TV stand buying guide

Unlike coffee tables, sofas and armchairs, TV stands are not often among the most carefully chosen pieces of furniture. And yet, it will be a fixture in the living room, and it's often where the seating will be. So, choosing the right piece of furniture is a prerequisite, both to ensure that it's adapted to your needs, and that it works with the rest of your decor. Here are our tips for choosing the right TV stand!

The first step is to take stock of the equipment you'll need for your TV cabinet. TV, Blu-Ray player, home cinema, Bluetooth speakers, games consoles - the possibilities are numerous, and the furniture you choose must be able to accommodate all these elements in a practical and harmonious way. If you have a collection of DVDs and Blu-Rays, you'll also need to decide whether or not you want them to be housed in your TV cabinet.

So, once you've decided on the storage capacity you need, it'll be easier to sort through the various options available to you.

If you've started looking into the subject, you'll know that there are many forms of TV furniture.

First of all, there are what are known as TV benches. These are often low units with small compartments or drawers, taking up little space but offering little storage capacity.

On the other hand, this is the style of furniture to opt for if your other living-room furniture is rather low, otherwise the offset is likely to be disturbing. Here, it's really a question of taste, but also of budget, since TV benches are generally the most affordable form of TV furniture.

Then there are the so-called compositions. This generally consists of a base with a classic TV cabinet, which is then completed with other elements.

This composition can occupy the entire wall with cupboards, drawers and shelves, rather like a bookcase, or offer elements to be hung on the wall above the base cabinet.

In fact, numerous combinations are possible, enabling you to obtain a personalized result according to your needs and the type of composition you wish to install for this purpose.

Last but not least, once you've defined your needs and chosen the type of furniture you'd like to buy, you can turn to its style. The aim will be to choose a piece that works with the rest of your decor, because even if its purpose is to be functional, it will also have a strong presence in the room, and will therefore have to harmonize with the rest.

There's no shortage of choice when it comes to TV cabinet styles, with colors ranging from raw wood and white to more vibrant hues. Glass, wood and metal are all possible combinations, and the combination of two materials will often make an impact.

As the large black screen will be very present within the cabinet, beware of dark-colored cabinets, as they risk creating an enormous dark mass within the room, and even if you like this type of color, the desired effect is likely to be disappointing once the TV cabinet is filled with its equipment.

To avoid darkening the space, opt for light colors with variations if the cabinet is large, to give it more prominence in the room.