One inch is 2.54 cm, measured from corner to corner of the screen. The width of a television is always less than its diagonal. As a guide, without the stand:

• 43 inches: about 95 cm wide.
• 50 inches: about 111 cm.
• 55 inches: about 122 cm.
• 65 inches: about 145 cm.
• 75 inches: about 167 cm.

The unit should extend at least 5 cm beyond the television on each side, which means at least the screen width plus 10 cm. With a 65-inch television, the unit starts at 155 cm. Check the exact width on the model's specification sheet.

The centre of the screen should be at the eye level of someone seated on the sofa, or slightly below. On a standard sofa, this puts the centre at around 1 m to 1.10 m from the floor. To check, sit on the sofa and measure the height of your eyes from the floor.

With the television on the unit, the height of the unit follows from this: the height of the centre, minus half the height of the screen, minus the television's stand. A 55-inch television is about 70 cm tall. With the centre at 1 m, the top of the unit sits below 65 cm, depending on the stand. That is why most TV units are between 40 and 60 cm high.

The distance depends on the screen diagonal. With a 4K television, sit 1 to 1.5 times the diagonal away.

• 55 inches (140 cm diagonal), 4K: 1.40 m to 2.10 m.
• 65 inches (165 cm diagonal), 4K: 1.65 m to 2.50 m.

To choose the sofa, see The right sofa: how to choose a sofa for your living room and 6 mistakes to avoid when decorating a living room.

A unit 40 to 50 cm deep is enough for the television and the equipment. The television's stand must sit fully on the top, not on the edge: measure the model's stand before choosing.

Around the television, including behind it, leave 10 cm clear for air to circulate.

On the wall, the rule is the same: the centre of the screen at the eye level of someone seated. The usual mistake is to hang it at picture height, too high for anyone on the sofa. With no television on top, the unit can be lower and the top stays free.

Count what will go in the unit: the set-top box, the console, the soundbar. Drawers hold what is used less often; open shelves suit equipment that receives the remote's signal. With the television on the wall, mark the socket behind the screen or behind the unit before fixing the bracket, so the cables stay hidden.

In a small living room, the distance decides the screen. With 2 m between the sofa and the television, a 55-inch 4K set is within the rule. Choose a shallower unit and, if the wall allows it, put the television on the wall. To use the wall with another piece, the sideboard sizes guide has the depth and walkway measurements.

• NEXUS: 200 cm long, 42 cm high and 41 cm deep. Matt lacquered front in Taupe, Sereno or Duna, 4 drawers and a sintered stone top, included. Low and shallow, it suits a wall-mounted television and a small living room. NEXUS WOOD has a body in natural wood veneer, Oak or Walnut.
• HORIZON: 228 cm long, 59.9 cm high and 52 cm deep, with drawers, doors and glass details. With a 55-inch television on top, the centre of the screen sits close to 1 m from the floor, depending on the stand. Also available as HORIZON WOOD.
• FOLD: 318 cm long, 70 cm high and 52 cm deep, with a 100 cm open recess and integrated LED lighting. It fills a whole wall. FOLD WOOD has a body in Oak or Walnut veneer.

All 3 have velvet-lined drawer interiors, and NEXUS and HORIZON have optional LED lighting with a sensor. For another size, you can request a customised piece: we review each request case by case. For the rest of the room, see the Living room collection.