What’s the right TV size for your space?

Contemporary style living room designed by Joshua Jones, JJones Design Co. It was rendered by Stuccco.

I have worked with so many clients having a hard time figuring out what’s the best TV size they should have for their space. And perhaps even more common, a disagreement with their partner over what size to buy. I wanted to create this blog to illustrate a really easy method for determining the rights size of TV that makes sense for balance in your space. These different floor plans are actually real e-design projects that I worked on with past clients.

This floor plan was created by interior designer, Joshua Jones from JJones Design Co.

Let’s start with that your main place to sit and watch TV is on a sofa. It doesn’t matter if you install the TV on the wall or it’s on a stand. Once you’ve decided on your furniture arrangement, measure from the center of the sofa seat to where the TV will be placed. I put a red “X” to indicate those two marks and in this example, the TV is mounted on the wall above a fireplace. For this floor plan, the distance is 10’ 2 3/8” from the wall to the center of the sofa. Rounded off and converted to inches; that’s 122 inches. Now, divide by two and you’ve got a 61” TV that’s going to look best in this space. So…good luck finding a 61” TV! Obviously find the nearest standard TV size. A 60” would be perfect and if that partner of yours has been arguing for an 85” screen, then maybe make a concession on a 65” to keep the peace.

This floor plan was created by interior designer Joshua Jones from JJones Design Co.

This second example includes a sectional, which can be a bit tricky to figure out as there’s multiple seating and viewing angles. You’re gonna go with the part of the sectional that’s directly across from your TV, even if there’s sides to the sectional that are technically closer. Take a look at the floor plan above for an example. Same rule applies, measure from the center of the seat to where the TV is installed. In this case it’s on a media console. Measurement as shown is 9’, 10 7/16” converted and rounded down to all inches is 118. You’ve got a 59” TV, or again, a 60” screen would be appropriate for this space.

Now, there’s always other factors that can come into play depending on your particular situation and room setup, but I hope you’ve found this info helpful as a general rule of thumb for TV sizes in your space.

I know that TVs are always getting bigger and bigger lately but as a designer who’s looking after the whole room function, I caution that you shouldn’t get carried away with a mega TV that dominates the room. If you’re fortunate to have a separate media room space for TV watching….go for it and go big! If you feel that even with this guide that the recommended TV size still makes the TV the focal point of the room, then I recommend checking out the really cool Frame TVs that camouflage your TV to look like art. You can take a look at one of our most popular blog posts here about this subject.

If you have any questions or need any clarification on this TV size calculator - please leave a comment below and I am more than happy to assist you.