TV benches

A TV stand and entertainment center has an incredible power to make or break a living room design. It can be a trim detail that ties your room together in a neat look. Or it can be a statement piece, unashamed of its size and scale. Either way, it will provide a fine pedestal for your television. Or at least be an elegant home for that bland tv box, your blinking wi-fi router or your collection of gaming consoles.

There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a TV stand for your home. If you know just what you need, some of our entertainment center units can be combined for a tailor-made media center that suits you and your appliances best.

How to choose your TV stand height

When deciding which TV stand to get, a key consideration is how tall it needs to be. This is dependent on the size of the TV and on the height of, and distance to, your seat.

Here’s a quick guide on how to think about TV stand size and how to measure for it in your home.

How to find the right size TV for your stand

You can’t choose the right entertainment center without first considering your TV size and your seating arrangement. For the best possible viewing experience, you want to have your screen further away the larger the screen (and vice versa). And this will be true whether you’re trying to optimize your home cinema installation or just want a nice piece to support a smaller screen. To figure out what size TV you need (or where to place your seat) do the following:

1. Measure the distance (in inches) between your seat and the place where you want your TV

2. Divide the number by 1.6

3. Round off the resulting number to the nearest screen size

Let’s say you sit 98" from your TV. If so, you divide 98" by 1.6 and you get 61.25. The recommended screen size of your new TV would therefore be around 60". Or, if you already have a 32" screen, you should probably move your sofa about 40" closer.

How high up should you place your TV?

The middle of the TV should ideally be aligned with your eye line. Because, if you place the TV too high or too low, you’ll strain your neck by tilting your head to compensate. When sitting in your regular watching position, you should be able to keep your neck neutral while watching.

Since all of us come in so many wondrous heights, shapes and sizes, the ideal height is going to vary a bit for all of us. But a good way is to approximate your eye-level when in your preferred watching position and try aligning the middle of the TV accordingly.

Once you know this, the height and size of your perfect TV stand should be a lot easier to choose. Maybe you will find an entertainment center piece that’s the perfect size and height for your living room. Or maybe you discover that you should wall-mount your screen instead, which allows you to get a smaller and more discrete TV cabinet just for storing your appliances.