Skip to content

Top Navigation

Real Simple Logo Real Simple Logo
  • Food
  • Home
  • Life
  • Health
  • Money
  • Style and Beauty
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • News
  • Shopping
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • My Account
  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Free Organizing App this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Real Simple

Real Simple Logo Real Simple Logo
  • Explore

    Explore

    • How to Measure Your Ring Size at Home

      How to Measure Your Ring Size at Home

      Try one of these three easy methods to make sure your ring fits perfectly, every time. Read More
    • Here's the Right Temperature for Your Refrigerator and Freezer (Because a Few Degrees Makes a Difference)

      Here's the Right Temperature for Your Refrigerator and Freezer (Because a Few Degrees Makes a Difference)

      Keeping foods chilled properly helps them last longer and stay fresher. Sticking to the ideal refrigerator temps can help you avoid potential foodborne illnesses, too. Read More
    • 34 Great Books to Suit Any Mood or Interest

      34 Great Books to Suit Any Mood or Interest

      This list has you covered, no matter how you're feeling. Read More
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food
    9 Cheeses You Can Eat Even If You're Lactose Intolerant

    9 Cheeses You Can Eat Even If You're Lactose Intolerant

    Not all dairy is created equal. 
    • Recipes
    • Real Simple Cooking School
    • Cooking Tips & Techniques
    • Shopping and Storing
    • Kitchen Tools and Products
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    • Cleaning
    • Organizing
    • Decorating
    • Gardening
    • Home Improvement
    • Green Living
    • New Uses for Old Things at Home
    • Quick Fix
    • Real Simple Home
  • Life

    Life

    See All Life
    • Family
    • Entertainment
    • Technology
    • Wedding Planning
    • Travel Ideas
    • Career
    • Get It Done
  • Health

    Health

    See All Health
    Feel Like You Don't Enjoy Anything Anymore? There's a Name for That—Here Are 8 Ways You Can Break Through It

    Feel Like You Don't Enjoy Anything Anymore? There's a Name for That—Here Are 8 Ways You Can Break Through It

    Mental health experts explain anhedonia and how you can bounce back from this joyless state of mind.
    • Preventive Health
    • Mental Health
    • Health Coach
    • Crisis Coping
    • Fitness & Exercise
    • Sleep
    • Healthy Eating
    • Well Fed
  • Money

    Money

    See All Money
    Are You Keeping Too Much Money in the Bank? Here's How to Tell

    Are You Keeping Too Much Money in the Bank? Here's How to Tell

    Putting money in the bank is smart, but too much cash savings can actually be a poor use of that money.
    • Money Confidential Podcast
    • Saving Money
    • Money Planning
    • Money Confidential
    • Spending
    • Money Etiquette
    • Invest Better
  • Style and Beauty

    Style and Beauty

    See All Style and Beauty
    How to Measure Your Bra Size at Home

    How to Measure Your Bra Size at Home

    All you need is a tape measure and a little free time.
    • Clothing
    • Skincare
    • Shoes
    • Hair
    • Clothing Care
    • Makeup
    • Hair Body Face
  • Holidays & Entertaining

    Holidays & Entertaining

    See All Holidays & Entertaining
    PowerPoint Parties Are the Party Trend You Have to Try: Here's How to Host One

    PowerPoint Parties Are the Party Trend You Have to Try: Here's How to Host One

    PowerPoint nights are the new fun way to party together—even when you're far apart.
    • All Holidays
    • Gifts
    • Father's Day
    • Passover
    • Entertaining
    • Home for the Holidays
    • Come Together
    • Hanukkah
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
  • News
  • Shopping
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • My Account
  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Free Organizing App this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Real Simple
  2. Home Cleaning
  3. Organizing
  4. Organizing More Rooms
  5. A Media Center Makeover

A Media Center Makeover

By Jennifer Scruby August 29, 2014
Skip gallery slides
FB Tweet
Credit: David Land
See before and after pictures, smart storage solutions, and space-saving gadgets.
Start Slideshow

1 of 4

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Before

Credit: David Land
At the Tennessee home of Ann and Scott Johnson, the floor-to-ceiling entertainment unit (shown) was awkwardly filled with more than 300 CDs and various DVDs and VHS tapes, stereo components and cables. Knickknacks also hogged shelf space. When Scott found big scratches on five of his all-time favorite CDs, the couple decided to take a stand.

1 of 4

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 4

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Organizing Strategies

Credit: David Land

Install The Great Divide: Real Simple transformed the three lower cupboards into distinct zones: board and video games on the left, DVD player and movies in the middle, and CD player and music on the right.

 

Minimize Space Invaders: An upper shelf, once crammed with liquor bottles, contains a single tray of the brands the couple serve most frequently. Ann can take down the tray that holds the liquor bottles and use it as a makeshift bar on a console or a coffee table.

 

Employ containers To Have and to Hold: Fabric-covered boxes are now home to Ann's loose photos. Magazine files organize her favorite gardening, cooking, and decorating titles, plus Scott's stash of National Geographics. Designate a spot for remotes.

2 of 4

3 of 4

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Organizing Strategies

Credit: David Land

Use The Right Stuff:   Real Simple removed Ann and Scott's CDs and DVDs from their plastic cases. CDs, categorized by genre, are now contained in canvas binders (shown). DVDs and cover art, slipped into dust- and scratch-resistant see-through sleeves that stand vertically in plastic bases, can be flipped through (in alphabetical order, under Comedy, Drama, Romance, etc.), à la Blockbuster. (The plastic cases were recycled; visit greendisk.com for more info.) A chalkboard mounted to the back of a cupboard door allows the kids to take turns designating the weekly movie.


Call in Inspector Gadget:  The family transferred cassettes to CDs, and VHS tapes to DVDs. (For cassettes, visit audiomover.com. For VHS tapes―wedding videos, say―check out vhs-to-dvd.com. Or invest in a VHS-to-DVD recorder.) Meanwhile, Scott swapped his massive floor speakers for a pair of white bookshelf speakers, which blend in with the entertainment center. (Instead of tossing electronics, post them on freecycle.org, where you can give―and get―items for free.)

Find a place for Hidden Treasures. The roomy basket above the television set is deep enough to hide its contents: cameras, chargers, and memory cards for shutterbug Ann.

 


3 of 4

Advertisement

4 of 4

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

How They Like It

Credit: David Land

"I like that our entertainment center didn't lose its personality―it still showcases family photos and my collectibles," says Ann. "The shelves are so cheerful and family-oriented." And Scott is sold on the convenience factor. "The new system motivates us to put things back in the right place," he says. "And all the different media we enjoy are in one great-looking spot."


4 of 4

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Jennifer Scruby

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 4 Before
    2 of 4 Organizing Strategies
    3 of 4 Organizing Strategies
    4 of 4 How They Like It

    Share & More

    Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print
    Real Simple Logo

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • About Us
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Help
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithAll products and services featured are selected by our editors. Real Simple may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Real Simple is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Real Simple. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.realsimple.com

    Sign in

    View image

    A Media Center Makeover
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.