Location Ideas for a Flat Screen

To choose the location for a flat screen television, you should consider the size and layout of the room, the room's furniture and how much distance is necessary to enjoy the television. Recommended viewing distance is between three and six times the television screen's width. For example, if a television screen is 20 inches wide, then the recommended viewing distance is between 60 inches and 120 inches.

Above a Fireplace

The fireplace is already likely to be the focal point in the living room. Placing the flat screen television above the fireplace is a great way to reinforce the focal point without creating two contrasting focal points in the room. Place the television a little higher with a tilting bracket, and tip it down slightly to make it easy on the eyes while seated on a sofa. If the fireplace and flat panel are located on opposing walls, the two focal points in the room may draw away from one another.

On Furniture

There are a number of commercially available furniture options that are designed for flat screen televisions. Some are simply narrow entertainment centers or television stands, offering the ability to hide cables and cords while providing a safe, sturdy surface for the television. Other options have shelves for media, cords and electronics and sturdy metal arms for mounting the flat panel television. Both of these furniture options make cable management easier by providing space to hide cables, and they are solid options if you do not want to mount your television to a wall or worry about hiding cords or speakers inside the walls.

Tucked Away

Another option is to tuck the flat panel television away. Because of their thin size, you can actually experiment with ways to hide the television when it is not in use. This is especially useful if you do not want the television to be a focal point within the room. There are commercially available systems that you can purchase to hide the television in a piece of furniture, behind a piece of artwork or even in the wall. You can try some of these tactics yourself, but there also are professionals that specialize in this type of retrofitting. This way, the television is completely hidden from view until you want it to be revealed.