How to Pick the Right-Sized TV Stand for Your TV

A TV stand is a simple piece of furniture, but it can take a lot of thought to pick the right one. You’ve got to select one with the right style to match the rest of your decor. You’ve got to ensure that it meets your needs regarding media storage and cord management. You’ve got to stay within a certain budget (ideally). And then there’s perhaps the most important factor of all: the size of the thing.

TV stands come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and figuring out how to pick the right-sized stand for your TV is sometimes easier said than done. I reached out to Leah Howatson, who is the Vice President of Marketing at Castlery, the furniture brand that makes my own personal TV stand. She provided me with a few tips on size and space considerations you should make before pulling the trigger on your own TV stand.

“When purchasing a TV stand or media console, your TV should be placed at eye level when you’re seated, so it’s important to take measurements,” Howatson says. “For optimal viewing pleasure, the TV should be about 41 inches from the floor to the middle of the TV.” This number will naturally vary a bit, depending on your height and the distance from your couch to your TV, so taking some measurements before you begin your hunt will help in your decision-making.

Johnny Brayson

“Additionally, the length of your entertainment unit should fit nicely with the rest of your furniture, whether that’s a large sofa, loveseat, etc.,” adds Howatson. In other words, don’t pick a TV stand that looks out of place compared to its surroundings — it should be in proportion with the rest of your living room’s layout.

“Lastly, be sure to acknowledge where your power source is in your home, then consider how far your unit will be from it and how best to minimize the wires utilizing your TV stand,” Howatson said as her last piece of advice. TV stands should have cutouts either on their back or bottom that you use for cord management. Naturally, having your TV stand placed in front of an outlet will keep you from having to run unsightly cords across your living room. Additionally, purchasing a cord management box can keep things looking tidy underneath or behind your TV stand.

Johnny Brayson

Lastly — and this is perhaps the most controversial bit when it comes to sizing up your TV stand, and something Howatson didn’t get into — you’ll need to base the width of your TV stand on the size of your TV. To do this, you’ll first want to measure the width of your TV, which will be several inches smaller than the advertised size of its display, which is measured diagonally. For example, I have a 55″ Samsung Frame TV, but its width is right around 48.5″.

Choosing what size stand to go with my roughly four-foot-wide TV is a matter of personal taste. If you want the TV to be the focal point of your living and are aiming to make your screen appear larger, then opt for a TV stand with only around 2″ to 3″ of space on either side (e.g., for a 48″-wide TV shoot for a stand that’s about 54″ wide). If you would like your TV to blend into its surroundings more or if you want your TV stand to be the object that stands out, opt for a stand that gives you more room on each side of your TV — ideally 6″ to a foot.

So what is the answer to “What size TV stand should I get for a 55-inch TV?”

Pretty much the only universally agreed-upon rule is that you shouldn’t choose a stand that’s narrower than your TV — it will make your screen too overpowering and generally looks tacky.

Johnny Brayson

I personally went for the larger TV stand look, as my Castlery Harper TV Stand measures 70.9″ across, giving me about 11″ on each side of my TV, allowing the stand — which is a beautiful piece of furniture in its own right — to draw the eye more than the TV. Those who choose this style also have the option of adding some decor to either side of their TV, utilizing the stand’s empty space for vases, candles or other tchotchkes — though I chose instead to flank my TV stand with a larger decorative lamp and plant stand.

Regardless of what size TV stand you choose for your TV, the most important thing is that you like the way it looks. So whether you go big or small (but not too small), get something that you like looking at and that fits your own unique style.

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