Materials: Besta
Description: "How did you find a TV that fits perfectly with Besta?"
It's surprising, but I actually heard many times friends asking me that when looking out our media center installation.
At the beginning of this project, my girlfriend chose the Besta at Ikea and told me that it would fit well in our living room, with plenty of storage place. Fine, but I found that all the TV frames sold by Ikea were ugly and did not provide adequate hiding for all the mess involved with the rather "DIY" style I have.
Then I found the idea of using the Besta TV element, devised to go with sliding doors, but with opening doors, cut to size. My goal was to have the TV included in the neat surface of all the white gloss Besta doors. I also wanted to have access to the back side of the TV, for easier cable modifications. At last I wanted to spare some of the space behind the TV for storage of electronic stuff...
I ended with the solution displayed in the pics.
Installation steps:
- cut a thick (15mm or so) plywood sheet to hold the TV set, with holes for venting and cables access;
- install it in the Besta, keeping in mind the depth of the TV set, so that everything aligns at the end of the trip;
- hang the TV on it. down to the knees, small prayer, everything holds!
- cut the doors to match the size of the tv set. I used first a jigsaw for the rough cut, but for a perfect look, I used a handheld router with a copy bit, with a metallic rule as a guide. I am pretty satisfied with the final result (that was a challenge which my father and brother told me "you'll never have a straight cut on Ikea". Then I added a finishing black liner. I do not mention all the adjustment back and forth steps.
- install doors with a bit of adaptation, since it is not designed for that...
- close everything and enjoy!
optional:
- install a fan to force hot air (40-50°C) out. (not yet done)
- drill 2 holes in the bottom, install IR LEDs for Wii bar replacement...
Final steps:
- Wait for the reaction of friends.
- Take pics for ikea hacker
- Pray your TV set do not die, you'll probably end up cutting a new door, and that's painful.
~ Jerome Samson, Paris, France
Sweet!
ReplyDeleteProbably one of the best hacks ever.
ReplyDeleteReally, really great work!
ReplyDeleteToo much prayer involved. Otherwise, this is a sweet hack!
ReplyDeletewow this is brilliant!
ReplyDeleteThis must be the best looking hack ever, by far.
ReplyDeleteIt looks really neat and futuristic.
By George I think he's done it! Very slick way to house the boob tube. Not much room for error but well worth the effort if you have the skills. I saw a someone mount a 2 way mirror in frame and mount it in front of there flat screen that was pretty slick too. Oh, what lengths we will go to for modernity :).
ReplyDeleteVery neat. If it gets too hot in there, a possibility would be to install a vent on the side of the element. Apparently there are some very neatly positioned plants to hide it.
ReplyDeleteBest. Hack. Ever. Stunning!
ReplyDeleteThe result is very impressive :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteQ: What is the size/weight of the TV? I wonder if the hinge and BESTA side wall will hold up in long run.
Un des tous meilleur Hack Ikea.
ReplyDeleteEt en plus un Frenchi comme moi, youpi...
@all: thanks for the comments, I appreciate very much, since it is my first submission to this wonderful website.
ReplyDeleteMuch of the result quality results from the use of a router with a copy/trimming router bit: jigsaw is not an adequate tool for cutting these glossy thick and hardwood Besta doors.
@wye luon: TV is a 42" Samsung set weighing about 15kg. so far no problems with that weight. The side wall of the Besta, is a laminated sandwich, quite thick. I only open the system for access to the back, but I think it would not raise more issues to let open for a few hours. On the right side of the TV set, there are resting blockers, so that the weight is distributed on both sides when the system is closed, and used a quite wide opening between the two hinges on the left side, to minimize the effort moment.
@benoit: vent fan is already purchased but not installed yet. I plan to install it rather on the back side of the element (I have 1-2cm free on the back, to compensate for non linearity of the wall).
Another improvement I've planned is to add a small mirror on the left side of the TV, inside the element, to ease the plugging of USB devices,etc. to the left side plugs of the TV (as seen in the last pic).
I wish I had a boyfriend as handy and ingenious as you
ReplyDeleteMy God this is BRILLIANT !
ReplyDeleteReally amazing.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll copy your hack for the 40" Samsung for the house we're moving to soon.
I'm thinking to change few things to allow WII, SKY Decoder and PS3 remote controls to work, maybe hiding the receivers behind a plexiglass covered hole.
Anyway, great hack.
Congratulations
Stefano
@stefano: if you look carefully, the bottom part is the regular drawers from the Besta TV element, which front face is already semi-transparent glass. I have a IR sensor for the media center remote controller placed there, and other IR-things as well. The only issue so far is the Wii-bar which needs to be centered, and at this place there's a vertical wood bar in the middle!
ReplyDeleteanyway, feel free to copy and send pics of your set!
j'apprécie tout particulièrement le fond d'écran des ogres ;)
ReplyDeletenice job, sinon.
This might be a stupid question, but I haven't been able to find anything on the Ikea site. What did you use for the actual door panels?! I have the Besta Boas TV unit and a toddler, and love the idea of being able to add the doors (minus holes) to this unit to hide the TV away safely. Great hack, really looks stunning!
ReplyDelete@sushibass: I used standard Besta Tofta doors (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70178467) cut to size. Ikea suggest to combine Besta Boas with sliding doors, but you have then to add one Besta element on each side of the Boas to have room for sliding the doors open, and you end up with at any moment either the Boas or the side elements uncovered.
ReplyDeleteThis is great - I was looking for a similar solution to integrate one of those ventless bio-fuel fireplaces. Does anyone have experience with integrating such a fireplace in a Besta? I am not sure if one has to use some special material to shield the wood from the heat of the ventless fireplace. Any recommendations?
ReplyDeleteThat it so sleek. Looks like it is made in the future, I love the look.
ReplyDelete@Seven11 : are you sure you want to burn ethanol in a wooden piece of furniture?
ReplyDeleteWith a good TV, you can have a nice fake fireplace... without open fire, and release of lots of CO2 and other things in your quiet living room.
Happy to see that story in Appartment Therapy/unplugged :
ReplyDeletehttp://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/hacks/home-theater-features-hdtv-that-fits-flush-into-furntiture-133134
@Jerome: I have seen a pretty stunning example here http://www.ecosmartfire.com/en/case-studies/2827/from-idea-to-reality which looks exactly like the Besta furniture. Thus I wanted to kno wheather anybody has some experience and or ideas...
ReplyDeleteThis DEFINITELY is the best hack of this year!!!
ReplyDeleteJerome: I wanted to have something similar to this wall system with an integrated ethanol fireplace which is super sleek: http://www.ecosmartfire.com/en/case-studies/2827/from-idea-to-reality
ReplyDeleteAs the whole systems looks like the BESTA, I came up with the idea of integrating it... and a TV is just not the same :)
Nice !
ReplyDeleteOn the first picture there is a wallpapper ?
what about TV NEEDS TO VENT THE HOT AIR....?
ReplyDeleteNOT GOOD FOR LIFE OF TV.
Could somebody please tell me what the inner measures are of the 2 drawer spaces at the top of the Beasta Boas part?
ReplyDeleteLenght is 120 cm, height is 90 cm.
ReplyDeleteI'm confused. ON the top picture it appears you have split lines through the TV screen, as though it's just drawn onto the doors of the unit. Is the top picture the mock up of what you were going to do, before you did it?
ReplyDeleteCould somebody please tell me what the inner measures are of the 2 drawer spaces at the top of the Beasta Boas part?
ReplyDeleteNice. It would be even nice it TV would be white as well.
ReplyDeleteAlso you need some openings to create air flow. Most TV components should not reach higher then 100 degrees C.
Great stuff. Unfortunately our living room is too small for following your hack, but its a huge inspiration. Thanks a lot.
ReplyDeleteJ'adore!
ReplyDeleteThis may be a stupid question but how did you do the pretty fabric on the doors, the butterflies and flowers?
ditto on the question posed regarding the first photo? is that a mockup with lines drawn? or what?
ReplyDeleteAre you able to tell us what pieces of Besta we need to make the whole unit please? Great work!
ReplyDeleteJerome said:"- install a fan to force hot air (40-50°C) out. (not yet done)"
ReplyDeleteBetter than force hot air out is force fresh air in. But the best is two fans, one with filter, on the bottom forcing the fresh air entrance and the other on top to help the hot air come out.
I had this solution on a cpu case made with a Ikea Faktum with a motherbord+cpu, power supply, UPS, NAS, router, etc, inside for years and no dust or hot air inside.
I had 2 12cm fans with air filter for the fresh air and the other one for the hot air. Always putting more air than extracting, keeping air pressure inside from the fresh and filtered air intake. Door sealed. Fans were running at 9VDC instead of 12VDC, so I had no noise issues. Don't forget to wash the filters once a month.
BEST HACKOF ALL TIME ! BRAVO
ReplyDeleteI guess you need to have doors opened to use remote for the players we can see above the TV unit, or did you find a trick?
ReplyDeleteWell mate I'm both jealous and amazed. Keep up the good work, amazing site !
ReplyDeleteI am seriously dying to know how you made the colourful panels. Is that fabric, or wall paper, or what? It looks sooooo goooood.
ReplyDeleteThis is crafty as f***! Well done, sir. Well done.
ReplyDeletethis is all sorts of amazing!
ReplyDeletealso, I noticed les ogres de barback :D