Open-Plan Living Room Makeover: Start With the Right TV Unit

In an open plan space, the TV unit is often the piece that decides where the living area begins and ends, so it makes sense to choose it before anything else. Get the position, height and footprint of the unit right, and the sofa, rug and lighting fall into place around it. Choose it last, and you may find the screen facing the wrong way, the sofa blocking a walkway, or the lounge zone drifting into the kitchen.

When planning a makeover, start by looking at low, long modern TV units UK that keep sightlines open across the room, then choose the sofa and tables from our modern living room furniture UK to suit. This article walks through the process step by step, from mapping the space to styling the finished zone.

Why the TV Unit Comes First

Open plan rooms have fewer walls, which means fewer natural anchors. In a traditional lounge, the fireplace or the longest wall usually tells you where the TV should go. In a combined kitchen, dining and living space, you have more freedom and more chances to get it wrong.

The TV unit fixes a point in the room. Once you know where it sits, you know which way the seating faces, where the rug needs to go and how much space remains for dining and circulation. It also sets the tone for the materials and colours in the living zone, so the rest of the furniture can follow its lead.

Step One: Map How the Space Is Used

Before thinking about furniture, spend a few days noticing how the room works. Where do people walk between the kitchen, the garden doors and the hallway? Where does the light fall in the morning and in the evening? Which areas are used for cooking, eating, working and relaxing?

Sketch a simple floor plan with measurements and mark the main routes through the room. These routes need to stay clear, ideally at least 80cm to 90cm wide. The living zone should sit away from the busiest path, so people can move through without walking in front of the screen.

Step Two: Choose the TV Wall

In open plan rooms, the best TV wall is usually a solid one at the far end of the living zone, facing away from the kitchen. This lets the sofa act as a soft barrier between cooking and relaxing, with its back to the kitchen and its face to the screen.

Avoid walls that face large windows or glazed doors where possible, as glare will make daytime viewing difficult. If the only suitable wall does face the light, choose a unit that allows the screen to be angled slightly, or plan for blinds that can be adjusted during the day.

Check the practical details too: the position of sockets and aerial points, radiators and any underfloor heating controls. Moving a socket is far easier during a makeover than after the room is finished.

Step Three: Get the Proportions Right

Open plan rooms are often larger than standard lounges, and furniture that looks generous in a showroom can appear small once it is placed in a big space. A TV unit that is too short will look lost on a long wall. As a guide, choose a unit noticeably wider than the screen, and consider something longer if the wall is broad.

Height is equally important. Low units keep the view across the room open, which suits open plan layouts well. A tall cabinet can block light and make the living zone feel boxed in. The exception is where you want the unit to act as a partial divider, which we cover below.

Depth deserves a moment too. A deep unit protrudes further into the room, which matters when it sits near a walkway. Measure the gap between the front of the unit and the nearest route before settling on a design.

Step Four: Decide on the Type of Unit

Low Line Units

Long, low media units suit most open plan rooms. They create a clear horizontal line that visually defines the living zone without interrupting the view to the kitchen or garden.

Floating Units

Wall mounted units leave the floor visible beneath, which makes the room feel more spacious. They also make cleaning easier in busy family spaces, as nothing gathers underneath.

Media Walls

A media wall combines a TV unit with shelving or cabinetry on either side, sometimes built around the screen. In a large open plan room, this creates a strong focal point and a lot of storage. It suits households that want the living zone to feel like a distinct room within the larger space.

Dual Purpose Units

In some layouts, the TV unit can double as a room divider. A unit placed at right angles to a wall, finished on both sides, can separate the lounge from the dining area while holding the TV on one side and books or display items on the other. This approach needs careful planning for cables and stability, but it can be very effective in long, narrow rooms.

Step Five: Build the Zone Around the Unit

Once the TV unit is placed, the rest of the living zone follows.

Seating. Position the sofa facing the screen at a comfortable viewing distance. In open plan rooms, a sofa with its back to the kitchen or dining area is one of the simplest ways to define the lounge. A corner sofa can wrap around the zone and create a cosier feel.

Rugs. A rug is one of the most effective tools in an open plan space. It marks out the living area, softens hard floors and absorbs some of the sound that bounces around large rooms. Ideally, the front legs of the sofa and chairs should sit on the rug, and the rug should extend towards the TV unit. Our modern rugs UK sale range includes sizes suited to larger living zones.

Lighting. Each zone in an open plan room benefits from its own lighting. In the living area, a floor lamp beside the sofa and a table lamp on or near the TV unit create a warmer, more intimate atmosphere in the evening, separate from the brighter task lighting in the kitchen.

Dividers. Where you need a little more separation without building a wall, freestanding screens and open shelving can help. Our room dividers UK offer a flexible way to shield the living zone from the kitchen or a home office corner.

Step Six: Create a Cohesive Palette

In an open plan room, every zone is visible from every other, so colours and materials need to work together. The TV unit is a good place to start. If your kitchen has oak worktops, a unit in a similar wood tone will link the two spaces. If the kitchen is sleek and handleless, a matt or gloss TV unit in a coordinating colour carries that clean look into the lounge.

Aim for two or three main materials and repeat them across the room. A wood tone, a metal finish and one accent colour, for example, can appear in the kitchen, dining chairs and living zone. This creates flow without everything looking identical.

Managing Cables and Clutter

Open plan spaces are on show from many angles, so clutter is more noticeable. Choose a TV unit with enough closed storage for consoles, games, remotes and chargers. Look for cable management holes and consider running cables through the wall or behind a slim cable cover to keep the TV wall clean.

A basket or drawer for the daily odds and ends that drift into the living area, such as post, headphones and children’s toys, can make a real difference to how calm the space feels.

Acoustics in Open Plan Rooms

Large rooms with hard floors and few walls tend to echo, which affects both TV sound and conversation. Soft furnishings help: rugs, curtains, upholstered seating and cushions all absorb sound. A TV unit with closed doors can reduce the hum of equipment, and a soundbar positioned on or just below the unit improves clarity without needing volume turned up high enough to disturb whoever is cooking.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Placing the TV where it can be seen from the kitchen sink sounds sensible, but it often forces the sofa into a walkway. Choosing a unit that is too small for the wall leaves the living zone looking unfinished. Pushing all furniture against the walls can leave a large empty middle, making the room feel less inviting. Mixing too many wood tones and finishes breaks the sense of flow between zones.

If you are still weighing up the type of unit, our article on floating TV units versus corner TV units in UK homes explains the practical differences. For sizing, our guide to choosing a UK TV unit for a 55 inch TV covers width, height and depth in detail.

Bringing the Makeover Together

An open plan makeover works best when each zone has a clear anchor, and in the living area that anchor is the TV unit. Plan its position first, choose a size and style that suits the scale of the room, and build the seating, rug and lighting around it. You can explore TV units and living room furniture for every kind of open plan space at Furniture in Fashion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where should the TV go in an open plan living room?

Usually on a solid wall at the far end of the living zone, facing away from the kitchen, so the sofa can sit with its back to the cooking area. Avoid walls opposite large windows where glare will be an issue.

Can a TV unit act as a room divider?

Yes, if it is finished on both sides and stable when freestanding. It needs careful cable planning, but it can separate living and dining areas neatly in long rooms.

How do I define a living area in an open plan room?

Use a TV unit as the anchor, place the sofa facing it, lay a rug that connects the two and add separate lamps. Together these create a distinct zone without building walls.

Should the TV unit match the kitchen?

It does not need to match exactly, but echoing a wood tone, colour or finish from the kitchen helps the whole space feel connected.