The right TV unit can make a rented living room feel noticeably bigger. Choose one that is shallow in depth, raised on slim legs so the floor stays visible, and finished in a light or reflective material such as glass, white or pale wood. Keep it in proportion with the screen, place it on the wall that leaves the clearest walkway, and keep the surface uncluttered. None of this needs drilling, painting or permission from your landlord.
Renting brings particular limits. Walls often cannot be painted, fixings may be restricted and the carpet is rarely your choice. Furniture becomes the main tool you have to shape the room. Glass is especially useful here because it lets light and sightlines pass straight through, and our range of modern glass TV stands UK shows how much lighter a unit can look when it does not block the view.
In most living rooms, the TV unit is one of the longest pieces of furniture and sits along the wall people look at most. If it is deep, heavy and dark, it pulls that wall towards you and makes the room feel shorter. If it is slim and light, the wall seems to recede.
In a typical rented flat or small terraced house, living rooms are often compact, with the sofa on one wall and the television on the opposite one. A few centimetres of extra depth on the TV unit can make the gap between them feel tight. Comparing designs across our full collection of TV units UK sale by depth, rather than width alone, is a sensible first step.
People usually shop for TV units by width, matching them to the screen. In a small room, depth is just as important. A shallow unit keeps the walkway in front of it clear and reduces the visual bulk of the piece.
Check the depth of your equipment before you decide. Streaming devices and soundbars are small, but some games consoles and older set top boxes need more room. If you have very little equipment, you can choose a slimmer unit than you might expect.
Also think about how far the unit will project if it sits in front of a radiator or a skirting mounted socket. Leaving a small gap for cables and warm air is sensible, but it adds to the overall depth.
When you can see the floor beneath a piece of furniture, the room feels larger. Your eye reads the floor as one continuous surface rather than being stopped by a solid block.
In a rented home, wall mounting is often not allowed, so a unit on legs is the next best thing. Slim metal legs, tapered wooden legs or a recessed plinth all create a shadow line beneath the unit. On a rented carpet, which is often a plain beige or grey, this also shows more of the floor, which helps the room look less crowded.
Legs make cleaning underneath easier too, which is worth considering if you want to leave the carpet in good condition at the end of your tenancy.
Clear or lightly tinted glass is one of the most effective choices in a small room. It has almost no visual weight. Toughened glass is sturdy and easy to wipe clean, though it does show fingerprints.
Many rented properties have magnolia, white or pale grey walls. A white or off white unit blends into these colours, so it reads as part of the wall rather than a separate object. High gloss white also reflects light.
Pale oak and ash tones add warmth without heaviness. They are useful if the room already feels a little cold, which is common with plain walls and neutral carpet.
Darker finishes can still work in a rented room, but they need balancing with light textiles, a pale rug or plenty of lamp light.
Reflection is one of the most reliable ways to make a room feel larger, and it does not require any decorating. A mirror placed where it catches light from the window will bounce that light further into the room.
In a rented home, a large mirror leaning against the wall is a good option, since it needs no fixings. Place it on a wall adjacent to the TV unit rather than directly opposite the window, where it might reflect glare onto the screen. If your tenancy does allow a couple of small fixings, lighter modern wall mirrors UK can be hung using removable picture hooks designed for rented walls.
Mirrored or glossy surfaces on the unit itself add to the effect. Even a glass top or a mirrored drawer front can catch light and lift the TV wall.
A unit that is much wider than the television can look oversized in a small room. One that is narrower than the screen can look unstable. In most cases, a unit a little wider than the screen gives a balanced result.
Height matters too. A low unit keeps the top half of the wall clear, which makes the ceiling feel higher. This is useful in rented flats, many of which have fairly standard ceiling heights.
The television does not have to go where the previous tenant put it, or where the aerial socket happens to be. Think about how people move through the room. The TV wall should ideally be one that does not sit on the main path between the door and the rest of the space.
Avoid placing the screen directly opposite a window, where glare can be a problem, or directly beside it, where you will be looking into the light. If the room has an awkward layout with doors on several walls, a corner can be the most practical spot. Our guide to styling a corner TV unit in a UK living room covers how to make that position work.
A long extension lead and a coaxial cable extender can help you move the television away from the fixed socket without any rewiring.
Clutter makes any room feel smaller. A TV unit with closed storage lets you tuck away remotes, cables, games and chargers. The challenge is finding enough storage without choosing a bulky piece.
Units with drawers are often more efficient than open shelves, because they hide everything and keep the front looking clean. A single drawer can absorb a surprising amount. If you prefer open shelves, use one or two small lidded boxes to contain loose items.
Keep the top surface mostly clear: one plant, one lamp or one decorative object is enough.
Rented living rooms can feel impersonal, but adding too many decorative items works against the sense of space. Focus on a few pieces with texture. A woven basket beside the unit, a small plant and a lamp with a fabric shade bring warmth without filling the room.
A rug in front of the unit can cover a worn or tired rented carpet and help define the seating area. Choose one large enough that the front legs of the sofa can sit on it. This makes the room feel more connected and generous than a small rug floating in the middle.
One of the benefits of choosing furniture carefully while renting is that it moves with you. A well chosen TV unit in a neutral finish will adapt to your next home, whether that is another rental or a place of your own. White and pale finishes are especially adaptable, and our guide on white TV units for UK rooms explains why they suit such a wide range of settings.
Look for units that come apart easily or are light enough to move without much effort. Glass units should have sturdy packaging or be easy to protect with blankets during a move.
You can browse slim, light and glass TV units suited to smaller rented homes at Furniture in Fashion. We offer free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes, and Returns are available up to 30 days.
A shallow unit on slim legs in glass, white or pale wood will usually make the room feel most open, because it lets light pass and keeps the floor visible.
Only with your landlord’s permission. Many tenancies restrict drilling, so a floor standing unit on legs is often the simplest solution.
Choose a wall that is not on the main walkway and not directly opposite or beside a window. A corner can work well in rooms with several doors.
Most glass TV units use toughened safety glass. Check the product details, and consider rounded corners if you have young children.
Choose a unit with drawers or closed storage, route cables down the back and keep the top limited to one or two items.
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