Designing your TV library set

Mobilier de France gives you a few tips on how to design a TV library in this article.
Your books, DVDs and vinyls will be stored in an appropriate space.

What is a TV library?

A TV library is a fixed piece of furniture, designed to fit the space available in the home. Both practical and aesthetic, it must last over time. TVs aren't the only audiovisual devices housed in this type of furniture, since it's also designed to accommodate speakers and turntables - in short, the entire home cinema system.

Beyond the storage dimension and the visual appearance to match the interior design, the design of a TV bookcase is a truly technical matter.
It involves taking into account acoustics, sound propagation, music listening and comfort when viewing the screen. It therefore needs to be made to measure, so that it fits in perfectly with the dimensions of the room and meets all the requirements involved when watching TV.

This type of furniture can suit all decorative styles. For an authentic, traditional look, you can opt for waxed wood furniture. On the other hand, designer furniture is perfect for more contemporary interiors.

In terms of colors and materials, the trendy choice is the two-tone or two-material TV library. When it comes to colors, opt for one dark and one light shade to play on contrasts, volumes and the depth of the shelves. In the case of a small living room, a pastel color combined with a lacquered material allows you to play the luminosity card. In all circumstances, installing this type of furniture at home adds a warm, cosy touch to the room. Ideal for evenings by the fire or cocooning afternoons!

What dimensions to choose and how to position this type of furniture?

It's best to opt for a tall, wide TV bookcase. There are several factors to take into account when determining its dimensions and positioning in the room:

- Contrary to popular belief, this type of furniture has the most pleasing appearance and helps to enlarge the space. Even if you don't have a very high ceiling, don't hesitate to raise it all the way to the ceiling for a better visual effect.

- Avoid backlighting, of course, to optimize the viewing quality of your TV screen.

- You need to arrange the whole living room around the fixed position of your TV library unit. This means positioning your sofa so that it faces the screen.

- Count on a distance of between 2 and 5 meters between the sofa and the set, for optimum viewing comfort with most screens sold by specialist retailers. To be sure of the distance, don't hesitate to test the viewing quality before choosing the final positioning of your sofa and set.

- Plan to place the screen in front of you when you're sitting in the viewing position. Its height should be at eye level, without forcing you to strain your neck.

Where to fit the TV into a TV bookshelf unit?

You might think that perfect symmetry is the sine qua non of harmony in your interior design. But asymmetry is good, and you don't have to position your TV screen in the middle of your TV library. By opting for a composition where the screen is not placed in the middle, you add a freer, more artistic dimension to the design of the furniture.

While many pieces of furniture of this type are manufactured in such a way that the frame of the TV set is definitive, prefer an evolutionary model. You'll be able to choose larger and larger screens, depending on your wishes or technological developments, and position them in your TV cabinet without having to change the cabinet or alter its dimensions.

There are also two options for designing your TV cabinet: closed or open.

Open cabinet


To ensure the aesthetic appeal of your interior design, avoid overloading the storage space of your TV library. Think of the size of the shelves in terms of what you're supposed to store on them: books, CDs, vinyl, DVDs, photo albums... By choosing not to store too many items, you'll also make daily cleaning easier. You can also create empty spaces if you want to liven up the two-tone look of your furniture.

On the other hand, if you don't have any books, records or other audiovisual media to place, use the shelves as supports for decorative elements or works of art. In this case, don't hesitate to install display cases to protect your objects and show them off to their best advantage. It's also a good idea to place a LED ribbon inside, to light up each of your decorations at night.

Closed cabinet


The choice of a closed TV library is one of cleanliness. Closed storage gives the impression of a tidy, clutter-free space. It is possible to leave some storage spaces open to enhance the aesthetics of the whole, while preserving its practical dimension.

This piece of furniture is ideal for hiding unsightly objects that could tarnish your interior decoration. To protect your screen and hide it from view during the day, you can opt for sliding doors.

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