It hasn't been that long since TVs were giant, hulking things that needed their own storage furniture, and there are tons of old entertainment centers and TV armoires at garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets. You can take advantage of the good deals on these outdated pieces by using a few fun ideas to repurpose an entertainment center.
If you've already got an old TV stand or armoire sitting around, don't toss it out. Instead, change it up and put it to work somewhere else in your home. These are a few of our fave projects.
Repurposed Entertainment Center Coffee Bar
If you've got a little extra space in your kitchen or dining room, you can turn an old TV hutch into a coffee bar (or bar bar). It's got plenty of storage for everything from coffee pods and filters to cups and spoons.
Start by removing the doors and repainting it a fun color. If it's already wired for electricity (a lot of entertainment centers are), use that to hook up the coffee maker and maybe even some lights. As a bonus, display a chalkboard with the flavor of the day.
When you're looking for an entertainment center to repurpose, go for one that's solid wood. A lot of these pieces are ultra high quality and really sturdy, but always inspect it before buying.
TV Armoire Baby Clothes Closet
While your standard entertainment center may not be quite wide enough to work as a grown-up clothes armoire, it's actually the perfect width for kids' clothes. It's an easy upgrade, too.
Repaint the piece so it matches the baby's room (you can't go wrong with white or ivory). Add a hanging bar for clothes and use child-sized hangers to hang things up. Don't forget to install an anti-tip bracket.
Entertainment Center Turned Blanket Storage
If you have lots of blankets, quilts, and other bed linens, you can upcycle an entertainment center into the perfect storage solution in a spare bedroom. Because TV cabinets tend to be deep, they're ideal for storing larger linens like quilts.
Paint the cabinet to match your decor. If you want open storage, remove the doors before painting and fill the holes from the hinges. Add shelves, too, so you can perfectly customize the blanket storage for your needs.
Board Game Storage Cabinet
Blankets aren't the only thing that doesn't fit in standard cabinets and shelves. Board games are also kind of too big for a normal bookshelf, so an entertainment center is a great option. Add to that the fact that board games actually are a kind of entertainment, and it's just proof that this is a perfect repurposing reason.
You can add more shelves to make sure you have room to store all your games without stacking them too high. We love the idea of customizing the old cabinet with shelf widths to fit different sizes of games, too.
Mudroom Lockers From an Entertainment Center
Your garage entry or mudroom can get a new organization system in the form of a repurposed entertainment center. You need the right style of unit for this — we're talking one with a low shelf or bench for the TV. This low shelf becomes a bench that you can sit on to take off shoes.
When you find the perfect entertainment center for this project, update it with a new coat of paint and new hardware. You can remove any doors that cover the TV portion (where you'll be sitting) and add hooks to the back wall of the unit. We also like the idea of using butcher block to make the top of the bench — just cut it to fit.
Shoe Storage From an Old TV Cabinet
Shoes are one of those things that can take up a ton of space in a closet — especially if you have a great collection. Give them room to spread out (and show them off) by turning an old entertainment center into a shoe cabinet.
To do this, remove the doors from the cabinet and install shelves about 12 inches wide. This works best with a shallow cabinet instead of one of the really deep ones since it will be easier to see and access the shoes.
Give Your Entertainment Center a Whole New Purpose
Repurposing an entertainment center is a really great option to keep perfectly good furniture out of landfills. You can score these pieces for just a few dollars, and a lot of them are made really well. You only need some paint and creativity to give them a whole new purpose.
