Choosing a Wooden TV Stand for an Open-Plan Living Room: Size, Shape and Placement

In an open plan living room, choose a wooden TV stand sized to the lounge zone rather than the whole space, usually a long, low design that is clearly wider than the television and sits comfortably within the area defined by your sofa and rug. Place it where the screen can be seen from the main seating without catching glare from large windows, and ideally against a solid wall that marks the edge of the living area. If the stand has to float or divide the room, pick one with a properly finished back.

Open plan spaces put furniture on show from every angle, so the details matter more than they would in a separate lounge. Below we look at size, shape and placement in turn. Our modern wooden TV stands UK sale collection includes long, low and double sided designs well suited to larger, shared spaces.

Why the TV Stand Matters More in Open Plan

In a traditional living room, walls tell you where the space begins and ends. In an open plan layout, furniture does that job instead. The sofa, the rug and the TV stand together form the boundary of the living zone. Get them right and the lounge feels like a room within a room. Get them wrong and the furniture looks as though it has drifted into the middle of the floor.

The stand is also visible from the kitchen and dining area, so it influences the look of the whole space, not only the corner where you watch television. Its wood tone, height and shape become part of a much larger view.

Getting the Size Right

The most common mistake is choosing a stand scaled to the size of the room. An open plan space may be large, but the lounge zone within it is often similar in size to a standard living room. Scale the stand to that zone.

As a guide, the stand should be noticeably wider than the television so the screen does not look top heavy, and it should relate to the width of the sofa facing it. A stand a little narrower than the sofa often looks balanced. One far wider than the sofa can stretch the zone too far, while one much narrower can look lost against a large wall.

Depth matters too. In an open plan room, the stand may sit on a main route between the kitchen and garden doors. Keep enough clear space in front of it for people to pass comfortably, and remember that a deep stand projects further into that route.

Choosing the Right Shape

Long and low

A long, low stand is usually the most successful choice. It creates a strong horizontal line that anchors the zone without blocking views across the room. From the kitchen, you see over it rather than into a wall of furniture. This keeps the sense of openness that makes open plan living appealing in the first place.

Taller cabinets

Taller TV cabinets and wall units can work at the far end of a long space, where they read as a feature wall. They are less successful in the middle of a room, where they interrupt sightlines and make the space feel divided in an unplanned way.

Double sided and island stands

Some stands are designed to be seen from both sides, with a finished back and sometimes storage accessible from the rear. These can be placed away from the wall, perhaps behind a sofa or between zones, to create a clear boundary. They suit very large spaces where the living area needs its own defined edge.

Our full range of modern TV units UK shows these shapes side by side, which helps when you are weighing up how each would sit in your space.

Where to Place the Stand

Start by deciding where the sofa goes, because the sofa usually defines the living zone more than anything else. The TV stand then sits opposite, at a comfortable viewing distance.

Against a solid wall

This is the simplest and most reliable option. A wall at the end or side of the space gives the stand a natural backdrop, keeps cables hidden and frames the lounge area. If you have a choice of walls, pick the one furthest from the kitchen so cooking and viewing do not overlap too much.

Facing away from the kitchen

Arranging the sofa with its back to the kitchen and the TV stand beyond it creates a clear separation between cooking and relaxing. The back of the sofa becomes a soft divider. It also means that anyone in the kitchen sees the back of the sofa rather than the back of the television.

Facing the kitchen

Some households prefer the opposite: the screen visible from the kitchen so the cook can follow the news or a film. This works if the stand sits against the far wall of the living zone and the distance is reasonable. It is less comfortable for long viewing, but it keeps everyone connected.

Managing Light and Glare

Open plan rooms often have large windows, glazed doors or roof lights. These are wonderful for daylight but can cause strong reflections on a television screen. Before settling on a position, sit where you would watch television at different times of day and notice where the light falls.

Placing the stand on a wall at right angles to the main windows usually reduces glare. If that is not possible, blinds or curtains that can be drawn in the afternoon help. Avoid placing the stand directly opposite a large glazed wall unless you are happy to screen the light regularly.

Cables in the Middle of a Room

If the stand sits away from a wall, power and aerial cables become a real challenge. Trailing leads across a floor are a trip hazard and look untidy. A floor socket installed by a qualified electrician is the neatest answer, especially during a renovation. Otherwise, a flat cable cover in a colour close to the floor finish, run under a rug where possible, is a practical compromise. Choose a stand with generous cable openings at the back so wires can enter neatly.

Defining the Zone Around the Stand

The TV stand works best alongside other pieces that mark the edge of the living area. A large rug that reaches under the front legs of the sofa and towards the stand pulls the zone together. A shelving unit or screen can add a further boundary in larger rooms. Our modern room dividers UK range includes open and screen styles that separate zones without blocking light.

The sofa shape matters too. An L shaped corner sofa is particularly effective in open plan layouts, because its long back and return form two sides of the living zone. Take a look at our modern corner sofas UK sale if you are planning the whole zone at once. For layout ideas, our guide to TV unit and corner sofa combinations for UK homes shows arrangements that work in practice, and our article on styling TV units with corner sofas in UK living rooms offers further ideas.

Linking Wood Tones Across the Space

In an open plan room you see the kitchen, dining table and living furniture together. Choosing a TV stand in a tone that relates to at least one of those areas makes the space feel connected. If your kitchen has oak worktops or open shelves, an oak stand links the two. If the dining table is walnut, a walnut stand creates a thread through the room.

You do not need everything to match. A useful approach is to choose one main wood tone for the largest pieces and repeat it in smaller items across each zone, such as a chopping board in the kitchen, a bowl on the dining table and a frame on the TV stand.

Keeping It Calm

With so much on show in an open plan room, closed storage becomes more valuable. Consoles, remotes and chargers left on open shelves are visible from the kitchen, dining table and sofa. A stand with drawers and doors helps the living zone look tidy from every angle, even when the rest of the space is busy.

Putting It Together

Choose the sofa position first, scale the stand to the living zone, favour a long and low shape, and place it where glare and cables are easiest to manage. With those decisions made, the TV stand becomes one of the pieces that makes the open plan space work rather than one that fights it. You can plan stands, sofas and dividers together at Furniture in Fashion, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Usually against a solid wall at the edge of the living zone, opposite the sofa and at right angles to the main windows to reduce glare.

Can a TV stand be used as a room divider?

Yes, if it has a finished back and a low profile. Double sided designs are made for this purpose and help define the living area without blocking views.

How big should a TV stand be in a large open plan room?

Scale it to the living zone rather than the whole room. It should be wider than the television and relate comfortably to the width of the sofa.

Should the TV stand match the kitchen?

It does not need to match exactly, but linking the wood tone to the kitchen or dining furniture helps the whole space feel connected.