Give Your Media Center a DIY Makeover With These 10 Creative Projects

In days long past, the fireplace was considered the heart of a home. It was where the family would gather to bask in the warmth and glow of the flames, eat dinner, and trade stories about their day.

But nowadays, the heart of the home is the media center! This is where we gather with our families to spend time together after a long day at work and school. Quite often we eat in front of the TV, and it is here where we gather to watch stories in the form of films and television shows.

So naturally you want the media center to look amazing, and to capture the essence of your home. It should fit in with the rest of your decor, and it should say something about the personality of your household. There are ways to disguise your flat screen tv which we already covered.

But all too often, the media center is just really "blah." You set up your basic console table, hang your flat-screen on the wall, and call it good.

Wouldn't it be awesome if you could transform your media center or TV stand into something incredible?

As it turns out, there are a lot of fantastic DIY projects to do just that online! Here are a few of my favorites!

1. Build a Wood Pallet Accent Wall

One simple way to spruce up your media center is to install a wood accent wall. This gives the media center a warm, cozy texture, and a rustic sensibility. The supplies are fairly basic, and while the project is intensive, you can do it in an afternoon if you are reasonably experienced with woodworking. Visit the link below for a full list of materials and a step-by-step tutorial!

Tutorial and free plans: shadesofblueinteriors

2. Create a Built-In TV Wall Unit

Don't want your TV hanging on the wall, but don't want to settle for a basic console table either? One great idea is to build a wall unit which incorporates the TV while providing you with cabinet space for your DVDs on the bottom and separate compartments for your consoles and players. All along the sides and top are additional shelves for décor. This wall unit is compact, but provides ample space. Visit the source link to learn more about this clever design.

Tutorial and free plans: downrightsimple

3. Customize a Rustic Console Table.

If you are feeling less ambitious, this project may be easier to tackle. Here you see a rustic console table which was customized in terms of length and height and given a dark walnut finish. It just goes to show, you do not necessarily need to build something from scratch to have a beautiful, personalized stand for your TV.

Tutorial and free plans: paddingtonway

4. Build Minimalist Shelving Around Your Wall-Mounted TV.

Here is a completely different approach to a customized media center. For this DIY project, you mount the TV on the wall, and then create a system of free-standing shelves around it. Doing it this way gives the room a more open feel, while effectively using all the space. You will find a full tutorial at the link.

Tutorial and free plans: lowes

5. Create Simple Rustic Shelves for a Homespun Look.

What if you just do not have a lot of wall space to work with, and you are confined to a very small area? This project from Shanty 2 Chic does a marvelous job transforming a small section of wall into a beautiful rustic media center. Free plans are available at the link!

Tutorial and free plans: shanty-2-chic

6. Go For a Vintage Feel with an Industrial Entertainment Center.

This project was a winner in a design contest. The entire media center was constructed out of PVC and metal casters. This is very different from any other DIY media center project you are going to find, and creates such a cool industrial ambiance! While there are no instructions, you can get a pretty good idea how he made it by looking closely at the photo.

Tutorial and free plans: amli

7. Make Effective Use of Corner Space.

Few things are more aggravating than discovering you need to put your media center in the corner of a room; but sometimes that is simply the only space that you have to work with. It is hard to do that with a traditional console table effectively, because they are just not created to use corner space efficiently. If that is your situation, it is well worth your time to construct a corner media center like this one! It is a great way to free up some space in a crowded room.

Tutorial and free plans: rogueengineer

8. Build This Gorgeous Wood Media Center.

If you want to go with a traditional wall media center which functions as an all-in-one unit, here is a lovely design which provides you with cabinets, shelving, and plenty of space for a huge flat screen TV. Full project specifications and step-by-step instructions with diagrams can be found at the link below.

Tutorial and free plans: ana-white

9. Integrate a Desk.

One of the best ways to conserve space in a cramped home or apartment is to double up on how you use that space. This media center serves double duty, also functioning as a home office complete with a desk, shelves, and filing cabinets.

Tutorial and free plans: bespokemillworknyc

10. Build a Sliding Door Console Table.

This project comes from Ana White, who also brought us the beautiful wood media center in #8. Sliding door console tables using old barn doors or other reclaimed wood are all the rage right now, and will fit in perfectly with other homespun décor. Learn how to make them at the link below.

Tutorial and free plans: ana-white

So there you go—there is a lot you can do right now to revitalize the look and feel of your media center. The media center is the heart of the modern home, so it should reflect your personality. While many of the ideas above are quite involved and will take a fair amount of work, a few of them could be put together within an afternoon. Any one of these projects can beautify your media center or TV stand and liven up one of the most important rooms in your household!