TV Stands

Sleek Entertainment Units

The entertainment unit is a key part of the living room. Whether it’s sports, award shows, reality tv or plain old binge watching, you spend a lot of time sitting in front of the screen and as a result, in front of the entertainment unit. That’s why it’s really important for it to fit nicely in your living room without being too obtrusive. Here are some important things to consider when purchasing an entertainment unit.

Style

Your entertainment unit can come in a wide range of styles, from the lowline to the wall units or the TV armoires.

Lowline entertainment units, also known as TV consoles, come in a variety of styles and colors. Their common feature is that they’re close to the ground. They are great choices if you plan to mount your tv on the wall or if you live in a small apartment, as they create lots of open space and often offer storage below.

Wall units are larger and usually have shelves that surround the TV. These are great for larger, more spacious homes and also provide additional storage options. The shelves surrounding the TV can vary in style too. They can have glass cases to display art pieces, photo frames or China, or can be used as bookshelves.

Lastly, there are also TV armoires, a sort of cupboard-like entertainment unit with cabinet doors that hides the TV when not in use. Below the TV space, there are usually drawers or other storage options.

Measurements

Taking measurements is a prerequisite for purchasing the correct entertainment unit. Here are some measurement tricks. TVs should be placed at eye level when seated, this means mounting the TV at an average of 105 cm from the floor to the middle of the TV for optimal viewing pleasure.

Apart from measuring the area your unit will be placed in, don’t forget to measure your TV. The unit shelf should be no more than 30 cm below the middle of your TV. Even if you plan on mounting your TV, you need to make sure your entertainment unit will fit comfortably underneath it.

If possible, place your sofa or armchair at around two and a half meters from your entertainment unit making sure you don’t suffer from eye fatigue. The length of your entertainment unit should fit nicely with the rest of your furniture. If you have a large loveseat, 3 seater sofa, or a massive modular sofa, you can add a larger unit.

Managing Wires

Acknowledge where your power source is in your home, then consider how far your unit will be from it and from other relevant points such as the Wifi router, cable TV point or fiber optics link, and assess how best to minimise the cabling.

If you don’t have the luxury of running your wires behind the wall, you will need to use extension cables, so make sure that they don’t cause tripping hazards or run under doors that won’t be able to close due to bulky wires.

Other Uses

Ask yourself if you’ll be using the entertainment unit for any other purposes than your TV. Do you need more storage space? Will you be installing an entire entertainment system and will the speakers be on floating shelves or on the unit itself? Gamers will want to easily slide their consoles in and out without unplugging each time.

Even if you’re using a projector and not a standard TV, an entertainment unit creates a central space where all your living room furniture face, from sofas and armchairs to living room cabinets, and can provide extra storage space to hide electronics and cables when not in use.