Bespoke Media Wall Storage

A media wall is usually a mix of display and concealment, and this page is about the concealment half — the drawers and cupboards that give a family somewhere to put things away rather than leave them out. Remote controls, chargers, board games, children's toys, spare cables and the general clutter of a living room all need a home, and closed storage is where that home usually is.

We start by asking what actually needs to go in the storage, since that shapes drawer depth, cupboard height and how the space is divided internally. A household storing DVDs and board games needs different proportions from one storing children's toys or spare bedding, and we would rather ask than assume.

Symmetry matters more here than in almost any other part of a media wall. Because closed storage is usually arranged either side of a television or fireplace, any mismatch in door width, handle position or drawer proportions is immediately visible. We set out the whole composition together so the two sides genuinely mirror each other, rather than being built separately and adjusted to fit afterwards.

Door style is a considerable part of how the storage reads in the room. A shaker-style frame gives a more traditional look; a flat, handleless front reads as contemporary and calm. We can also mix door and drawer combinations — say, drawers at a lower, more accessible height with cupboards above — depending on what needs to be reached most often.

Push-to-open mechanisms are a popular choice where a household wants a completely handleless front, particularly for households with young children who might otherwise pull on protruding handles. They do need a slightly firmer push than a handled door, which is worth trying before committing if you are unsure.

Children's storage deserves its own mention. Toy storage benefits from lower, easily reached cupboards with soft-close hinges so little fingers are not at risk, and deeper drawers cope better with bulky toys than shallow ones designed for DVDs or books. We will ask about the ages of children in the household so the storage actually gets used rather than becoming another cupboard that is too awkward to bother with.

Books are another common occupant of closed media wall storage, particularly where a household prefers a tidier look than open shelving allows. Adjustable shelving inside a cupboard lets book height dictate the spacing rather than a fixed shelf gap that wastes space above shorter volumes.

The aim across all of this is storage that is used rather than storage that looks good empty. We would rather build fewer, well-proportioned compartments that suit how your household actually lives than a symmetrical wall of identical doors that turns out to be the wrong shape for what needs to go inside.

Part of our media walls collection