Rack Concept: Design and W.A.F. Riddle

Here is an interesting puzzle for your big brains:

Since assembling my retro high end system, I have agonized over how to store and display my gear, as I love it not only for its sound but also for its design.

Recently, at a viewing of Asian art at Christies here in NYC and in the Metropolitan museum, I was struck by how simple, painted wooden pedestals highlighted the beauty of porcelain and antiquities and had a very modern and minimal look.

(Now my wife doesnt find as much beauty in say - a Mark Levinson 30/31 stack as she does in a Ming dynasty vase, but of course you know what I think looks best in the middle of the living room.)

So I am wondering if it would be interesting to have what appears to be a simple pedestal built, and shamelessly display my favourite components right on top -- to best showcase their exotic, intoxicating high end beauty.

Even better, to then have a custom acrylic cube made to sit on the top of the pedestal to give a VPI TNT -- for example -- the museum like display treatment that I think it really deserves.

Now that concept is simple enough, but here is where it gets tricky:

Could such a pedestal have a false front which opens up to adjustable shelves inside? They could hold uglier, more pedestrian components, DVD players etc.

Also, a false back to open up for ventilation during use, but to close for a clean tidy look when not in use.

Obviously shelves inside could also hold CDs, SACDs, LPs DVDs, etc, which seems especially handy if they sat directly beneath the source component, instead of across the room in a bookcase or something.

Cables from the turntable or other componets could drop down through the top and then be hidden inside.

A tweaky power strip could be mounted inside the pedestal so that only one, minimal AC umbilical cord would be visible from the outside to power everything.

Casters could be mounted to the bottom so I could wheel it over to my listening chair for easy reach to the volume etc, and back against the wall when not listening.

Maybe, I could have three pedestals -- one for a turntable and records, attached to another pedestal with the preamp and reel to reel -- perhaps feeding longish interconnects to a shorter pedestal for the Levinson 31.5 which could just lurk against the wall or near the Tympanis. But they would all match for that gallery kind of a look.

I dont know if any of you have ever tried or thought about anything like this but I am sure many of you will have some excellent suggestions.

Mainly, I would love to showcase intersting designs, hide the wires, streamline the power supply and AC power cords and have storage space for ordinary components and software with a minimal, museum gallery like look.

I am afraid this would not be super cheap, so I dont want to have any Eureka moments after having it made?!?

Any and all comments and suggestions therefore are greatly appreciated.