I’ve recently come to realize that the only way to demonstrate my self-taught hobbies (whether reluctantly adopted, or enthusiastically) is to take a tour of my house and workplace. I’ve learned so much in the past few years, I thought I should share some of that which might help people in the future.
Athens, GA, provides a low cost of living and offers quite the bargain living space if you can escape walking distance of the University. Still a University student, I decided to move into a stand alone house a few years ago and had way more space than furniture or money, so I got creative and resourceful to solve the problem. I had issues as a child with how the family home was decorated (re:cluttered and dated), so I’ve paid special attention to a certain aesthetic in constructing furniture.
When you first move in to a place, what do you set up first? If you’re a student, it’s probably the couch and TV so you can crash with some Chinese food after a long day of heavy lifting.
I constructed my simple TV and speaker stands with some leftover IKEA shelves, 24″ black iron pipe and pipe flanges. Total budget: $60. I was surprised to find that the flanges were the most expensive component. I think there’s no explanation needed on construction, but I found it helpful to quickly scrub the pipe with a coarse sponge and brake cleaner to remove the factory grease. This ended up giving them a perfectly smooth, non-greasy finish with an interesting patina.
You can get the hardware at any local hardware store, and the length of pipe puts the sound stage and LCD screen at just the right viewing height. It’s a rock-solid setup, and quite narrow so the room feels even bigger.
A World Apart 