post off: where do you keep your remotes?
“Sorry,” we said, when the Circuit City guy who hooked up our new stereo-dvd-tv “system” told us a universal remote would be $500. Here’s our regret: We have remotes coming out of our ears! For lack of a better place, they hang out on the couch, where too often Buster sits his furry butt on them, setting off a complex system shutdown that takes experimental button-pushing to correct. Obviously these pesky controls need a better home. Where do you keep yours? — Megan K.
May 10th, 2007 at 5:14 am
In a drawstring “zakka” style basket/bag on the floor by the sofa. It can be closed when we have company and is a pretty accessory, but most of the time it’s left open for easy accessibility.
May 10th, 2007 at 5:47 am
what about buying one off ebay http://search.ebay.com/universal-remote for ~$20 (do the research on which one is the best in advance)?
we only have 3 remotes, and only one really gets used, so i usually stash the other two on top of the TV, behind the vases i have on it. not a wonderful solution… but it works.
May 10th, 2007 at 5:47 am
I too am inundated with remotes. The best storage I have found is this remote control pocket from Ikea (http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=16198&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=70729&langId=-1&categoryId=16299&chosenPartNumber=60104778). It’s super-cheap and fully functional. Two of my favorite things.
May 10th, 2007 at 5:50 am
We have so many remotes and all we do right now is pile them on the side table. One day I had to force my husband to label the remotes for the days when I just want to watch tv and he’s not there. As annoying as it is, I, like you, will not buy any remote that costs more than $20.
May 10th, 2007 at 5:55 am
I don’t have a TV, so no need to store remotes.
May 10th, 2007 at 6:07 am
This little telephone table from the 50s has a perfect space on top, I just pile em on:
http://static.flickr.com/79/240452902_be94553bfd.jpg
May 10th, 2007 at 6:59 am
normally one of the last accessories i buy my clients (as an interior designer) is some sort of remote control box. sometimes its stainless, wicker or carved indian wood, it looks great on the cocktail or side table, and stashes ‘em outta sight.
May 10th, 2007 at 7:31 am
I keep them in a low wicker basket/tray with a fitted matching cover. I also have kept them in an inlaid box I bought in Morocco.
May 10th, 2007 at 7:51 am
In a pretty box on the coffee table! I only have two, but the box can fit three or four, if I needed it to.
May 10th, 2007 at 9:16 am
Take a look at the Logitech line of Harmony remotes.. I have the harmony 880, which I paid just under $200 for. Its great, easy to program, easy to use. It has a cradle that it sits in to recharge it. You connect it to your computer vie USB, then register at the harmony homepage where you enter in all your model numbers and then it goes through a check list to set up your viewing habits.
Plus it looks great
http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/uploads/logitech-harmony-880.jpg
May 10th, 2007 at 10:18 am
shameless self-promotion:
if you *do* end up with a universal model, use your old remotes to enter readymade’s macygyver challenge!
http://readymademag.com/blog/2007/05/09/wheres-the-remote/
May 10th, 2007 at 10:52 am
I sewed a flat thing (piece of cardboard inside to keep it from sagging) with pockets that hangs off the side of the coffee table. Probably wouldn’t work with a very sleek design but in our patchwork house it looks pretty cool.
May 10th, 2007 at 11:47 am
if u don’t have too many remotes (we fit three in there) the jonathan adler remote box is adorable. i get so many compliments on it.
http://www.jonathanadler.com/shop/product.php?productid=17100&cat=327&page=1
May 10th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
I had made a set of slipcovers for the arms of our ivory couch in a matching fabric last year, and for a whole year this problem of a billion remotes laying around and getting dropped (by me) bugged the hell out my husband and me, that is till I figured out all I would have to do with the leftover scraps from the slipcovers was the make pockets out them them and sew them to the front of each cover. So now the remotes each have their own little pocket, and the essential ones we use all the time are at our elbows! My husband doesn’t like the look but he digs the functionality of the whole new system.
May 10th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
I have end tables with drawers so they live in there. Before that I have a nice decorative box.
May 10th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
I second the call for a Logitech Harmony remote. I have the very attractive Harmony 550 and it’s replaced all of our remotes (they all reside in the drawer of an end table now). The setup was easy (it plugs into your computer with a USB cable for programming - you just answer questions and it does the hard work for you). It’s task-based so you click a “watch TV” button and it turns on all of the appropriate devices and sets them to the appropriate settings and it knows to adjust the volume on, for example, your stereo, and the channels on your cable box.
May 14th, 2007 at 11:22 am
We have them sitting in this plate: http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=230&f=3685 (actually ours has black graphics instead of green) which sits on the coffee table
May 14th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
I have a Mikasa square crystal bowl that is about 5 inches square that I put 9 remotes into (yes… you read that right… I have a small technology problem).
I got the bowl for a gift about 10 years ago and it sat in the box because it was too shallow to be a vase but way too large for a candy dish. I had an ah ha moment about two years ago… its perfect. It looks great on my coffee table and is fancy enough to not deter from my room, yet everything is handy.
May 14th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
I vote for the Harmony remote. We paid $130 for ours. I thought it was a bit expensive but I’m now so happy to have only 1 remote to operate everything + no need to change batteries on 5 different remotes. And it’s really easy to use and to program.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:39 am
Throw them in a decorative box we found some here
http://www.boxesbybellacor.com