Two miles up the road
Arnold is about two miles north of our base in Mapperley, and Killisick sits right on the border between the two, so homes from Daybrook and Woodthorpe up to Redhill, Warren Hill and Dorket Head are all close to hand. Whether the media wall is for your lounge, a bedroom or a garden room, it is a quick trip for us to come and measure up. Bring your ideas, even rough ones: a picture saved from a magazine or a screenshot of a wall you liked is plenty to start the design from.
Chimney breast or flat wall?
Arnold's housing has grown in stages. Grove House was demolished in the 1920s to make way for housing, and the grounds of Daybrook House, sold off by the Air Ministry from 1958, are now private homes. The age of your house changes the starting point. Older homes often still have a chimney breast, which can be wrapped in a new frame to hold the TV recess and fire, with the alcoves either side turned into lit shelving. A later house with a plain, flat wall gives you a blank canvas: the media wall can run the full width of the room, or be built as a raised centre section with open niches either side.
Either way, the new wall stands on its own frame, so the old wall behind does not need to be cut into to hide cables. Check whether there is a radiator, window or door on the wall you have in mind, as these shape what is possible.
Choosing the fire and the screen
Two purchases decide most of the sizes, so it helps to make them first. The TV sets the size of the recess, or the position of a bracket inside it, and the height you want it at. The inset electric fire sets its own opening: its installation instructions give the size of the cut-out, the clearance around it and any ventilation it needs, and the frame is built to match. Think too about a soundbar, a games console or a set-top box, and whether you want LED channels around the TV surround or in the alcoves. Cable routes for all of these are planned inside the frame before boarding, and a qualified electrician fits the sockets and makes the connections.
Arranging a visit
Once the frame is boarded and the edges are beaded, the wall is skimmed smooth and left ready for paint. To talk through a media wall in Arnold, call 07877 353120 or use the enquiry form. We are open seven days, 7am to 5pm.
