Small living room TV ideas – 15 pro tips on how to fit a screen into your compact lounge without it dominating the space

Most people feel that a living room isn’t quite complete without a TV in it – that’s why even the smallest of living spaces will usually feature one. If your own lounge is indeed on the smaller side and a television is a non-negotiable, you can certainly still include one – but there are some small living room TV ideas and rules you should stick to when doing so.

When it comes to small living room ideas, it’s all about balance and creative solutions so that you don’t overwhelm the room and accidentally make it appear cluttered and/or smaller than it already is. And that’s especially true in regards to TV ideas.

These days, the TV is the focal point of the living room with seating arranged directly facing it. Watching a movie, a TV or a Netflix show is one of the main reasons why the family gathers in the lounge – so it makes sense to give some consideration to its placement, way of integration to the space and its size and model as well.

Small living room TV ideas

‘Positioning a TV in a small living room is particularly challenging as there is potential for it to dominate the space, however, it’s ultimately about balance,’ says Lena Gierasinska, head of product and displays at Barker and Stonehouse. ‘The goal is to balance form and function – ensuring the TV is practical for viewing without having to crane your neck, whilst still maintaining the aesthetic harmony of the space.’

But there are a few different ways you can go about achieving that.

1. Make it part of your gallery wall

One of the most aesthetically pleasing ways to make sure your TV won’t take over your small living room is by concealing it as part of a gallery wall idea. But for that, you will need to invest in an art-displaying TV like The Frame TV from Samsung, available at Amazon.

‘To make a TV feel more integrated, surround it with wall-mounted gallery-style artwork,’ says Paige Holt, interior trend writer at ScS. ‘This helps the screen blend into the room rather than dominate it. Also, consider a TV with a frame-style design – it can double as digital art when not in use, enhancing the room’s aesthetic rather than detracting from it.’

2. Manage the TV wires

‘Make sure that there are as few cables, or none if possible,’ says Colleen Bennett, founder of CBB Design Firm.

Any sign of mess or clutter stands out much more in a small space like a compact living room. And TV cords can certainly look messy if a way or system to manage and hide TV wires is not put in place.

‘Opt for a low-profile media console or sideboard that includes hidden storage for remotes, cables, and tech clutter,’ Paige at ScS advises.

3. Don’t make your TV the focus of the room

How you arrange the furniture in your small living room can truly make or break the room. And since a TV can be too imposing on a small living room - not to mention it’s usually not the prettiest of things to look at when you’re not actively watching it - it’s best not to make it the central feature of the room if that’s at all possible.

‘We typically avoid making the TV the focus of a room,’ says Polly Aspinall and Emily Harrop-Griffith, interior designers of Oscar Wren Studios. ‘However, in saying that we also appreciate that for many homes that isn’t always practical or possible in the space available. Where feasible, we try to keep the TV out of the line of sight when entering the room and also try to avoid having every piece of furniture directed towards it.’

4. Utilise an alcove

Housing your TV in one of your living room alcoves instead of (or alongside) books is an excellent and resourceful alcove idea in our and experts’ opinion.

‘Alcoves are common in many homes, but they can be a tricky and awkward place to put furniture, so they are often ignored,’ says Melissa Denham, interior stylist at Hammonds Fitted Furniture. ‘However, a bespoke media unit could be a great idea to fill in an alcove and turn it into something useful without encroaching on your living space.'

'Many people use the upper part of their chimney breast to attach a TV bracket too, so it makes perfect sense to transform the alcoves either side of it into an attractive media storage unit. This will help to create a home cinema feel in your living room, as well as offering essential space to house DVDs, remote controls and games consoles.’

5. Conceal the TV with a painting

As already mentioned, a TV is not necessarily the nicest thing to look at at all times. So why not conceal it while it’s not in use? One way to hide a TV is by covering it with a painting or an artwork, much like TV presenter Laura Jackson has done recently. And we’re obsessed with this solution.

‘Our favourite way to disguise a TV is to place it inside a joinery with a door that can close (sliding or hinged) so that when you don’t want to have it on display you can shut it away. Some clever designs go one step further, disguising the doors as a framed painting,’ Emily and Polly say.

6. Choose a proportionally sized TV

Just like with any other living room furniture, the TV should, too, be proportional to the size of the room. So be careful not to go for a TV that’s too large. When it comes to pieces of furniture, interior experts often refer to the golden ratio interior design rule to work out how big each piece should be. But this rule also works with the TV.

‘When choosing the size of the TV, proportion is key. A good rule of thumb is to multiply the distance in metres from the screen to your seating area by 25 to get the ideal screen size in inches. In most small living rooms, a 43" to 55" TV works well – large enough for immersive viewing, but not so big that it visually crowds the space,' Lena at Barker and Stonehouse says.

7. Place the TV in a corner of the room

Corners are often underutilised areas of most rooms, living rooms included. So why not make better use of one of your living room corners by filling it with a stand with your TV on it?

‘If you own a small to medium sized living room, it would be ideal to place your TV on a small cabinet or stand (typically around knee height) in one of the corners adjacent to the windows as this will give you optimal positioning whilst removing the possibility of glare,’ Melissa says.

8. Build TV storage along one wall

Incorporating all your living room storage into one area will create a more cohesive look, as too many smaller individual pieces of furniture can make a small living room feel crowded. One large unit spanning an entire wall in a small living room layout with TV can house the screen, media equipment, books and other essentials, with everything in one easy-to-reach place.

'One way you can maximise on space in a small living room is by making full use of the height with floor-to-ceiling storage cabinets. These enable you to get more out of the vertical space that would usually be taken up by traditional shelving, and they can also be used to place your TV. These cabinets can also be used to surround the TV with your favourite items, whether those are ornaments with sentimental value or attractive houseplants,' Melissa at Hammonds Fitted Furniture says.

9. Blend the TV into the background

Setting the TV against a dark backdrop is a clever way of camouflaging it in using living room colour schemes so that it doesn’t dominate the space entirely. Painting the wall black, navy or a very-dark grey, will help the small living room TV ideas merge into the background, so that the 'big black box' isn’t the first thing that grabs the attention every time you enter the room.

And having one dark end wall in a small room, will also give the effect of the wall receding, which will make the living room feel more spacious too.

Distract from the TV further, by setting it into a wall of storage, with built-in shelving for display pieces that will pop against the dark background. Drawers and closed-in cupboards will give extra hidden storage for other media kit and equipment.

‘If you are looking for discreet storage, fitted furniture has the advantage of being built to suit the particular need of your room,' advises Rachael Hutcheson, national retail manager at Sharps. 'From the configuration through to the finish, made to measure furniture ensures you make best use of available space and tailor it to your unique requirements.'

10. Get the perfect fit by making your own TV bench

If you’re struggling to find the right small living room TV ideas or tight space, take the DIY option and make your own bespoke TV bench tailored to fit the exact amount of space available. This example is an imaginative, totally affordable IKEA hack!

Made using two Ikea Bekvam step stools as a base, simply fix a plain white wardrobe or panel of slim MDF to the top of the stools to act as the worktop. Then slot a second panel through the middle of the both stools to work as a shelf for game consoles or other media equipment. Adjust the length of panels, making them longer or shorter, to suit the intended spot.

11. Adapt modular storage to suit the space

When standard-sized furniture doesn’t fit, modular units can offer the perfect solution. Whether it’s a small living room, awkward alcove, or tricky recess, putting together a mix of different-sized modular pieces can solve the conundrum, with a configuration that suits non-standard spaces perfectly.

In a small living room with sloping ceiling, arrange modular storage in a staggered formation, starting low and ending high, to follow the lines of the room. A mix of open and closed storage works well for TVs and media kit, with open areas that allow easy access and operation of equipment and remotes, plus closed cupboards to keep mess and clutter out of sight. This is a clever trick when tackling how to make a small living room look bigger.

12. Make a mini media centre

Create a compact set-up that will slot into the corner of a room without encroaching on floor space too much when considering how to arrange furniture in a small living room. Shelves below the small living room TV ideas will provide storage for consoles and players, with an additional drawer unit underneath to house games and discs.

'Placing it on a slimline media unit that offers additional storage can help reduce visual clutter and make the room feel more open. If floor space is limited, wall-mounted units or floating shelves can provide functionality without taking up precious room,' Paige at ScS says.

13. Conceal the TV with sliding panels

While all eyes might be on the TV in the evening when you’re getting stuck into a box set, during the daytime, a blank TV can be a bit of an eyesore. Hiding the TV away in a freestanding cabinet is one way of disguising it, or alternatively consider a bespoke set-up that includes sliding doors to conceal the TV when it’s not being used.

Fitted furniture can be configured to cover one whole wall with the small living room TV ideas as the focal point. Though it may seem a bold move, consolidating all your media equipment and living room storage ideas into one area, will free-up extra space in the remainder of the living room and leave it looking less-cluttered.

‘Sliding door systems are a great way to conceal technology in smaller rooms of the home so they don’t overpower the space,’ says Simon Tcherniak, senior designer at Neville Johnson. ‘Even with larger TVs, bespoke furniture designs mean that small living spaces can be transformed into luxury home cinemas within seconds, and then closed away just as easily.’

14. Hang the TV on the wall

If it’s not possible to hide the small living room TV away, why not embrace it and make the TV more of a focal point. Try hanging the television on a central chimney breast wall, using a concealed bracket to secure it – which is an especially great narrow living room idea.

In a small living room layout with TV, positioning the screen above small living room fireplace ideas or inset fire is a trick that designers often use. By balancing the two, it can help give the room better structure, with alcove shelves either side also helping to add symmetry.

'Wall-mounting is ideal in small living rooms, as it saves floor space and gives a cleaner, more integrated look,' Lena at Barker and Stonehouse says.

15. Try a freestanding storage option

Gain extra storage for TV and media equipment by opting for a slimline storage bench with add-on shelving above. Open shelving looks less cumbersome than bulky, boxed-in storage, so is a savvy option in small living rooms which can feel crowded with too many full-sized pieces of furniture.

Opting for freestanding furniture, rather than built-in shelving, is also less costly and gives more flexibility if you want a change of layout and want to move things around later on. And for renters, freestanding furniture is a better option as it requires no hole-drilling in walls and can be dismantled and taken should you move home in the future.

FAQs

Where do you put a TV in a small living room?

‘Whether you're working with large or small living room TV ideas, the screen needs to be at the correct height in relation to your sofa,’ says Celine Erlam of Indie & Co. 'You shouldn’t need to look up to view. Ideally, place it central to the sofa.’

‘The size of the TV is a personal choice. Don’t rule out concealing your TV - you can even fit a projector in the ceiling, which drops down when in use, as well as concealed built-in speakers.’

‘And before you start any work, always think about the audio systems and TV that you have so you can conceal any cabling.’

What do you put under a TV in a small room?

If you’ve opted for a wall-hung TV, it’s always worth taking the time to work out the small living layout with TV so that you're using the space efficiently. With a wall-hung unit, use the room underneath to factor in some extra storage for media equipment, games and discs, rather than leaving it empty. Compact TV units and benches offer low-level storage that won’t dominate the space too much, so are a sensible choice for small living rooms.

For small living room TV ideas, floating units are a clever space-saver to consider. Hung on the wall, with no supports or legs to distract the eye, it keeps floors clear and creates a ‘floating’ effect which aids the feeling of spaciousness. Consider corner TV storage too if space is really at a premium. Angled units fit neatly into a corner, leaving more floor space available.

Now all that’s left to do is grab the popcorn and indulge in your at-home cinema experience.