How to Measure Your Room for a Mid-Century Wooden TV Stand in 7 Easy Steps

To measure your room for a mid century wooden TV stand, you need seven measurements: the wall width, the screen width, the viewing height, the stand depth your floor space can take, the clearance around doors and radiators, the height under any window or shelf, and the size of your doorways and stairs for delivery. Take these before you shop and you can judge any stand quickly and confidently.

Mid century stands have particular characteristics that affect sizing: tapered legs that raise the body off the floor, slim profiles, and often sliding doors that need clearance. The seven steps below account for all of these. When you are ready to compare designs, our wooden TV stands UK sale include many pieces with a mid century feel, and product pages list full dimensions.

What You Will Need

Before you start, gather a few simple tools:

• A retractable metal tape measure, ideally a long one.
• Masking tape or painter’s tape.
• A notepad or your phone to record measurements.
• A second person, if possible, for longer measurements.

Measure everything in centimetres, since most furniture dimensions in the UK are listed this way, and write them down as you go.

Step 1: Measure the Wall Width

Start with the wall where the stand will go. Measure the full width from corner to corner, then measure the usable width, which is the space between any obstacles such as doors, windows, radiators or alcove edges.

Mid century furniture looks best with breathing room around it. As a general guide, avoid choosing a stand that fills the usable wall completely. Leaving space at each end allows the slim legs and clean lines to be appreciated and stops the wall feeling crowded.

If you are working with a chimney breast, measure the breast itself and each alcove separately. Older UK homes rarely have perfectly symmetrical alcoves.

Step 2: Measure Your Television

Televisions are sold by their diagonal screen size, but you need the actual width of the set, including the frame. Measure it directly or check the manufacturer’s specification.

If the television will sit on the stand rather than on the wall, also measure the width and depth of its feet or pedestal. Some screens have feet positioned near the outer edges, which means the stand’s top must be wider than the feet span, not just the screen.

Your stand should be wider than the television so the screen does not appear to overhang. Mid century designs often have a light visual weight, so a generous width helps balance a large, dark screen. Our wider range of TV stands and units UK includes long, low designs suited to larger screens.

Step 3: Work Out the Right Viewing Height

For comfortable viewing, the centre of the screen should sit at or close to eye level when you are seated. To find this height:

1. Sit on your sofa in your usual position.
2. Ask someone to measure from the floor to your eye level.
3. Note this figure as your target centre height for the screen.

Next, measure your television from the bottom of its feet to the centre of the screen. Subtract this from your target centre height, and you have an approximate ideal height for the stand top.

Mid century stands are usually on the lower side, partly because of their tapered legs and slim bodies. If your ideal height is higher, look for designs with taller legs. If you are wall mounting, the stand height is more flexible, but keep the screen at a comfortable level. Our wall TV brackets UK can help you set the screen at the right height above a low stand.

Step 4: Check the Depth Against Your Floor Space

Depth is often overlooked, but it has a big effect in narrow UK living rooms. Measure from the TV wall to the front of the sofa, then consider how much of that space you need for walking and a coffee table.

A deep stand projects further into the room and can narrow walkways, while a slim stand keeps the floor open. Mid century designs are often relatively shallow, which is helpful, but check the depth including any handles or overhanging tops.

Also check the depth needed for your devices. Games consoles, soundbars and streaming boxes all need to fit inside or on the stand, with space behind for cables.

Step 5: Measure Clearances Around Obstacles

Now look at what surrounds the stand’s position:

• Doors: make sure any door that swings towards the stand can open fully.
• Radiators: keep wooden furniture a sensible distance away from direct heat to protect the timber.
• Sockets and aerial points: note where they are and whether the stand will cover them or leave them accessible.
• Skirting boards: measure their depth, as they push the stand forward from the wall.

Mid century stands with sliding doors need no swing clearance, which is useful in tight spots. Hinged doors, on the other hand, need space to open without hitting a sofa arm or wall.

Step 6: Check the Height Above the Stand

If the stand will sit beneath a window, a shelf, artwork or a mounted television, measure the height from the floor to the underside of that element.

Under a window, the stand should sit comfortably below the sill so it does not block light or curtains. Beneath a wall mounted screen, leave a visible gap between the top of the stand and the bottom of the television so a soundbar or ornaments can sit on top without crowding. Mid century pieces look their best with some empty space above them.

Step 7: Measure the Route Into the Room

Finally, measure the path the stand will take to reach the living room. Check the width and height of your front door, any internal doors, hallways and stairwells. Pay particular attention to tight turns on stairs or narrow landings in flats and older terraces.

Compare these measurements with the stand’s packaged dimensions, which are often listed separately from the assembled size. Many mid century stands are delivered flat or with legs to be fitted, which makes access easier.

Common Measuring Mistakes

Even careful measurers can slip up. These are the errors that come up most often:

• Using the screen size instead of the width: a television’s advertised size is the diagonal, which is always larger than its actual width.
• Measuring only once: walls in older homes are rarely perfectly straight, so measure at floor level, halfway up and near the top.
• Forgetting leg spread: tapered mid century legs often angle outwards, so the footprint at floor level can be slightly wider or deeper than the body.
• Ignoring rug edges: if the front legs will sit on a rug and the back legs on the floor, the stand may not sit level.
• Overlooking devices: a soundbar placed in front of the screen can block the bottom of the picture or the remote sensor if the stand is too high.

A Note on Proportion

Numbers tell you whether a stand fits. Proportion tells you whether it looks right. Mid century furniture relies on a sense of lightness, so a stand that technically fits but fills the wall from edge to edge can lose that quality.

As a rough guide, aim for the stand to occupy a clear majority of the usable wall width without touching the corners or crowding a door frame. If you have a large wall, consider a longer stand or add a slim floor lamp or plant at one end to balance the arrangement.

Mark It Out Before You Buy

Once you have a stand in mind, use masking tape to mark its footprint on the floor and its outline on the wall. Leave it in place for a day or two. Walk around it, sit on the sofa, open doors and see how it feels. This simple step reveals issues that numbers alone can miss.

Further Reading

For a similar process tailored to oak furniture, our guide on measuring your UK room for an oak TV unit offers a helpful companion. And if you are drawn to the style as a whole, our article on mid century modern TV units in UK homes covers the design details and how to style them.

Ready to Choose

With seven clear measurements in hand, choosing a mid century wooden TV stand becomes much simpler. You will know what width, depth and height suit your room and your television, and you can be confident it will fit through the door. You can browse our full living room collection at Furniture in Fashion, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much wider than my TV should a mid century stand be?

It should be noticeably wider than the television, so the screen does not look as though it overhangs. Many people choose a stand that extends a little beyond the screen on each side for balance.

What height is right for a mid century TV stand?

Aim for a height that puts the centre of the screen near your seated eye level. Mid century designs are often low, which works well with wall mounted televisions.

Do tapered legs affect how much storage I get?

Legs raise the body off the floor, so the overall height includes some open space underneath. Check the internal dimensions of cupboards and shelves to make sure your devices fit.

Should I include skirting boards when measuring?

Yes. Skirting pushes furniture away from the wall, so add its depth to the stand’s depth when checking how far it will project into the room.