorative rubbed bronze chain instead of the heavy duty chain.

The hooks ARE screwed into the drywall for extra support.

Notice the paint job? I told you. We keep it real.

We used the eye hooks on the shelf and hooked the chain through it. We will eventually close the chain...

Once we find the pliers.

My husband put our satellite receiver and dvd player on the shelf and even though the boxes measured right at 12", they still hung off because of the cords. With two toddlers, I could only imagine one of them running along and knocking it off.

To fix this problem, this was the solution.

They found a scrap piece of wood up in our attic, cut it to be just a little longer than the systems, rounded the corners, nail glued it on the front, and then secured it with metal brackets on the bottom.

Unless you are right up on it, it looks amazing and like it was originally part of the design.

While I was out buying our TV mount, we stumbled across these really cool things from Patronics. There is this piece that sticks your wall and then you smush all of your cords in it, then take the cover and cover it. I have tried to find them online, but can't. If I do, I will share it with you. We painted them the same color as the wall so it blends in.

I still have some more cords to hide, and I will be looking for a box like the person in the inspiration link, but until then, we have cords.

Again.

Keeping it real.

As if the big box of toys didn't give that away.

But there you have it. It was easy. Simple. And it cost me $90 (minus all of the goodies I bought for the shelves).

You can't buy a real wood entertainment center for that anymore!