When you picture the future of furniture, what comes to mind? Maybe bold colors and art nouvae design. Whatever the future looks like, what will be more important is what’s hidden from view.
Intelligent furniture, that is furniture with built-in electronics capabilities, is becoming more and more popular as home electronics become sleeker, smaller, and easier to integrate. One of these is the MECO, or MediaCore, a home entertainment mecca of sorts, consolidating your PC, DVD player, TiVo, digital television and any other home entertainment equipment you use. Encased in MECO’s sturdy wooden frame is hidden a PC running Windows Vista Ultimate, a quad-core Intel processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 4TB hard drive, WiFi connectivity, 8-channel HD audio, and room for more.
The MECO also featured a state-of-the-art cooling system to keep all your gear running, as well as allowing accessibility from the front and back of the unit for use and maintenance. So what makes the MECO different from other home entertainment systems? The truth is at first glance, not much, but it’s the look of the piece that is its real selling point.
When you first see the MECO it appears as nothing more than a coffee table or television stand and that’s just want its meant to do. Instead of showing off all the boxes and wires, your entire system is discretely hidden in plain sight. Isn’t that what the future of home furnishing was supposed to hold?
MediaCore is not the only one on this forefront though. There is a very evident trend along the lines of hiding electronics including intelligent chairs, desks, and tabletops with iPod ports (arguably the most popular hidden electronic feature) as well as WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities. But my favorite by far is the Amadeus Sound System wing-backed chair with built-in speakers, iPod and CD connectivity, and woolen cashmere cushions. The look of this piece is classic, while the functionality is all new.
The more the world heads towards a paper-less, electronic filled society, the more these “intelligent furniture” pieces tend to creep up, proving easier and more convent use of the gadgets we use every day.
OMG it is beautiful.. THe cabinet is so stylish, and the gadgetry inside state of the art.. i’ve just watched the video.. I want one! I want one now!
I’m with you on that one Stav, it is really appealing. They are really trendy.
This is really sleek. I like that it hides all of the ugly wires. One would have to like this style of furniture though or wait until the concept is transferred to other furniture styles.