The most common mistake on a media wall is a TV hung too high. It looks fine from the doorway and wrong from the sofa, where you actually watch it. Getting the height right is easy once you measure from the seat, not the wall.
01Start from your eyes, not the wall
Sit on your sofa and measure from the floor to your eyes. For most sofas that lands between 38 and 44 inches. The centre of the screen should sit close to that number, or no more than a few inches above it. A slight downward angle is more comfortable than looking up.
For a 65-inch TV, that usually puts the bottom edge of the screen about 22 to 28 inches above a floating console. If the screen has to go higher, for a fireplace below, plan a tilting mount so the picture angles down toward the seat.
02Viewing distance in a New York living room
New York living rooms are often 11 to 14 feet deep, so the sofa sits closer than in a suburban family room. A common rule is to sit about 1 to 1.5 times the screen's diagonal away for 4K content. At 8 to 9 feet, a 65-inch screen feels right; a 77-inch screen fills more of your view but still works at around 9 feet.
Measure your room before choosing the panel layout. On a built-in wall the TV opening is part of the design, so changing screen size later means changing the wall.
03Console height and depth
A floating console is typically 14 to 18 inches deep and mounted 10 to 16 inches off the floor. Keep the top of the console at least 6 inches below the bottom of the screen so the wall reads as one composition and cables have room to drop behind.
If you use a soundbar, give it its own shelf or a recess under the TV. A soundbar sitting on the console top blocks the screen's lower edge and the IR sensor.
04Plan the wiring at the same time
Height decisions and wiring are one decision. Before the panels are made, we place a recessed power outlet and an HDMI pass-through behind the screen, and a cable path down to the console. Our post on hiding every cable covers the details.
05Quick checklist
- Measure seated eye height from your own sofa. - Centre the screen at or slightly above that height. - Keep 8 to 10 feet of viewing distance for a 65 to 77 inch screen. - Leave 6 inches or more between console top and screen bottom. - Use a tilting mount if a fireplace pushes the TV higher.
Try the heights on screen in the Media Wall Worx designer, see typical ranges in the cost guide, or book a free design visit and we'll measure from your own seat.