What TV Stand to Buy? Tips on How to Choose a TV Stand

Featured TV Stand: Peyton TV Stand - (1.8m)

Choosing which TV to buy is the complicated part, right? It’s acronym city…LCD or LED? HDMI, USB, AV, RVCA… And then trying to make sure your horde of techno minions can all ‘talk’ to each other and be ‘smart’ together, so you can happily go on pretending you’re still as techno-smart as your teenagers (or your pre-schoolers, let’s face it). Choosing a TV stand? Way simpler, surely?

Well, yes, and no. From your teenager’s point of view, it’s just a glorified table to keep the ogle-box at ideal viewing height. But then again, a well-chosen TV stand can give your living room a mini to major makeover, depending on how much of a feature you want it to be. And it can do you a bunch of other favours, like dealing with all that cable clutter you’ve been trying to mentally block out, or giving you a (just barely) justifiable excuse for another Lord of the Rings marathon (because, come on, you have to test out the new sound setup properly).

So, between deciding what all you want your TV stand to do for you, and how it can best fit in with and improve your entertainment area, there are a few factors that will need some thought – and unfortunately, yes, some maths. But read on, and we’ll have it all uncomplicated for you in no time.  

Read the room

Adding any piece of furniture to a room starts with visualising what the space can accommodate, and where the piece will fit best. In many homes these days, a shiny big flat-screen TV is going to be the focal point of the living or entertainment area. A simple and stylish TV stand with some display accessories, or perhaps a more elaborate wall unit, will prevent you having to look at a dead black rectangle of doom when the TV’s off, and give the space an aesthetic life of its own.

On the other hand, your TV stand doesn’t have to take centre stage or dominate your precious floor or wall space. Corner TV stands, ones with swivel features, or mobile stands with casters are some options to consider if your room configurations are a little awkward. Another popular option is wall-mounting the TV. That way you can still say yes to the big screen, but no to the big space issues – and fitting a slimmer wall cabinet or console underneath will still give you the visual dynamics and functionality you want. 

Upsize to optimise

Once you know where your TV’s going to be, the next question is dimensions for your TV stand. The minimum size is obviously going to be determined by the dimensions of your TV.

Width

Even if you decide to wall mount your TV, you’ll still want to keep things balanced with a wall unit that’s at least a little wider than the TV screen. If your TV’s going to be standing on it, the unit needs to be wider and deeper than the widest part of the TV (not just the feet), to avoid the risk of being knocked over, and to give you some space to fiddle with those annoying cables. At a minimum, you’ll want to allow 5cm breathing room on each side. Because of all the different TV styles out there, you can’t judge by the advertised screen size alone, which is measured diagonally.

It’s time to get out the measuring tape. (If you haven’t bought your TV yet, go to your nearest store and get a rough idea of the width of the TV screen size you plan to buy. Even if it’s not the right model, at least you’ll have a reasonable sense of what to work with).  To give you a general rule of thumb, here’s a breakdown of the minimum TV stand width you would need according to TV screen size:  

When it comes to technology it’s always a good idea to be thinking ahead. If there’s a decent chance you’ll upgrade to a bigger TV down the road, go with a wider TV stand now if you have the space – you’ll be glad for the extra playroom later.

Height

While many people are happy setting their TV’s higher up, the ideal viewing height is to have the middle third of the screen at eye level. So, recruit one of your TV addicts to take a seat on the couch and measure from their line of sight to the ground. Subtract half of your TV’s height from this number, and you’ll have the ideal height for your TV stand.

Featured TV Stand: Volantis TV Stand

Focus on function

Besides their one pretty obvious function, TV stands can be incredibly versatile, giving you a host of options for storage, styling and display options. It’s all up to you and your needs. 

So let’s start with the obvious. At the least, you’re probably in the market for a unit that can conveniently house your audio-visual entertainment setup. Depending on what side of the internet generation you’re on, this may include nothing more than a few speakers and a convenient charging dock for your phone which is now the source of things streamable.

Or it might include the full monty of stereo, DVD player, X-Box/Playstation, with fifty gazillion wires to manage. Congrats if you’ve made the successful leap to wireless world – I think most of us are still waiting to get there, and thus we must continue the ongoing war against cable clutter.

Featured TV Stand: Waldorf TV Stand - 1.8m

If your setup is on the more complicated side, you’ll want to look at a unit that gives you plenty of accessible storage space and provides enough breathing to prevent any equipment overheating. You may also want to opt for an open rather than close-backed design that allows you to easily change things around without having to drill new holes for wires and somehow disguise the old ones. Just keep a stack of cable ties handy to keep those buggers in their place in the meantime!

Featured TV Stand: Peyton TV Stand - (1.8m)

Deciding between TV stand designs with open shelving, drawers, and/or cupboard doors mostly comes down to personal taste and what’s going to match or balance the look of your existing décor. If you’ve already got a lot of things on display in the general area, you may want to go with a ‘quieter’ closed off design to avoid things getting too busy. 

Featured TV Stand: Carlisle TV Stand 1.8m

On the other hand, you won’t want to hide equipment behind closed doors if it works on infrared remote signals, unless you’re happy with an open door policy, or enjoy a little exercise between binge watching. A nice compromise here is darkened glass, which will still let the signals through.

If you’re keeping your techno life simple, and your DVD collection has already given up on its sad, neglected existence and found its way to the pawn shop, your TV stand will be free to fill with whatever your heart desires – old LPs (because those are never leaving, right?), mini succulent collection, wine rack, Lord of the Rings action figures…there’s no judgment here.

Featured TV Stand: Lexi TV Stand - 2m

To help get that imagination going, take a browse through Cielo’s smooth range of contemporary TV stand designs – we’ll help you find the piece that speaks your language and gets some heads turning, even when the TV’s still on.