Armadilla!!! hide the remote!

The Armadilla is something I’ve been thinking about for some time. I don’t like to have things out…besides the necessities. In the kitchen, bathroom, living room, any room, I like it when things are stored away, out of sight. The remote controls have always bugged. There isn’t a good place for them, so they usually sit on the sofa or table. When you have one for the tv, for the dvd player, for cable, etc, 3-4 add up really quick with no place to put them. Which got me thinking about the Saddler.

I decided on making the piece out of slats backed by black canvas. Initially, I had larger, heavier slats on the backside, and lighter slats on the side that would store the remotes. I made the storage unit section out of tube steel. It was scrap and fit my original drawing dimensions so I gave it a shot.

Once the pieces were made, I put the two together with additional canvas strapping to see what it looked like.

The above image actually shows the second round, in which I changed out the larger slats on the one side and made them all 1/4″. I like the uniformity and the weight distribution still works. What I didn’t like is the box, it didn’t flow and looked out of place.

To give it a more flowing, organic look, I made the frame of the next verision more crescent shaped. I then added metal backing to see how the remotes would work on magnets as attachments to the inside of the box.

After a few more modifications and finally making an entirely new piece, I have come up with my most recent version. The exterior slats are 1/4″ ipe that I have recycled from deck scraps.

I added magnetic closers at the bottom for an easy open and close of the piece. I also added an anti-slip sheeting on the backside of the slats that keeps it firmly in place and holds the weight when remotes are inside.

The body is also made of ipe and is attached by a piece of sheet metal which allows the remotes to magnetically attach to the piece. I am test driving the first usable version out so I’m sure I’ll have some additional changes before I’m done. Below is an updated version with maples slats and a steel plate detail with 3/8″ round holes.