Ahmad Assi
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Residential  /  2025

Media Wall Cabinets

A wall-hung media unit built as a set of standard carcasses, so the whole 2.05 metre run comes out of one repeated box.

Project type
Built-in millwork, living room media wall
Location
Ottawa, Ontario
Status
Built
Area
2.05 m run
Role
Designer and maker
The media wall at night, the recessed lights washing the glass shelves and the open bays either side of the television
The media wall in daylight, where the absence of artificial lighting allows the white joinery to read simply against the surrounding timber panels.

The unit is 2.05 metres long and hung off the wall, so the floor stays clear underneath it. Everything above the television, the floating shelf and the two small wall shelves, is the same 50 millimetre thickness, which keeps the horizontals reading as one family.

The point of the design is that it is not one long cabinet. It is three identical carcasses at 550 by 380 by 350 millimetres, two smaller end units at 380 square, and a set of panels. Repeating one box makes it cheap to cut, easy to align, and simple to change later: swap a solid door for the tinted glass one and a closed bay becomes a display bay.

The glass shelves in the end bays and the centre are 20 millimetres, sitting above concealed lighting. That is the only reason the glass is there. In daylight the unit reads as plain white joinery against the timber flanking panels; at night the lit bays do the work.

Both drawings below carry the same geometry, one in metres and one in feet and inches, because the set had to be read on site by people working in each.

Component schedule

Part Qty Metric Imperial
Top shelf 1 2050 x 240 x 50 mm 6’ 8 5/8" x 9 7/16" x 1 15/16"
Wall shelf 2 500 x 200 x 50 mm 1’ 7 11/16" x 7 7/8" x 1 15/16"
Carcass 3 550 x 380 x 350 mm 1’ 9 5/8" x 1’ 2 15/16" x 1’ 1 3/4"
Back or door panel 3 550 x 350 x 10 mm 1’ 9 5/8" x 1’ 1 3/4" x 3/8"
End unit 2 380 x 380 x 350 mm 1’ 2 15/16" x 1’ 2 15/16" x 1’ 1 3/4"
Glass shelf 3 20 mm 3/4"
Glass door, tinted 1 550 x 350 x 10 mm 1’ 9 5/8" x 1’ 1 3/4" x 3/8"
The media wall at night, the recessed lights washing the glass shelves and the open bays either side of the television
Night view of the completed media wall, where concealed lighting brings depth to the glass shelving and open bays while highlighting the repeated cabinet elements.
Cabinets in apartment day view
Daylight visualization placing the media wall within a living space, illustrating how the cabinetry could integrate with the surrounding furniture and interior finishes.
Cabinets in apartment night view
Nighttime visualization of the media wall within a furnished living space, illustrating the effect of the concealed lighting across the display bays.
testing finished cabinets
Completed media wall built by the contractor, showing the finished cabinetry, integrated display bays, and floating shelving.

Drawings

Exploded axonometric of every component with dimensions in metres, showing the shelves, the three carcasses, their back panels, the two end units and the glass
Exploded assembly, metric
The same exploded axonometric dimensioned in feet and inches for the build
Exploded assembly, imperial