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TV consoles are moving on up

By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, February 24, 2008

Height 'not a negative'
An emerging essential

High Point — As flat-panel televisions continue to drive changes throughout the furniture business, television consoles are becoming a lot like your kids.

They're growing up fast.

Not all that long ago, virtually all consoles were designed so the television was 24 to 28 inches off the floor. But today, those units appear vertically challenged.

Consoles that are 32 to 38 inches tall are becoming commonplace, and it's not unusual to top 40 inches in height.

"The demand for the taller units is going to be there," said Rob Halsten, vice president of product development at Peters-Revington. "Wherever you have a flat-screen TV — the living room, great room or bedroom — people are asking for more height."

Peters-Revington was one of several resources that unveiled taller consoles at last month's Las Vegas Market, and many more such pieces are expected at the High Point Market in April.

Part of the impetus for the taller units, according to producers, is the tendency to put large screen flat-panel televisions in oversize rooms. A taller console makes viewing easier from just about anywhere in the room.

And some homeowners have gone so far as to mount their high-tech TV on the wall above the fireplace.

Height 'not a negative'

"The fireplace mantle established that height is not a negative with plasma or LCD TVs," said Hank Long, senior vice president of merchandising and design at Hooker.

According to Long, Hooker has two consoles at 36 inches high that are among its best sellers, and said that some dealers have asked the company to design models that are 42 inches high.

"You could see consoles continue to get higher, but I'm not sure how high they will go," he said. "I think the style of the piece will determine the height."

West Allen, marketing director at Parker House, believes the size of the television screen is also a factor in determining the proper height for a console. Currently, his company's tallest model is 33 inches, but that's for a console that's just 42 inches wide.

At Parker House, consoles that are 52 inches wide are 30 inches tall, while those 65 inches wide (which accommodate screen sizes above 50 inches) are just 27 inches tall. That reflects his belief that larger screen sizes don't need to be as high off the floor.

"All of our consoles used to be 24 inches off the floor ... but that has gone out the window," Allen said. "Customers have said they want the TV higher, so we are adjusting the heights of the consoles."

Some of the tallest consoles, however, are designed for the bedroom, where additional height is needed so the TV screen is above the footboard. Such pieces are at least 40 inches tall, and some producers have included other high-tech features such as iPod docking stations and charging stations for cell phones and laptop computers.

More recently, a few resources have taken this concept a bit further and designed pieces that combine features of a TV console and a chest of drawers. Not surprisingly, most companies are calling them entertainment chests.

An emerging essential

"When you design a new bedroom group in the future, an entertainment chest will be as essential to the collection as an armoire was five years ago," said Don Essenberg, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Magnussen Home.

Magnussen was one of at least four producers (including Aspenhome, Broyhill and Riverside) that unveiled entertainment chests last month in Las Vegas, and more are on the horizon at markets later this year.

Essenberg said sales of bedroom armoires have dwindled because they won't accommodate most flat-panel TVs. And as consumers replace older TVs in bedrooms, he's convinced the bedroom chest will become a key to a bedroom group sale at retail.

"We don't see people just buying the (entertainment) chest in place of the dresser and mirror," he said. "We think they'll need both."

Renee Loper, marketing director at Aspenhome, said her company's new entertainment chests are 40 inches tall (Magnussen's are 42 inches), and eventually will be added to all bedroom groups.

"All of them have cedar-lined drawers and other features you would normally find in a chest of drawers," she said.

Aspen's new European Memoirs collection includes a chest with a small glass door and shelves for components in the middle of the unit. Other resources have opted for fold-down drawers at the top of the chest that can accommodate components or be used for clothing storage.

"There is definitely a need for this in the marketplace," Loper added.

Hooker's Long, in fact, is living proof of that. Later this year, he's planning to put a flat-panel TV in place of a cheval mirror that now rests atop a 50-inch-tall chest in his bedroom.

"The height will be perfect for the TV," he quipped.

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