The key TV unit colour trends right now run from soft, warm cream through natural wood tones and muted greens to deep, inky teal. Stark white and cool grey have given way to warmer, more characterful shades that feel lived in rather than showroom fresh. The common thread is warmth: whether you choose a pale neutral or a saturated jewel tone, the shades that are gaining ground all have a softness that suits relaxed, comfortable living rooms.
You can explore these finishes across our modern TV units UK range. Below, we look at each colour family in turn, how it behaves in real UK homes with changeable natural light, and how to pair it with walls, floors and fabrics so the result feels settled rather than fashionable for a season.
A TV unit is often one of the largest pieces of furniture in a living room, and it sits on the wall you look at most. Its colour therefore shapes the mood of the room more than you might expect. A dark unit anchors and grounds. A pale one recedes and lightens. A coloured unit becomes a feature in its own right.
There is also the television to consider. A black screen is a large, dark rectangle, and the unit beneath it either softens that shape or emphasises it. Warm and mid tones tend to integrate the screen more gently than bright white, which can make it look starker. It helps to think of the unit as part of your wider modern living room furniture UK scheme rather than a standalone purchase.
Cream has replaced brilliant white as the pale neutral of choice. It has a softness that suits period features, natural textiles and wood floors, and it looks less clinical in the grey northern light that many UK homes receive for much of the year.
On a TV unit, cream works in a matt lacquer, a textured painted finish or combined with pale oak. It pairs beautifully with boucle, linen and wool, and with plaster pink, sage and stone coloured walls. Keep hardware minimal or choose soft brass to add warmth.
Where it works best: light filled rooms, relaxed family spaces and schemes built around natural materials.
Between cream and grey sits a family of earthy, taupe leaning neutrals. Mushroom and warm greige have enough depth to look substantial but remain calm and easy to live with. They suit both modern and traditional homes and are forgiving of fingerprints and dust.
These shades partner well with walnut, black metal and rust or ochre accents. They also sit comfortably with existing grey furniture, which makes them a practical bridge if you are gradually warming up a cooler scheme. A modern sideboard UK sale in a matching mushroom or stone tone on another wall helps the colour feel planned across the whole room.
Wood never really leaves, but the favoured tones shift. Very pale Scandinavian finishes have made room for mid oak, smoked oak and rich walnut. These deeper tones feel more grounded and pair well with the warmer paint colours that are now common.
Walnut in particular has returned strongly, thanks to its association with mid century design and its ability to work with almost any wall colour. We explore its appeal in more depth in our guide to walnut TV units for UK homes.
Green has moved from walls onto furniture. Soft sage feels fresh and calm, while olive is earthier and more grown up. Both are rooted in nature, which helps them feel timeless rather than trend led.
A sage TV unit looks lovely against cream or warm white walls, with oak floors and natural linen. Olive pairs with terracotta, camel and dark wood for a richer, cosier scheme. Both shades hide everyday marks better than pale neutrals, which is useful in busy rooms.
At the bolder end of the spectrum, deep teal has become a confident choice for people who want their TV unit to be a feature. It sits between blue and green, so it feels both calming and rich. In lacquer or a satin finish, it has a jewel like quality that catches lamp light well in the evening.
Teal works best with warm partners: brass, walnut, cognac leather, mustard and blush. Against a cream wall, a teal unit looks crisp and considered. Against a dark wall of a similar depth, it creates an enveloping, cocooning effect that suits snugs and evening rooms.
A practical note: strong colours are easiest to live with when they appear more than once. Echo teal in a cushion, a vase or a print so the unit feels part of the scheme.
Charcoal and softened black remain popular for people who want the television to disappear. A dark unit and a dark screen merge into one block, which makes the technology less dominant. Soft black, with a slight warmth, feels less harsh than jet black and suits both industrial and classic schemes.
Pair dark units with warm lighting and textured materials to stop the wall feeling heavy. A dark finish on slim legs also looks lighter than one that sits on the floor.
Combining two colours or materials on one unit allows you to try a bolder shade in a smaller dose. Cream with oak, teal with walnut and black with natural wood are all combinations that look considered. They also help a unit link to other furniture in the room that may be in different finishes.
If you are working with a smaller room, two tone pieces need careful handling. Our article on two tone TV units in small UK rooms explains how to make them work without the space feeling busy.
The same shade can look very different depending on the finish. A teal in high gloss appears brighter and more reflective, almost glassy, while the same teal in matt lacquer looks softer and more chalky. Cream in gloss reads as crisp and modern. In a textured painted finish, it feels relaxed and handmade.
Gloss finishes bounce light, which helps small or dim rooms, but they show fingerprints and dust more readily. Matt and satin finishes are more forgiving of everyday life and tend to make colours look richer and deeper. Wood finishes add grain, which breaks up large areas of colour and gives the eye more to read.
When comparing options, consider the finish as carefully as the colour itself. A deep shade you might find overwhelming in gloss can feel calm and easy to live with in matt.
In compact living rooms, lighter shades such as cream, warm white and pale mushroom help a TV unit recede, making the space feel less crowded. Mid tones like sage and oak sit comfortably in most rooms without dominating. Deeper colours such as teal, olive and charcoal work particularly well in larger rooms, where they give the TV wall a sense of weight and definition. They can suit small rooms too, especially snugs designed to feel cosy, provided the unit is slim and the rest of the scheme is kept simple.
North facing rooms receive cooler light, so warm shades such as cream, mushroom and olive help balance them. South facing rooms can take cooler tones or deep colours without feeling cold.
The floor is the second largest surface in the room. A unit that contrasts gently with the flooring looks deliberate. Very close matches, especially in wood, can look accidental unless the grain and tone are nearly identical.
If you redecorate often, a neutral unit gives you more freedom to change walls and textiles. If your scheme is settled and you love colour, a teal or green unit can become a lasting signature piece.
Look at finish samples or product images in daylight and in lamp light. Colours shift considerably between the two, and a TV unit is mostly used in the evening.
Once you have chosen a unit colour, repeat it or a close relation elsewhere. A coffee table, a cabinet or a set of shelves in a complementary tone creates cohesion across a larger room. Mirrors, artwork and lamps are simpler ways to pick up the same colour in smaller doses, so the TV wall does not stand alone.
Colour is personal, and the right shade is the one that makes your room feel like yours when the lamps go on in the evening. You can explore these colours and finishes, along with the wider collection, at Furniture in Fashion.
Warm neutrals such as cream, mushroom and mid oak suit the widest range of schemes. They work with most flooring and wall colours and are easy to update with accessories.
Yes, if you enjoy colour and plan to echo it elsewhere in the room. Teal pairs well with warm woods, brass and cream walls, and it creates a strong focal point without feeling harsh.
Bright white has become less common, with warmer creams and off whites taking its place. A white unit still works in modern, minimal rooms, particularly with pale floors and plenty of natural light.
Not necessarily. A dark unit can ground a room and make the television less noticeable. Choosing one on legs and balancing it with pale walls and warm lighting keeps the room feeling open.
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