Television Placement in a Room

Have you ever had to hang a television on the wall or place it in a certain place in an important room in your house? There are a lot of variables to think about when taking on the dreaded hang it on the wall project. On one hand, most people would say that the middle of the TV screen should be just a little higher than eye level, yet on the other hand what if you have a fireplace or other central object that has to coincide with the placement of the TV?

Here are some thoughts that were sent to us by a reader that you may find interesting.

The television has been with us for more than hundred years now, and we can hardly imagine a home without a TV-set. Modern technologies made TVs thin and wide-screened; they can also be rather huge - no one today is surprised with an 80-inch screen. When it comes to locating a TV-set in the room, the question you may have trouble answering is the height placement. No matter if you are going to mount your screen or put it on a shelf - first of all, you need to clarify how high it is going to be. You should make your decision on several criteria:

1. The purpose. Is it a living room? Or a small kitchen? Is this particular set going to be used as a screen for a gaming console? Every individual case has its own answer. A living room is created for a couch viewer, so the best location is 35 to 55 inches above the height of the furniture you will be sitting in. A bedroom also has similar demands, although, the mounting point would be a bit higher (because it bases on the viewer laying down) to prevent a stiff neck. Spaces like the kitchen or dining room (do you actually need a TV in a dining room?) have the design as the main criteria for positioning pieces of furniture, so comfort may be surpassed by aesthetics in some cases.
2. A TV diagonal. There is a simple relation between the size of your screen and the height of where it is mounted: the bigger screen you get - the higher you need to mount it, respectively. It also correlates with the issue of the distance to the screen. Some say it should be 1.5 times the diagonal length, others claim it to be up to 3 times. However, if we mix all these questions in one, we would get an intelligible rule: the estimated center of the screen should be on the same height with the eye level of the viewer. In that case, you put a bigger screen adequately higher than a smaller. This rule is truly important for an optimal viewing experience.
3. The fireplace. Mounting a TV-set above the fireplace has always been a popular design decision, but many designers and engineers would not recommend you to choose this as the place to hang a large TV. This position has it pros and cons. The main advantage is the way TVs fit the wall space above the fireplace. In addition, if your living room is not big, this location can be the only possibility available. At the same time, the position above the fireplace is often too high for a sitting viewer; you can solve this problem by extracting of a hearth and mantel; the linear fireplace can also help lowering the mounting point. Iff you use the fireplace, the heat can dramatically damage the TV-set, so make sure the temperature is safe or better yet install a heatproof wall behind the TV. The location above the fireplace is also a great decision for a playroom as it is often oriented on a standing viewer and keeps the TV far away from the kids toys.

Overall, be creative! At the end of the day the placement of your TV will depend on your personal tastes and needs. You can check out different TV stands at http://www.furnitureinfashion.net/tv-stands-c-88.html .

Image Credit: Pixaboy

Have you ever hung a large TV on a wall yourself?

What are some ways you can make your TV placement both safe and aesthetically pleasing?

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