Can I Get a TV Unit with a Reserve Now Pay Later Option?

How this works in practice

We do not hold stock aside under a reserve now pay later scheme. Orders are placed and paid for at checkout in the normal way. Where a shopper wants to spread the cost, PayPal Pay in 3 is available at checkout as a payment option provided by PayPal, which divides the total into three payments while the order proceeds immediately. In practical terms that delivers what most people are looking for, since the unit is secured and the payment is spread.

Because nothing is reserved, a popular finish is best ordered when you find it rather than bookmarked for later. TV units in particular move quickly in gloss and oak tones. With the payment question settled, the more interesting part is choosing a unit that actually fits the way your living room works, because a television wall is one of the harder arrangements to get right.

Sizing the unit against the television

The most common mistake is buying a unit the same width as the screen. A television should look supported rather than balanced, which means the unit needs to be wider than the screen by a reasonable margin. As a working rule, add at least twenty centimetres either side of the screen width. A 55 inch television measures roughly 123cm across, so a unit of around 160cm or more looks correct.

Height matters as well. Sitting on a sofa, your eye line should meet the lower third of the screen. For most sofas that puts the top of the unit somewhere between 40cm and 55cm. Anything taller forces you to look up, which is uncomfortable across a full film. Measure from your floor to your seated eye level before choosing, since sofa heights vary considerably. Our modern TV units UK sale range lists heights clearly so this is straightforward to check.

Wall mounted, floating or freestanding

A freestanding unit is the simplest option. It needs no fixing, it can be moved, and it usually offers the most storage. Floating and wall mounted designs create the impression of more floor space because the carpet or flooring runs beneath them, which genuinely helps in a small room. They do require sound fixings, and in a plasterboard wall you need to locate the studs or use proper heavy duty anchors.

Corner units solve a particular problem in square rooms where the only sensible viewing angle is diagonal. They waste less space than people expect, since the awkward triangle behind them was never usable anyway. Choose based on your wall construction and how permanent the arrangement needs to be. Renters are generally better served by freestanding designs.

Cable management, the detail that undoes tidy rooms

Nothing spoils a neat living room faster than a nest of cables. Look for a unit with a cutout in the back panel, ideally more than one, so leads can pass through rather than round. A closed back with no aperture forces the unit forward from the wall, which loses several centimetres of floor and looks awkward.

Plan for the number of devices you actually have. A set top box, a games console and a sound bar need power, ventilation and signal cables, which quickly amounts to a dozen leads. Grouped through a single cutout with a cable tie, they disappear. Ventilation matters too, since consoles run warm and a fully enclosed cabinet with no airflow shortens their life.

Storage behind doors or on open shelves

Open shelving looks lighter and displays items well, but it collects dust and shows every controller, disc and cable. Closed doors hide clutter and are the better choice in a family room, particularly where children’s games accumulate. Many units combine the two, with a central open bay for a set top box and closed cupboards either side.

Drawers are the most useful of all for small items, because remotes, controllers and chargers otherwise migrate to the sofa. If your living room doubles as a play space, additional closed storage nearby helps, and a run of modern sideboards UK along the same wall keeps the whole side of the room reading as one piece of furniture rather than several.

Finishes and LED lighting

High gloss fronts reflect light and suit contemporary rooms, and they wipe clean quickly. In a room with a bright window they can produce reflections near the screen edge, so consider where the light falls. Oak and walnut effects are warmer and hide dust far better, which is the practical advantage in a room used every evening. Matt grey and anthracite have become popular because they recede behind the screen rather than competing with it.

Integrated LED lighting is common on modern units. Used well, a soft glow behind or beneath the unit reduces the contrast between a bright screen and a dark room, which is easier on the eyes at night. Used badly, coloured LEDs distract. A single warm white setting is usually the most livable choice. Our high gloss TV units UK sale listings indicate which designs include lighting.

Fitting the unit into the wider room

A television wall works best when the unit relates to the rest of the furniture rather than standing alone. Match the finish to your coffee table, or at least keep the tones in the same family. If the sofa is dark, a lighter unit lifts the wall. If the room is small, a lower unit keeps the sightline across the space open.

Leave a little wall visible either side of the unit rather than filling the whole width, which stops the arrangement feeling boxed in. A matching choice from our modern coffee tables UK sale options ties the seating area to the television wall, and at Furniture in Fashion you can shop matching living room pieces with free UK delivery so the finishes agree without hunting across retailers.

Assembly and safety

Most TV units arrive flat packed and take under an hour to build. Fit the back panel properly, since it holds the carcass square and carries the cable cutouts. If you are wall mounting the television above the unit, check the bracket weight rating against the screen and fix into studs or masonry rather than plasterboard alone.

If the television stands on the unit rather than the wall, use an anti tip strap. Screens are top heavy and a curious child can pull one over easily. Straps are inexpensive and take five minutes, and no other five minutes in the room matters more.

Sound bars, consoles and planning for what comes next

Living room technology changes faster than furniture does, so allow for it. A sound bar needs either a shelf deep enough to hold it without overhanging or space beneath a wall mounted screen. Measure the sound bar height against the gap between the unit top and the bottom of the screen, because a bar that blocks the lower edge of the picture is a daily irritation.

Consoles need airflow and front access for discs and controllers. An enclosed cupboard with a solid door traps heat, so if a console lives behind a door, leave it ajar during use or choose a design with a vented or glass front. Think ahead about the next television too. Screen sizes tend to increase, so a unit chosen slightly wider than your current set gives you room to upgrade without replacing the furniture as well.

Rooms with a fireplace or an awkward wall

Many British living rooms have a chimney breast in the centre of the main wall, which complicates a television arrangement. Placing the screen above a working fireplace raises it well above a comfortable eye line and exposes it to heat, so the alcove to one side is usually the better position, with the unit sized to the recess rather than the whole wall.

Where a bay window takes the natural viewing wall, a corner unit angled across the room often solves the problem better than forcing the television onto a wall with light behind it. Reflections matter more than most people expect. Sit on the sofa at the time of evening you watch most and look at where lamps and windows appear on the screen. Moving the unit a metre is free, and it frequently improves viewing more than any purchase would.

Frequently asked questions

Can I reserve a TV unit and pay later? Stock is not held under a reservation scheme, but PayPal Pay in 3 is available at checkout as a payment option provided by PayPal, which spreads the total while the order goes ahead.

How wide should the unit be? Wider than the screen by at least twenty centimetres either side. A 55 inch television suits a unit of around 160cm or more.

What height works best? Between 40cm and 55cm for most sofas, so your seated eye line meets the lower third of the screen.

Do I need cable cutouts? Yes. Without an aperture in the back panel the unit sits forward of the wall and the cables stay visible.

Open shelves or closed doors? Closed doors suit family rooms and hide clutter. Open bays suit set top boxes that need line of sight for a remote. Many units sensibly combine both.