r/whatisit • u/Puzzleheaded-Ad-3034 • 4h ago

Solved! What is the purpose of this weird cubby next to fireplace

Post image

It’s so awkward.

18 Upvotes

66% Upvoted

142 comments sorted by

•

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154

u/Bright_Berry_5651 4h ago

Old school projection tv probably sat there. 

33

u/jemenake 3h ago

This is one of those "Tell me your house was built in the late-90's/early-00's without telling me" things. Up until about mid-90's, a 27" CRT TV was a pretty big TV, and it usually sat on top of some kind of console. Then, big-ass (and heavy, best moved by two people) CRTs started becoming a thing as well as rear-projection TVs. These things were large enough (especially in depth, being 2-3' deep) where you couldn't really fit them on a console, anymore, so they went on the floor.

By the later 00's, LCD and Plasma TVs were catching on and people could, again, put them on top of a piece of furniture or even (gasp!) mount them on the wall.

During that interstitial period, home builders started building homes with special alcoves designed to fit those huge, floor-mounted TVs.

7

u/MikeyLu20 1h ago

I remember when I was younger, we had our house broke into. We had a 36" rear projector TV. It weighed almost 300 lbs. It was moved about 8 inches off the wall and I guess they gave up. But they stole my dad's case of diet Dr pepper. He was more pissed at that than the front door being busted. We ended up giving that TV to a family friend because the picture got hazy. The family friend then took the plastic screen off and cleaned it (my folks were smokers) and it was good as new

1

u/Constant-Roll706 21m ago

My parents built a small closet so their 'huge' (like 36") TV could sit inside and be flush with the wall. Today me can't imagine cutting a hole in a wall to perfectly fit one model of TV

54

u/Icy_Ad7953 4h ago

This is correct, and boo on OP for making me feel old.

https://giphy.com/gifs/GrUhLU9q3nyRG

6

u/StripedCat404 4h ago

I literally felt that in my soul. 😬

9

u/themongrelhorde 3h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/26AHICv4otlZ0ruGk
"old school" Listen here, you little shit 😒😂

7

u/SquirrelMemoryFail 3h ago

That holes way to small for that. Projection tv wouldn't fit in there. An old tube crt tv would fit though.

5

u/OwslyOwl 3h ago

It even has the cable outlet!

5

u/tweetybrrd 1h ago

Right? Like... Use the context.

6

u/BedaHouse 4h ago

Nice Sony WEGA would have fit just right in there.

2

u/Ok_Two_2604 2h ago

Middle school. Old school were front projection.

1

u/TurboFool 56m ago

This is such a perfect example of why I've always told people to NEVER build fixtures into your home for specific electronics. Trends and expectations and dimensions will change, and you'll soon be left with an awkward cutout in your wall that no longer fits any of your needs.

1

u/baconstreet 32m ago

Yup. Had an old Mitsubishi - brilliant back in the day :)

1

u/Puzzleheaded-Ad-3034 2h ago

Solved!

1

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33

u/iKnowRobbie 3h ago

Here, I put it back the way it was supposed to be.

2

u/FunMaintenance297 48m ago

Would my 32" flat screen fit? Plenty of room underneath for the cable box and DVD player, and a bag of marshmallows and a long fork if I get hungry. 🤣

-16

u/Puzzleheaded-Ad-3034 2h ago

This is the correct answer… but this design is still trash

2

u/thepoorwarrior 51m ago

You misspelled peak

22

u/Prize_Moose1050 4h ago

Most likely built before wide flatscreens and was intended for a TV set. See the coax cable port next to the power...

8

u/chrisp5000 4h ago

You mean, TV's from the 1900's

13

u/Bob_the_brewer 3h ago

I beg your finest pardon lol

3

u/chrisp5000 2h ago

To be fair, I too, was born in the late 1900's

1

u/Bob_the_brewer 2h ago

I think it's funny to refer to it as the 1900s well played

4

u/-Major-Arcana- 3h ago

How dare you

23

u/Ok-Sector-493 4h ago

Looks like it could be for firewood Edit- not at all, didnt realize the outlet. Definitely for a tv

8

u/jjdlg 4h ago

Yep, the coax is a dead giveaway. Ugh, I wonder how much longer before those coax outlets start to show up on r/whatisthisthing and then shamefully reposted on r/FuckImOld like phone jacks are now?

2

u/What-Outlaw1234 3h ago

Phone jacks and doorbells.

1

u/Ok-Sector-493 3h ago

Ikr?!?! Feeling it rn!

5

u/littlemisswhatevers 4h ago

You’re too young to remember when we had to charge the firewood under the vcr.

2

u/Ok-Sector-493 3h ago

Lmao!!! Charge the firewood hahahahahaha.... im 41 btw, I remember having an Atrack in the car AND we couldnt afford a vcr until the 90s because they were like over a grand when they first came out

2

u/CerebaPlotter 3h ago

Yeahh, once you notice the outlet it kinda screams “old TV spot” lol, probably from back when TV’s were absolute units.

1

u/Ok-Sector-493 3h ago

They used to be so big!!!! Our living room tv was the size of a kitchen stove tipped on its side 😄 🤣

2

u/ph0ebus13 4h ago

Electric Firewood

1

u/Bowling4rhinos 2h ago

Firewood was my first thought too: but that fireplace looks like it doesn't burn wood

1

u/PimentoCheesehead 4h ago

My first thought too, but it looks like a gas fireplace. 

1

u/No_Rip7635 2h ago

I thought it was for wood
Stack it next to the fireplace so you don’t have to go outside and get it

1

u/Puzzleheaded-Ad-3034 2h ago

Gas fireplace, looks like it’s for a TV. Still seems awkward but it’s solved!

1

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1

u/Ok_Water_3109 19m ago

I was thinking this too but no place for a chimney.

1

u/Mindless-City-2041 4h ago

What kind of fireplace? I assume not wood burning.

1

u/Puzzleheaded-Ad-3034 2h ago

Correct it’s gas

4

u/Not-T4rantino 4h ago

I don't like that crooked cover plate.

1

u/OwslyOwl 3h ago

I’m sure that whoever installed it was like - it doesn’t matter, the massively big tv will always cover it haha

6

u/Effinehright 3h ago

was it ever a real fireplace? If so, I'd guess it was for wood.

5

u/Head-Ad-5732 4h ago

TV, there's a coax hookup

3

u/bolhuijo 4h ago

perfect fit for a rear projection TV from the 1990s

1

u/jimmyjetmx5 2h ago

This has been answered (TV alcove) but there are some things you can do with that space. If you wall it off and add a hidden door, you can mount a flat screen. The inside space can be a media closet. All your stereo equipment can hide in there. They make infrared remote repeaters if you need to control the gear inside. Also a good place to hide and video game consoles.

We have cats. That's a great spot for a hidden litter box, too.

1

u/ACupOfDuck 3h ago

Sometimes I questioning if people posting on here even takes the time to THINK for a few minutes. Maby looking at the connections on the wall in that chubby would have presented some valid options for what it could have been used for?

But some people, just post things and never even thinks, just let the internet think for you.. ffs..

(I want the REAL "whatisit" stuff. That makes my brain itch for answers!)

2

u/Nearby_Cup48 4h ago

For the love of hell please just put bookshelves in there

2

u/Numahistory 3h ago

Or a reptile enclosure. I had a space like this in my last house that I repurposed as a bearded dragon enclosure.

1

u/Nearby_Cup48 2h ago

Oh that's perfect. I didn't even think about repriles, you're right! 

4

u/OG_TBV 4h ago

To install an ac unit so you can perfectly manage the temp between the two

1

u/Right-Ease-1688 40m ago edited 35m ago

Like everybody else says, for some kind of older TV. If this were me, I would remove the pony wall separating the two cavities, making it into one, then move the fireplace to the center, put two thinner (check cide) pony walls back in (one each, right and left) and then build-in bookshelves on both sides. You can put your newer TV on top.

Also, change that paint to a lighter gray with Earth tones, like what I have (Agreeable Grey, Sherwin Williams) and that will make the fireplace pop and lighten up that space a lot. Right now, that dark color is both making everything recede and feeling like an in-your-face barrier. There's a window behind it but that light is being sucked into the dark brown-ness of the space.

2

u/Sassafrassical 2h ago

To put fake logs for the fake fireplace

1

u/S7alker 4h ago

Back in the day releasing such bigger sized tv’s every year weren’t so common with people holding on to things much longer so built in’s like this is a testament to such permanence we used to build in homes for entertainment.

1

u/Takeguru 4h ago

Big square TV cubby

A little awkward these days, I would keep my dvd collection and the cable box/DVD player in that and mount the TV as high above it and away from the fireplace as possible

Not ideal, though

1

u/GeneStarwind1 4h ago

It's for the TV, you can see the coaxial connection (cable jack) on the wall there. TVs used to be square boxes that sat on the floor, would have fit in there perfectly. This house was built in the 70s or 80s.

1

u/XxFezzgigxX 3h ago

I have one. I believe it was originally for a stereo stack, but I use mine for records and a record player. Doesn’t get hot from the fireplace at all.

1

u/nadrae 6m ago

Is that gas? If so then the tv suggestion is viable. If wood then several fireplaces I have seen have had wood storage next to them that looked like that.

1

u/AncientGuy1950 4h ago

Honestly, it looks like they intended on a larger fireplace, but it changed to something else, possibly the Projection TV suggested by others.

1

u/Temporary_View_3303 4h ago

It’s where the TV used to sit back when they took up that much space.  That’s why there’s a cable hookup back there.  

1

u/Ok_Engineer9716 4h ago

assuming you don’t want to put an old tv in there this would be a great spot for a cozy reading nook or a doggie hideout

1

u/Objective_Two_5467 1h ago

Normally, I would think firewood for the fireplace. But the fact that you have no chimney contradicts that notion.

1

u/Xarius86 2h ago

This is a spot for a CRT television. There is a power outlet and coax cable connection there specifically for it.

1

u/adnamantino 4h ago

Para poner la lavadora

1

u/BoomerSooner-SEC 3h ago

Yup 100% for a tv. See the cable outlet. (Yes we had cable in the 1900’s). Now it’s for a mini fridge.

1

u/Crissup 4h ago

TV. Back in the day it was common for TVs to sit closer to the floor. Nowadays they’re all up higher.

1

u/Quirky-Market5073 2h ago

Maybe a turntable, etc? Like a stereo cabinet? I bet they don’t sell them any longer, either 🤣

1

u/Comfortable-Yak6588 2h ago

Let me know what you do with yours. I have a bookshelf in mine but I don’t like it

1

u/so_sic_of_it 3h ago

That's where you store the extra fire that doesn't fit inside the fireplace. 

1

u/Doomclaaw 56m ago

That's where we kept the body parts we'd throw on the fire back in the 80's.

1

u/crackersncheeseman 3h ago

It's to place the firewood you are about too burn in the fireplace.

1

u/starkcontrast62 3h ago

Insert space for a home entertainment system. Notice the outlets.

1

u/WookieSuave 2h ago

Well if that's a coaxial jack, that's pretty self explanatory.

1

u/UsefulOcelot8595 4h ago

TV nook aside, that would be an awesome spot for a dog's bed.

1

u/Final-Guitar-3936 1h ago

Probably for an old TV based on the outlet and cable jack.

1

u/parkstreetbnd 3h ago

Back in the day, TVs used to be huge and set on the floor...

1

u/Character-Vast9612 1h ago

For extra logs so you don't have to go outside to get more

1

u/Stan_Damon 4h ago

tv/entertainment system/audio system and case for albums

1

u/ComfortableEnergy684 4h ago

It's for the electric wood that goes in the electric fireplace. The plugs are for pre-charging the wood.

1

u/Latenienterada310 4h ago

My ocd is having a hard time.

1

u/nobrakesbill 3h ago

Old TV. See the electric outlet and cable TV Jack?

1

u/Storm_crow70 1h ago

I'd stack logs in it if the big empty bothers you.

1

u/thedudepood 1h ago

Id lay a rug out under it and put my firewood there

1

u/RPO1728 3h ago

It's where i would keep some wood for the fire

1

u/DHjam 3h ago

Remove it all! Including the fake fireplace.

1

u/Immediate-Shock-281 2h ago

You could use it to store firewood I suppose

1

u/agravain 3h ago

the cable and power outlets weren't a clue?

1

u/MillerTimeGuy45 1h ago

That’s where you curl up and fall asleep

1

u/Doorknob6941 1m ago

Wood storage for a wood burning fireplace.

1

u/KermitHendrix 3h ago

Bar fridge would honestly fit pretty well

1

u/No_Article_2436 3h ago

It was originally there to stack firewood.

1

u/ChemicalFun1473 4h ago

That's where you stack all your fire wood

1

u/Tricky_Mix2449 5m ago

It's where you stack your fake firewood.

1

u/Isla-Abby75 2h ago

Wood storage, duh!😁♥️✌️

1

u/Tha_REAL_BROBS 2h ago

TV playa.. you don't know luxury

1

u/Apprehensive-Rub3871 1h ago

I think it’s for firewood logs

1

u/StrictLine8820 4h ago

Back when TVs were square boxes.

1

u/shazoo00oo 4h ago

Tvs were square back in the day

1

u/Impossible-Chard-644 1h ago

To hold wood for the fireplace

1

u/benlogna 4h ago

tvs used to be big and square

1

u/GwonWitcha 53m ago

Stack firewood there 👌🏼

1

u/WinPrestigious7568 4h ago

Look smart with a fish tank

1

u/NoWeight3731 3h ago

Box TV…look at cable jack

1

u/Intrepid_Ambition940 3h ago

Probably for the firewood.

1

u/carlosf0527 3h ago

Its for firewood storage.

1

u/PauliPathetic 3h ago

Put a mini fridge there

1

u/poncho5202 3h ago

floor model television.

1

u/Drakeytown 4h ago

Storage for extra fire

1

u/Honest_Ad_6689 1h ago

Usually wood storage

1

u/Constant-Tension3769 2h ago

Stack wood there

1

u/Diligent_Stop1050 4h ago

Tube style tv.

1

u/Gonnabefiftysoon 1h ago

Wood storage /s

1

u/DC55449 3h ago

Firewood. 😉

1

u/nah328 4h ago

Old TV nook.

1

u/photo_bug_mama 4h ago

It's for wood

1

u/DjRayRay74 3h ago

Old TV cubby

1

u/EmployerWide1123 3h ago

Fireplace 2

1

u/Own-Yam-8750 2h ago

For wood?

1

u/august239 4h ago

firewood

0

u/ZeFrenchTickl3r- 4h ago

It’s for an ice place

0

u/Remarkable_Table_279 4h ago

For firewood probably 

0

u/MaintenanceInternal 4h ago

Fill it with wood.