New Furniture Rigs for Your Home Theater Digs By Darryl Wilkinson December 27, 2004 — As if having a flat-panel plasma or LCD TV hanging on your wall weren't enough to cause the neighbors and friends to drool with covetous envy, New York-based ready-to-assemble furniture maker Bush Industries is primed to introduce several new console and entertainment wall units designed specifically to complement - rather than emphasize - the newest, highest tech TVs. Bush says the new designs are the result of the fact that "the days of the silver video base that places the TV prominently in the center of attention are numbered." Bush's primary design criteria are now media and component storage.

Among the designs to be introduced at the January 2005 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas are a traditionally styled plasma base and hutch, a contemporary video console, and a stunning entertainment wall. Integrated storage with easy access are highlights of the new units. "Storage. Storage. Storage," reiterated Jim Schmidt, Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising for Bush Industries before continuing on in complete sentences. "As long as there is technological innovation, the average household will have multiple components, some slightly outdated, as well as various media that must be stored. Consoles meet the storage requirement.”

While such elaborate storage capacities are indeed a welcome and necessary aspect of home theater furniture, the new Bush model that really stands out from the standard wood-and-glass crowd is the Marquee Entertainment Wall. The contemporary design of the new wall unit incorporates glass shelves with fiber optic lighting to generate illuminated edge profiles that glow softly beneath each component. The enticing glow created by the illuminated shelving adds a sophisticated luster to home theater components in both black and silver finishes. “The effect is stunning,” said Kevin Opferbeck, Vice President of Product Development and Planning. “The optics add a warm ambiance to the room when only the audio system is in use or when there are guests.”

Pricing and availability of the new furniture models have not been released.