A Sunnyvale, California, homeowner didn’t want the television to dominate his open-plan kitchen/family room when he had company. He turned to an interior designer who came up with this handsome solution: a storage and display unit with closable TV niche. A 38- by 48-inch sliding panel moves along tracks in the square maple columns that frame the niche. Perforated metal screening on the back of the sliding panel allows heat from the TV’s electronic components to escape. » see room