Which Wall Should a TV Go On in the Living Room?

• Gavin Whitaker
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• June 8
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• wall art

Your living room might have four walls, but not all of them fit your TV. Choosing the right wall can make relaxing at home feel smooth, not awkward. Ever notice how the wrong TV spot turns movie night into a neck workout? Happens to the best of us.

The first thing to look at is how your furniture is set up. The TV should fit comfortably into the natural flow of the room, not stick out like a sore thumb. If you plop the TV on the first empty wall you see, you might block walking paths or end up rearranging your whole living room just to watch the big game. Thinking about wall art too? You don’t want your TV to clash with that giant canvas or turn your gallery wall into a sideshow.

Then there’s sunlight. That gorgeous bank of windows can turn into a glare monster and make your screen impossible to see. Before you stick the TV in front of all those rays, think about how the light shifts during the day. Even the fanciest TV looks rough when you’re squinting at it through a blinding reflection.

• Room Layout and Furniture Flow
• Lighting, Glare, and Windows
• TV Height and Viewing Comfort
• Hiding Wires and Power Outlets
• Balancing the TV with Wall Art
• Mistakes to Dodge When Placing Your TV

Room Layout and Furniture Flow

The best place for your TV comes down to how your living room works on a daily basis. Start by stepping back and looking at your space like a map. Identify the main seating area—the spot where everyone actually sits to watch shows or hang out. Your TV should face this area, so nobody has to twist or lean. Rearranging the sofa or chairs just to get a good view gets old fast.

Traffic flow matters, too. You don’t want people walking in front of the screen every time they go to the kitchen. The best walls are clear of constant foot traffic and don't block any doorways. Look for a wall that makes sense: it lines up with your main seating, keeps walkways open, and doesn't turn your TV into an awkward centerpiece.

If your living room isn’t a perfect rectangle, don’t sweat it. Odd-shaped rooms can still work. For example, if you have a fireplace, a lot of folks put the TV right above it for space, but this can be uncomfortable over time. A better trick is to put the TV on a nearby wall, then angle your furniture to face both the TV and fireplace. It keeps the room balanced.

Here’s a handy checklist for fitting your TV into your living room layout:

• Make sure the TV faces the main seating spot.
• Keep walkways clear—no stumbling over cables or sidestepping the screen.
• Avoid placing the TV in direct paths between doors or high-traffic zones.
• Don’t block windows or access points with your entertainment setup.
• Measure first—double-check your TV and wall dimensions. You don’t want the screen hanging off the edge or swallowed by empty space.

Your TV placement should make your living room feel natural and inviting, not like a furniture showroom. This way, every seat stays the good seat, and you don’t have to juggle chairs every time there’s something good on TV.

Lighting, Glare, and Windows

Let’s get real: nothing kills a binge-watching session faster than the sun turning your screen into a mirror. This is why paying attention to TV placement and the direction of light matters so much in the living room. If your room gets a lot of natural light, especially from east- or west-facing windows, glare is going to be your biggest enemy. Positioning your TV right across from a window? That’s almost guaranteed trouble during the brightest parts of the day.

Here’s a practical breakdown of what happens with different kinds of lighting in your living room:

One smart trick: stand in your living room during the sunniest time of the day and hold up a mirror where you might put the TV. Whatever reflects in the mirror, you’ll also see on your screen. If you spot windows, lamps, or even weird reflections from shiny floors, that’s a warning sign to try another wall or throw up a curtain.

Plenty of people also mess up by ignoring evening glare. If you love gaming or watching movies with lights on, check how lamps or overhead lighting hit your would-be TV wall. The most comfortable setups keep the TV out of the direct line of bright light sources—both natural and artificial. Dimmers, blinds, or blackout curtains can all help.

Bottom line? The best wall for your TV avoids direct sunlight, weird lamp reflections, and makes it easy to adjust the light so you’re not squinting at your favorite show every evening.

TV Height and Viewing Comfort

This is the step where a lot of folks mess things up. Picking the right height for your TV matters way more than most people realize. If you want your neck and eyes to thank you later, don’t just slap it up at random. There’s a sweet spot for comfort that you definitely want to hit.

The magic number for most standard living rooms is keeping the TV’s center about 42 inches from the floor. Why 42 inches? That puts the middle of the screen pretty close to your eye level if you’re kicked back on the sofa. Most eye doctors and home theater experts agree—looking straight ahead, not up or down, is easier on your body, especially if you binge a few episodes at once.

If your sofa sits higher or lower than the usual 18 inches off the ground, adjust the TV height a bit so the middle of the screen lines up with your relaxed gaze when you’re sitting. Try this: sit where you usually do, look straight ahead, and note where your eyes naturally land on the wall. That’s basically where the center of the TV should sit. Easy, right?

• If you’re mounting your TV above a fireplace, make sure you won't be craning your neck. Most experts suggest avoiding this unless your fireplace is super low.
• For maximum comfort, tilt mounts can help angle the TV down if it’s a bit too high.
• Don’t forget to test the view from different seats—everyone should get a clear line of sight, not just the best chair in the house.

If you spend a lot of time gaming or watching from the floor (kids, I’m looking at you), remember to adjust for that too. Little tweaks now mean a lot less squirming around later.

Picking the perfect spot for your TV placement is all about comfort. The wall isn’t just a backdrop—it can totally change your experience. So spend a few extra minutes here and you’ll have a setup that’s good for movie nights, game days, and lazy Sundays.

Hiding Wires and Power Outlets

Messy wires are the silent killer of a good living room setup. No matter how stylish your stand or wall art, tangled cables and exposed outlets quickly ruin the vibe. When deciding TV placement, thinking ahead about hiding those wires pays off big time.

If you’re wall-mounting, check if there’s a power outlet nearby—preferably right behind where the TV will go. This saves you from stretching cords across the room or using ugly extension cables. Don’t have an outlet in the perfect spot? You’ve got a few decent workarounds:

• In-wall cable management kits: These let you run wires through the wall. You get a clean, clutter-free look with all cables hidden behind drywall. Most kits cost between $30–$70 and are a DIY project.
• Cable raceways: These plastic channels stick right on the wall. You paint them to match your wall color, and they’re a popular pick for renters or anyone who doesn’t want to mess with drywall.
• TV stands with built-in channels: Some stands have slots specifically for running wires out of sight, helping you avoid drilling or gluing anything to the wall.

If you’re lucky enough to be planning a remodel, ask your electrician about installing power and HDMI outlets right where you want the TV. You’ll thank yourself later, trust me.

Here’s a quick breakdown of methods and what they cost or require:

Don’t forget about devices like soundbars, streaming sticks, or game consoles. Keeping all those cords tidy can take your setup from sloppy to sharp. A few small cable ties or Velcro straps on the back of the TV can keep extra slack from dangling down.

Balancing the TV with Wall Art

If you’re like me, you want your living room to feel stylish, not like an electronics store. Getting wall art around your TV right is all about balance—literally and visually. Shoving the TV by itself on a big wall can make the space look cold and unfinished. Mixing art, photos, and even shelves brings life back to that wall and makes the TV feel less like the main event.

You’ve got a few solid moves here:

• Gallery Wall Action: Hang an assortment of frames around the TV. Use art pieces of different sizes, but line up their edges with the TV to keep things tidy. Research from Houzz in 2024 shows that 62% of recent remodelers used gallery walls or mixed media to create focal points around their screens.
• Side-by-Side Balance: If you have one giant art piece you love, hang it next to the TV. This stops the TV from dominating the wall and gives your favorite art some much-deserved limelight.
• Shelf It: Floating shelves above or next to the TV are great for small sculptures or plants. These little touches help your TV wall look full without crowding the screen.

Spacing matters. Leave a space of about 4-6 inches between the edge of the TV and your frames or shelves so everything’s spread nicely, not crammed together. If your TV’s huge, consider scaling up the wall art to match—tiny pictures will just disappear.

TV makers have caught on, too. Samsung’s The Frame TV, for example, sold over 2 million units worldwide in 2023 because it lets people display digital art when the TV’s off. This trend isn’t slowing down. Check out this quick look at how most folks are setting up their TV walls these days:

Whatever style speaks to you, remember the goal: no blank, awkward walls, and no spaces where it looks like your TV landed by accident. Matching your TV with art isn’t just possible—it’s how most people pull the room together now.

Mistakes to Dodge When Placing Your TV

It’s surprisingly easy to mess up TV placement, even if you measure twice. Some mistakes seem small at first but end up wrecking your binge-watching or ruining your whole living room vibe. Let’s clear up the big ones before you hang or mount anything.

• TV placement driven only by wall space: It’s tempting to pick the biggest empty wall, but that can put your TV way off-center from your main seating. This is a common reason why some living rooms just feel “off.” The spot should work with how you sit, not just with where there’s space.
• Putting the TV across from big windows: Sunlight and screens do not get along. Direct sunlight will give you glare, faded colors, and even strain your eyes. If your only open wall sits opposite bright windows, try blackout curtains or adjustable blinds—trust me, it makes a massive difference.
• Mounting the TV too high: Hanging your TV over the fireplace might look good in real estate photos, but it will turn your neck into a pretzel. The TV’s center should be at about eye level when you’re sitting. Most people aim too high and regret it within a week.
• Ignoring outlets and cable management: Laying wires across the floor or running ugly extensions can ruin the look of your space. Before you put the TV anywhere, check that outlets, cable hookups, and power are accessible, or be ready to hide wires with cord covers or raceways.
• Overcrowding your wall: If you’re mixing wall art and your TV, give everything room to breathe. Squeezing your TV between shelves, mirrors, and art will make everything feel tight and messy. Leave at least a few inches on each side so your screen and art can both stand out.
• Ignoring sound: Don’t jam your TV in a corner or right next to a huge bookcase—your speakers will “bounce” sound weirdly or sound flat. If you use a soundbar or speakers, make sure they’re not blocked by tables or decorations.

Save yourself the headaches. A little planning now spares you a living room that feels cramped, stressful, or just plain off. And if in doubt, sketch out your setup on paper or try free online room planners—sometimes seeing it first makes all the difference.