TV
• For storage, options include an entertainment unit, armoire, deep shelves, retrofitted cabinets or custom built-ins.
• Keep remotes in a basket or other tabletop container, or in an over-the-armchair remote holder.
• Store DVDs and tapes on shelves, preferably in a closed cabinet.
• Devise a system for taping and viewing. If you have tons of unlabelled tapes, here's a plan for ridding yourself of the backlog. Scan one tape a week: toss it or label it. Label a tape Blank; when you record something you want to keep, relabel it and start a new blank tape. When you have five programmed tapes, decide which ones you'll have time to watch and rewind the rest, relabelling them Blank.
Music
• Hide your sound system or show it off. Some microsystems look so chic they add to the decor. But tuck speakers out of sight. Have an electrician (or a handyperson in the family) install a sound system with the wires hidden. An armoire or cabinet is a common solution for hiding all the components.
• Organize your music collection so it works for the users –- alphabetically or categorically (classical, pop, alternative, world, jazz, juvenile, musicals and so on). You can have subcategories within your chosen categories (male/female, group versus soloist, by composer or era for classical).
• When storing a music collection, I prefer CD binders labelled on the spine by category (ordinary three-ring binders with CD sleeves do the trick). This solution eliminates broken jewel cases and the storage needed for large collections in cases. What about the liner notes? Slip them in behind the CD or keep them in a separate CD box.
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