TV Stands, TV Units and TV Cabinets
TV unit, TV stand, TV cabinet. Three words for the same piece of furniture, and different makers use different ones. What they all describe is a low cabinet built to sit a television on, with somewhere underneath for everything the television needs.
It is also the piece a living room is arranged around. Whatever else moves, the seating faces this, so it is worth choosing on more than looks.
Oak and wooden TV units
Timber is what most of these are, and on a TV unit the grain does a specific job: it gives the eye something other than a black rectangle to settle on when the screen is off, which is most of the time.
Oak is the steady choice. Light and natural finishes keep the piece from weighing down a room; smoked and darker oak give it more presence and sit better under a large screen, where a pale unit can look like it is holding something too heavy for it. Mango and other open-grained timbers run more varied, with colour changes between boards that break up a long front.
White, black and grey TV stands
Colour matters more here than on most furniture because of what sits on top. A television is a large dark object, and the unit either matches it or contrasts with it.
Black and dark grey read as one piece with the screen, so the whole arrangement reads as a single block against the wall. That is tidy, and in a small room it takes up less visual space than it does actual space. White and pale finishes do the opposite: the unit separates from the screen and becomes furniture again, which suits a room where the television is not meant to be the point of it.
Grey sits between the two and is the forgiving choice where the walls are already doing something.
TV units with storage
Storage is what separates a TV unit from a table, and it is worth thinking about what actually goes in it.
Cupboards hide things and keep dust off them, which suits paperwork, spare cables and anything that does not need to be reached daily. Open shelving is the better answer for a set-top box, a games console or a sound bar, because a closed door blocks a remote control signal and traps the heat that consoles put out. Drawers take the small loose things that otherwise end up on top: remotes, controllers, chargers, batteries.
Most units here combine two of the three, and the mix is the thing to check rather than the total capacity.
Small and large TV stands
A TV unit should be wider than the screen standing on it. Narrower and the television overhangs, which looks unstable whether or not it is, and leaves nothing either side for a lamp or a plant to soften the arrangement.
Beyond that, longer units suit a wall with nothing else on it and give you a run of surface. Smaller ones suit a room where the television shares a wall with a door, a radiator or a chimney breast, and where a long piece would leave no floor to walk on.
Height is the measurement that gets ignored and matters most. A television is comfortable to watch when the middle of the screen is roughly at eye level when you are sitting down. Too tall a unit and you spend the evening looking up.
Modern, rustic and industrial TV units
Style follows the rest of the room rather than the television, since the screen is the same black rectangle whatever it stands on.
Clean-lined modern units suit a room with little else in it and let the screen dominate. Rustic and heavier timber pieces do the opposite, giving the wall enough character that the television stops being the only thing on it. Industrial mixes bring a harder edge and read well in a room with exposed brick or dark walls.
TV unit FAQs
What is the difference between a TV unit and a TV stand?
Nothing. TV unit, TV stand and TV cabinet all describe the same piece, and which word gets used depends on the maker rather than the design.
Should a TV unit be wider than the TV?
Yes. A screen that overhangs its unit looks precarious and leaves nowhere to put anything beside it. Wider is better than exactly matching.
How high should a TV unit be?
Low enough that the middle of the screen sits roughly at eye level when you are sitting on the sofa. Most TV units are low for that reason, and it is why a sideboard used as a TV unit often ends up too tall.
Can you keep a games console in a closed TV cabinet?
Better not to. Consoles and set-top boxes run warm and need airflow, and a closed door blocks the remote control signal. Open shelving is the place for anything with a light on the front.
Do TV units have cable management?
Many have a cut-out at the back for cables to pass through, which keeps them off the floor and out of sight behind the unit. It varies by piece, so check the individual product if it matters.