A TV wall is often the largest piece of furniture in a living room, and the one people look at most. Getting it right is mostly a question of measurements decided before anything is ordered: where the screen sits, how wide the unit runs, how much is hidden and how much is on show, and where the light comes from.
The numbers below are common rules of thumb; check them against your own room, sofa and screen.
Start with the screen and the sofa
Everything on the wall is arranged around the screen, and the screen is placed for the people sitting opposite it. Two figures matter most:
- Height. A common rule is to put the centre of the screen at seated eye level, typically 100–110 cm from the floor for a sofa with a seat height of 42–45 cm. Screens mounted much higher, for example above a fireplace, tend to strain the neck during a long film.
- Distance. For a 4K screen, a viewing distance of roughly 1.2 to 1.6 times the screen diagonal is typical. A 65-inch screen (about 165 cm diagonal) works well at around 2.0 to 2.6 m from the sofa.
Fix these two figures before choosing the unit. A 65-inch screen is about 80 cm tall, so with its centre at 105 cm its lower edge sits at around 65 cm. Under it, a low unit of 45–50 cm leaves a calm gap of 15–20 cm, whether the screen stands on the unit or is mounted on the wall.
Proportion: how wide should the unit be?
A TV unit narrower than the screen looks top-heavy. A useful minimum is a unit about one and a half times the width of the screen: a 65-inch screen is roughly 145 cm wide, so a low unit of 210–220 cm or more sits comfortably under it.
Relative to the wall, there are two calm options:
- A free-standing composition covering around two-thirds of the wall, with at least 30–40 cm of empty wall on each side, so it reads as a deliberate piece.
- A wall-to-wall or floor-to-ceiling composition, where unit and shelving become part of the architecture. It suits a wall without windows or doors.
What tends to look unresolved is the in-between: a unit that almost reaches the corners and leaves a 10 cm gap that looks like a measuring error. Centre the screen on the unit, and the unit on the wall or on the sofa, whichever the eye meets first when entering the room. Also keep a walkway of at least 80–90 cm between the sofa and the unit; our article on how circulation patterns influence furniture placement covers this in more detail.
Our TV unit collection includes models that combine a low unit with bookshelves, such as the Compasso TV unit & bookshelf and the Loft TV unit & bookshelf, as well as the Quinto TV unit. Custom dimensions are available on request, which helps when a wall is a few centimetres away from a standard width.
Open and closed storage
The balance between doors and open shelves decides whether the wall looks calm or busy. As a starting point:
- Closed below, open above. Keep routers, consoles, cables and remote controls behind doors or in drawers in the low unit, easy to reach and out of sight. Use open shelves at and above eye level for books and objects.
- Roughly 60/40. A wall that is about 60% closed and 40% open usually feels ordered.
- Ventilation. Compartments for electronics need openings in the back panel or a gap behind the unit, so devices do not overheat.
- Depth. Low units are typically 40–50 cm deep; 30–35 cm is enough for shelves holding most books.
Shelves for books and display
Shelving on a TV wall does two jobs: storage and display. A few measurements help with both:
- A vertical spacing of 25–30 cm suits most novels and hardbacks; allow 35–40 cm for large art and photography books.
- Keep unsupported shelf spans moderate, typically under 80–90 cm for a full row of books, so the shelf does not bow over time.
- Leave around a third of each open shelf empty. Rows of books mixing upright and stacked, with one object per shelf, read better than shelves filled edge to edge.
Place visually heavy items low and towards the sides, smaller and lighter ones higher up. A symmetrical layout around the screen is the quietest; an asymmetrical one, with tall shelving on one side only, works when the room itself is asymmetrical, for example with a window on the other side.
Lighting the wall
Lighting needs planning in advance, because the cables run inside the furniture:
- Warm LED strips (2700–3000 K) under or inside the shelves, recessed so the strip itself is not visible from the sofa.
- A soft light behind the screen, which reduces eye strain in a dark room.
- A separate dimmer for the shelf lighting, independent of the ceiling lights.
- A check for reflections: a window or pendant lamp directly opposite the screen will show in it.
The cover photo, from the Yeşilyaka Su villa in Büyükçekmece, shows a built-in TV wall with lit shelving, which keeps the wall from becoming a dark block around a dark screen in the evening.
What to prepare before asking for a quote
Have this information ready:
- Wall width and ceiling height, plus the positions of sockets, windows, doors and radiators.
- Screen size, and whether it will stand on the unit or be wall-mounted.
- A rough sketch showing which parts should be closed and which open, and photos of the wall.
Every Sitdesign piece is handmade in our own factory in Büyükçekmece, Istanbul. TV units and bookshelves are wood pieces with a lead time of 6–8 weeks.
Send your wall measurements and screen size through our contact page, and we will come back with suitable models, dimensions and a quote.
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