Categories: How To Guide For Your Home

Where Should a TV Unit with Drawers Go in Your Room?

A TV unit with drawers should usually go on the wall directly opposite your main seating, away from direct window glare, close to the aerial and power sockets, and with enough clear floor in front for the drawers to open fully. That last point is the one people most often forget. Drawers need room to pull out and someone needs space to stand while using them, so the unit’s position is shaped as much by the drawers as by the screen.

If you are still deciding on the unit itself, our modern TV units UK sale range includes many designs with drawers in different sizes and configurations, and it helps to view them alongside the rest of your living room furniture UK plans. Below, we look at how to choose the right spot, how to plan around doors, radiators and windows, and what to store where.

Start With Where You Sit

The television exists to be watched, so the seating should guide its position. In most living rooms, that means placing the unit on the wall facing the sofa. A comfortable viewing distance depends on screen size, but the goal is to see the whole picture without turning your head, and to avoid sitting so close that the room feels dominated by the screen.

Once you know which wall faces your seating, check that the unit can sit centrally on it. A unit placed off centre often looks accidental, while a centred one gives the room a sense of order. If the wall has a chimney breast, you may need to choose between placing the unit on the breast itself or in an alcove. Either can work, but check that the drawers will not collide with the chimney breast sides when opened.

Leave Room for the Drawers

A TV unit with doors needs a little space in front of it. A unit with drawers needs more. Each drawer extends outwards by roughly its own depth, and you need to stand or kneel in front of it to reach inside. As a practical guide, keep a clear zone in front of the unit that is at least as deep as the drawers plus the space you need to bend down comfortably.

This affects where your coffee table goes. If the table sits too close to the unit, the drawers become awkward to use and you will end up avoiding them. Before settling on a layout, pull a tape measure out from the wall to the full drawer depth and check what it hits. A rug that stops just short of the unit can help define this clear zone visually.

Watch Out for Windows and Glare

Direct sunlight on a screen is frustrating and hard to fix after the furniture is in place. Try to avoid placing the unit directly opposite a large window, or directly in front of one. The ideal arrangement has windows to the side of both the screen and the seating, so light falls across the room rather than straight onto the television.

In many UK terraced houses and flats, the layout does not allow much choice. If the unit has to face a window, plan for blinds or heavier curtains that can be drawn during bright afternoons. A wall bracket that allows the screen to tilt slightly downward will also reduce reflections.

Plan Around Doors, Radiators and Walkways

The wall that looks best on paper is not always the most practical. Check the following before you decide:

Doors. Make sure a door swing will not hit the unit or the open drawers.
Radiators. Avoid placing the unit in front of a radiator. It blocks the heat and can damage both the furniture and your electronics over time.
Walkways. Open drawers should not block the route through the room. In rooms that double as a corridor, this matters a great deal.
Sockets and aerial points. Placing the unit near existing points avoids trailing extension leads across the floor.

Decide What Goes in Each Drawer

Drawers are only useful if they are organised. A little planning at the start will make the unit much easier to live with. A typical arrangement might look like this:

Top or central drawer: remotes, spare batteries and controllers, the things you reach for most often.
Side drawers: cables, chargers and small accessories, grouped in simple boxes or dividers.
Lower or deeper drawers: board games, DVDs, blankets or books.

If you have a large film or music collection, dedicated CD and DVD storage UK can free the TV unit drawers for everyday items. That keeps the drawers light and easy to open and stops them from becoming a catch all.

Keep Devices Where They Can Breathe

Drawers are excellent for hiding clutter but poor for housing electronics. Games consoles, streaming boxes and routers generate heat and usually need line of sight to a remote control. Store them on open shelves or in ventilated compartments, and keep drawers for things that do not need power or air.

Plan the cable routes at the same time. Units with rear cut outs or cable ports make it easier to connect devices without leads running over the back of the drawers. Bundle the cables together behind the unit so they cannot snag on a drawer as it slides.

Using a Drawer Unit in Other Rooms

TV units with drawers are not limited to the living room. In a bedroom, a low unit at the foot of the bed or on the opposite wall can hold a television and provide useful clothes or linen storage. Make sure there is enough space between the bed and the unit for the drawers to open without hitting the bed frame.

In a home office or snug, a drawer unit can double as a printer stand or a place for files and stationery, with the television used for occasional viewing. In a studio flat, it can also act as a low divider between the living and sleeping areas, with drawers accessible from the sofa side.

Balancing the Rest of the Wall

A unit with drawers tends to look solid and grounded. Balance it with lighter elements above and around it. Floating shelves, a slim lamp or a piece of art can stop the wall from feeling heavy. If you need more storage, consider adding a tall bookcase or a separate cabinet from our modern storage furniture UK range on another wall rather than stacking everything around the television.

Keep the top of the unit clear enough to be useful. A few objects are fine, but the space in front of the screen should stay uncluttered. Everything else can go in the drawers, which is the whole point of choosing them.

A Quick Placement Checklist

The unit faces the main seating and sits centrally on the wall.
Windows are to the side, not directly behind or opposite the screen.
Drawers can open fully without hitting furniture or doors.
The unit is not in front of a radiator.
Power and aerial points are within easy reach.
Electronics sit on ventilated shelves, not inside drawers.

When everything on that list is in place, the unit will be comfortable to use every day. For more ideas on keeping wires out of sight, our guide on TV units with cable management for UK living rooms covers the features that make the biggest difference. You can browse the whole range at Furniture in Fashion.

Open Plan and Through Rooms

Many British homes have knocked through living and dining rooms, or open plan spaces where the kitchen, dining table and sofa share one area. In these rooms, the TV unit does more than hold a television: it helps define where the living zone begins and ends.

The most effective approach is usually to anchor the unit on a solid wall at the living end of the room, with the sofa facing it and its back towards the dining or kitchen area. This creates a clear boundary without any need for partitions. Avoid placing the unit where people will walk directly past the front of it on their way between zones, as open drawers in a busy route quickly become an obstacle.

In a through room with windows at both ends, light can come from two directions. Position the unit on one of the long side walls if possible, so that neither window falls directly behind or opposite the screen. If a chimney breast sits in the middle of the long wall, it often makes a natural home for the unit, with alcoves either side for shelving. Just check that the unit fits within the breast width with enough margin for the drawers to open without catching the plaster.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much space do I need in front of a TV unit with drawers?

Allow at least the depth of the drawers plus enough room to stand or kneel comfortably while using them. Check that your coffee table sits outside this zone.

Can a TV unit with drawers go in front of a radiator?

It is best avoided. The unit blocks heat from reaching the room, and prolonged warmth can damage the furniture and any electronics stored nearby.

Should I put my games console in a drawer?

No. Consoles need airflow and often line of sight to a controller or remote. Keep them on an open or ventilated shelf and use drawers for accessories.