Media Storage Cabinet With Doors
Buy the best media storage cabinet with doors selected and recommended by interior designers. By Chloe Hughes.
When it comes to organizing your media collection, a media storage cabinet with doors is an essential piece of furniture to keep your living space clutter-free. Whether you have a large collection of books, movies, video games, or other multimedia items, a cabinet can provide a safe and organized space to store them. From floor-to-ceiling units to compact retro-style cabinets, discover some of the best media storage cabinets with doors for a range of home decor styles.
Media Storage Cabinet With Doors
Buying Guide
Chloe Hughes
Interior Design Expert
Chloe is a highly-regarded expert in all things vintage and antique. She’s excited to share her vast knowledge with readers and clients wishing to infuse their homes with a mixture of old-time warmth and modern comfort. In addition to her design work, Chloe regularly volunteers at her local community center, teaching DIY projects to adults and kids.
A DVD cabinet with glass doors presents a bit of a styling challenge, as the busy-ness of multi-colored DVDs and transparent glass doors don’t offer much room to hide. Try organizing your DVDs by color to reduce eyestrain when you’re looking at your DVDs. Another option might be to remove the colored inserts from your DVDs and add a more neutral DIY label to your DVD covers instead.
You’ll also want to consider leaving room for some empty space when you’re styling your DVD cabinet. This is helpful if you’re planning on growing your collection - and it also allows your eyes a bit of space to relax when you’re looking at your DVD cabinet.
The best way to organize DVDs in a DVD cabinet with glass doors is to do so in alphabetical order starting from the top shelf: that way, it’ll be easier to find the movie you’re looking for, especially if you’re also planning on following the stylistic tips that we’ve provided in the previous question.
If you do that, be sure to leave 3 or 4 inches in between each DVD row and the side of your DVD cabinet with glass doors, so that you won’t need to reorganize them every time you buy a new one.
Another effective way to store them is to divide them by genre: action movies, horrors, musicals, and so on.
- Entertainment Unit
An entertainment unit combines your multimedia storage needs with your TV, sound system, digital players and gaming consoles to keep all your multimedia items in a single, convenient location.
Many units feature both open and closed shelving to keep your DVD and CD collection dust-free, and a cable management system to hide unsightly cords and keep your den, living room, basement or bedroom clutter-free.
- Wall Mounted Storage
For homes that are short on space, a wall-mounted unit offers the ideal versatile space-saving solution by maximizing the vertical space in your home. Wall-mounted units can be placed alongside your current home media unit or attached along hallways or in the corner of the room.
- Open Shelving
Open shelving units offer the largest storage capacity of any multimedia organizational solution to accommodate your entire collection while allowing for easy accessibility. This type of shelving enables you to display your collection and integrate it into your home décor.
These units are available in a range of styles including minimal modern designs to suit industrial, and Scandi styled homes to ornate designs with wainscotting and scrollwork that complement transitional and traditional homes.
Open shelving comes with a serious drawback though - the need to dust your collection often.
- Cabinets
If you are looking for a storage solution that organizes your collection while protecting it from dust and damage, then a cabinet is the right choice for you. Cabinets typically feature adjustable internal shelves that allow you to customize the space to fit your collection as well as sliding or hinged doors to protect your multimedia items.
Cabinets are also an excellent option for homes with a sleek aesthetic such as minimal or mid-century modern homes where a visible multimedia collection would disrupt the flow of the design elements.
- Racks
The most basic form of multimedia storage is the racking system. Available in a variety of styles and sizes including small wall-mounted wire racks that can hold up to 30 CDs or DVDs as well as large free-standing units to accommodate hundreds of multimedia discs.
These units often feature angled racks that provide added security for your collection. Racking systems may also offer discrete slots for individual CDs and DVDs. Racking is typically designed with a contemporary aesthetic and is ideally suited to urban modern, contemporary or industrial style homes.
- Drawers
Media storage drawer units evoke the classic appeal of an apothecary cabinet and make a stylish addition to bohemian, Scandi or eclectic styled homes. These units appear similar to an entertainment unit or buffet but feature an increased number of drawers perfectly designed to fit CDs and DVDs.
The drawers keep multimedia items neatly organized and protected. They also help to conceal CD and DVD cases which may disrupt the aesthetic of your entertainment room.
What are the most desirable features of a media storage unit?
When shopping for a media storage unit, there are some essential features to consider:
- Large Capacity
Whether you have a small selection of favorites or a huge collection you want to display, buying a media storage unit with a large capacity ensures that you will always have room for every item and space for expansion as your collection grows. Most medium to large units can hold more than a hundred CDs, DVDs or gaming discs, however, if you have limited space in your home, try buying multiple small wall-mounted units to create a modular style storage system.
- Durable Materials
While a single CD weighs less than your cell phone, large multimedia collections can put a strain on the structural integrity of your storage unit over time. Look for units constructed from durable materials such as powder-coated metal, solid wood or strong plastic with quality craftsmanship that is built to last.
- Quality Finish
The finish defines how the media storage unit will fit into your home decor, so you need to select a unit with a high-quality finish that blends with your style.
Natural wood grains add warmth and texture to a living space, while high-gloss finishes give the room a modern, minimalist appearance.
You can also use the finish of the unit to create a dramatic statement which is ideal for entertainment units where the TV is the focal point of the room.
A striking distressed wood finish with exposed hardware for French country, shabby chic or farmhouse-style homes. Or opt for a matte wood finish for urban modern and transitional decor styles.
- Adjustable Storage Space
Ideally, you will want a unit that grows along with your multimedia collection. Adjustable shelves allow you to customize the storage space for improved organization that is more aesthetically pleasing. It also allows you to display other home decor accessories in addition to your multimedia items to elevate the style of your room.
- Easy Accessibility
Many styles of multimedia storage racks feature a rotating carousel that allows you to store CDs and DVDs on all sides of the unit and still be able to access them quickly.
Other units use a combination of open shelves to allow you to display your frequently used items, and cabinets to protect rare or less used items.
Positioning your multimedia storage close to your entertainment system keeps all your media in a single area and improves accessibility.
The size of your media storage unit depends on the proportions of other furniture and the size of your collection. Before buying a media storage unit, you should:
- Assess Your Collection
Go through your multimedia collection and take an inventory. Count the number of CDs, DVDs and gaming discs you currently have and make a vague estimate as to how much your collection may grow in the future.
Add 30% to the total number of multimedia items in your collection, and that should give you a rough idea on the capacity you need.
- Measure the Room
Match the unit to the proportions of the furniture and the overall size of the room. Take exact measurements of the location, allowing for 2-3 inches clearance on each side.
- Consider Additional Functions
If you plan on using your multimedia storage unit for more than just displaying your collection of DVDs and CDs, you need to choose a unit with additional surface and storage space. For multifunctional pieces, an entertainment unit is the best option as it offers a wide variety of storage areas including shelves, cabinets and horizontal surfaces for displaying accessories and digital players.
The material you choose for your media storage unit will depend on your current décor and the type of finish you desire. Different options include:
- Solid Wood
One of the most durable options for media storage is solid wood. Ideally suited to large entertainment units, cabinets and shelving solid wood often come with a natural wood grain finish to add depth and interest to your entertainment area. Hardwoods like oak or maple are denser than softwoods like pine and offer greater stability and longevity.
Choosing media storage constructed from hardwood may mean a bigger initial investment but can save you money long-term as you are less likely to need to replace or repair the unit.
- MDF
Manufactured wood offers an affordable alternative to solid wood and allows for easy installationshould you need to asseble the unit yourself. It also comes in a variety of colors and finishes to suit your decor.
- Metal
Some media storage unit comes with a metal frame that can be a great addition to a modern or industrial styled home. Check that the metal used is corrosion-resistant or powder-coated to preserve the structural integrity and prolong the life of the piece.
One of the benefits of using metal as a designer is that it is malleable and can be bent into a range of interesting shapes. A geometric or novelty style multimedia unit can be an eye-catching statement piece as well as functional storage.
- Glass
Glass offers a unique option for organizing your collection. Tempered glass shelves can help a small space appear larger due to the transparency and open structure of the shelves. Glass can add texture to a room and complements coastal, modern and contemporary style rooms. Hoever, if your collection is huge, this kind of transparency may cause unattractive visual clutter.
- Begin by taking stock of your multimedia collection and deciding whether you need space-saving storage or a combined multimedia and entertainment unit.
- When selecting a size, keep your storage unit to scale with the rest of the furniture in the room for a balanced design.
- Choose a material and finish that complements your décor and adds textural interest to the space.
- Look for features that enhance the accessibility of your media items while protecting them from damage.