Wednesday, June 2, 2004

Flat panel TVs find new home in kitchens and baths

When you walk into a model home these days, you can’t help but notice the latest trend in kitchens. Designers are going out of their way to cut down on the clutter.

Appliances that used to sit on countertops, like coffee makers, toaster ovens and juicers, are now being hidden away in appliance garages or mounted underneath cabinets; and cooking utensils that used to hang from walls are now being stored in drawers. But what about those bulky 13-inch televisions that used to sit on the counter? They too are being moved up, and relocation isn’t the only transformation they’re undergoing.

Today’s new kitchens are being equipped with LCD flat panel televisions that can swivel in all different directions, and can even be folded under the counter when not in use.

“We’ve seen a huge boom in demand for smaller flat panels that can be squeezed into tight spaces and moved out of the way when not in use,” said Russell Iverson, president of AudioVideo Dimensions, a national custom installer of A/V gear based in Minneapolis, Minn.

“Our customers really love them for their ease of adjustment as they move around the room. And the reason they’re so easy to adjust is that we always use Sanus VisionMounts in our installations,” he added.

The VisionMount line by St. Paul, Minn.-based Sanus Systems, allows flat panel TVs to be installed in virtually any application, including walls, ceilings, under cabinets and even around corners. The mounts are designed to handle any adjustment need without tools. All you’ll need to do is use the hand-tightened tension knobs to set the tension as desired. Then, you can simply grab the TV and swivel it, again and again. The tension will always remain constant, so there’s no need to adjust the knob every time you move the TV.

Kitchens aren’t the only room where these mounts are popular. Iverson says his company is also being asked to install them in offices, bedrooms and bathrooms.

“Before wall mounted flat panel TVs were available, it didn’t make much sense to have a regular TV in the bathroom, especially, because of a lack of space. Now, though, with a wall mount, a viewer can adjust the screen to follow the bathroom action, from soaking in a warm tub to brushing one’s teeth at the sink,” he said.

Get a flat panel TV installed in your bathroom, and the kids will no longer be able to use the excuse, “I’ll brush when my show is over, Mom.”

Sanus Systems has many models in the VisionMount line to meet every mounting and positioning need. Products are available at thousands of A/V stores nationwide. A store near you can be located at www.sanus.com.

— ARA Content