Borzak Design has been involved in custom home theater cabinet designs and installation for over 20 years, long before there was even a name for this concept.  Now it is considered a must have design for today’s modern home.  If you are serious about a home theater system, than a cabinet designed specifically for this application is just about a necessity.  Though there are a number of furniture manufacturers who provide generic designs for home theater, these offer little more than a compromise system.  Even for manufacturers that are specializing in this application, it is difficult to find something that precisely matches your AV component selection and room requirements.  Considering the investment involved in setting up a home theater room, the cabinet can and should be as important and critical consideration as the other components of the system.

The challenge is figuring out some way to integrate these systems into the living space of the average home without creating an overwhelming monster.  This is compounded by the fact that most existing homes were not designed to accommodate these complex pieces of casework.
 
As with most large projects, major home theater installations require a team effort.  Besides the cabinet designer, the project may involve one or more equipment suppliers, a system installer with a detailed wiring plan, a general contractor, an interior designer, the cabinetmaker and maybe even an acoustical engineer.

A mid-level system will probably only require the involvement of the cabinet designer and cabinetmaker/installer and the AV equipment supplier/installer.  Just like in the early design stages of a kitchen or bath, leaving the design up to the cabinetmaker or general contractor is leaving yourself open for considerable disappointment in the end; resulting in a less than fully integrated design (form follows function).   It is not enough for the cabinet to look good and be built well; it is imperative that the cabinet be designed to meet the unique demands of a home theater system.

Once again, a good preliminary plan not only minimizes surprises, it also is more cost effective.  Keeping in mind, that today’s home entertainment systems usually involve not only the family room/TV room but also other rooms in the house; the kitchen, home office, outdoor deck, bedrooms; and ideally they can or should be interconnected with each other (i.e. cable, phones, internet and home networking of the computers).