How to Choose the Best TV/Flat-Screen for Your First Place

I’m moving out for the first time. What is the best TV or Flat-Screen for a smaller place?

Moving out is a huge step, meaning you’ve already had to think about many details for your new place! Furniture, outfitting your kitchen and bathroom (don’t forget a shower curtain on your first night), bedding, and the list goes on. Then you remembered the most vital thing, about entertainment and relaxing at home. 

Figuring out what TV or Flat-Screen is best for a smaller space doesn’t have to be another one of those tasks because we’ve done the legwork for you. No need to keep watching your favorite TV series on your laptop – our guide below will help you choose the best type and size of TV or Flat-Screen that will fit your perfect needs. We will also provide tips about how to best position the entertainment system your room, how to decorate around it, and how to choose an entertainment center or shelving units that suits your space. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll be able to picture just what your TV entertainment space will look like. This includes if you decide to have it in your room. 

What Would be the Best TV/Flat-Screen for My New Home or Apartment?

Choosing a TV/Flat-Screen for a small home or apartment has a lot to do with size and how you decorate the area around it. While it might seem like a great idea to get the giant Flat-Screen you can afford, you’ll be sorry if you can’t get far enough away from your monster TV to enjoy Netflix or video games without giving yourself a headache. So, you really need to consider your space and room where you will have your flat screen installed. 

Happily, TV and Flat-screen technology have come a long way in the past couple of decades, and you won’t find yourself in the position of having to cram a four-foot square cube into your living room so you can watch grainy images of your favorite Amazon Prime series! Flatscreen TVs give us way more options for placement and decor in smaller spaces. You can have a small place and the perfect entertainment system to make you happy!

TV Placement Tips 

Before you run out to Best Buy, electronics departments, or start combing online stores for deals on new TVs and Flat-Screens, take some time and do some research to avoid heartbreak. The last thing you want is to get a new TV and find out its way out of proportion for your space (depending on your perspective, this might mean way too big or way too small)! So, a couple of quick considerations before you get your heart set on a specific TV will save tons of potential trouble.

1. Take measurements of your living room – make notes on your phone of the space you have to work with. That way, when you’re shopping for a TV, you’ll know exactly what it will look like once it’s in your space.

2. If you have furniture you want to put your TV on, measure that as well. You can adjust lots of furniture to different sizes, but only to a point. If you’re shopping for a new TV stand, console table, entertainment center, or armoire, it’s also helpful to note the size of that furniture on your phone to make sure it’s compatible with your space and the size of the TV you get. For example, a 43 inch smart TV you would need a TV stand that is at least 40 inches wide. 

3. Think about how far away you’ll sit from your TV before deciding on size. Don’t forget that even if you put your couch right up against a wall, you’ll still be sitting one to two feet in front of that once you account for the sofa’s frame and cushions. Here are some good guidelines to  make sure you enjoy your viewing experience, we got these helpful numbers from Bassett Furniture Industries:

26″ screen = 3 to 5.5 feet

32″ screen = 4 to 6.5 feet

37″ screen = 4.5 to 7.5 feet

40″ screen = 5 to 8.5 feet

46″ screen = 6 to 9.5 feet

52″ screen = 6.5 to 11 feet

58″ screen = 7 to 12 feet

65″ screen = 8 to 13.5 feet

70″ screen = 9 to 15 feet

4. Should I Mount My TV or Put It on a Stand? This primarily comes down to personal preference, unless you have a permanent decor feature, like a fireplace, and you want your TV over top of that. Mounting your TV can provide a cleaner, more modern look than choosing an armoire or entertainment stand. The benefit of entertainment units is that they often have drawers and cupboards that can be close to hide cords, remotes, consoles, controllers, and other items that might look cluttered if they’re left out. 

TV wall mount kits are very reasonably priced in terms of price – you can find many selections for under $45. Furniture like console tables and entertainment units will be more expensive to buy new, but you can always cruise online marketplaces for deals!

I have a good idea of what I want. What’s next?

1. Look at TVs in person – We know, ugh, in person. It’s worth it to spend some time looking at TVs before you buy. There are many differences in how different types of TVs look to each person, so take a walk through a couple of stores and see what stands out to you.

2. Look at TVs in online stores – Once you know what you like in person, have a look online and what the best price you can find is. Keep in mind that the best price might not be the cheapest one when you factor in things like shipping, warranty, and return policies.

3. Look at TV reviews online – Review, review, review! While preferences of TV-style can be pretty individual, you can get a good idea of quality and frequency of repairs needed, how easy it is to have warrantied work done, etc.

Best TVs for a Smaller Living Room 

Some types of TVs are more energy-efficient than others. Following is a list of the different types of TVs from Home Stratosphere.

• Quantum Light-Emitting Diode – QLED displays have some of the best color quality today and range in price between the super-expensive OLED and LCD models. 
• Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) Display – OLEDs are the most expensive TVs on the market today. While they have some great benefits in terms of color quality and energy use 9because they don’t require backlighting, they’re 40% more efficient than LCDs), the current models on the market now won’t last as long as an LCD TV, and can be more fragile. 
• LED TVs – This type of TV is called an LED because it’s the same as an LCD TV but lit with LED lights instead of the older cold-cathode fluorescent lights. LED TVs are much thinner and lighter than LCD TVs.
• Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) – This is by far the most commonly found type of screen on the market today,  not just for TVs but for most digital screens. This is likely your most economical choice that will come in various sizes and price points.
• Digital Light Processing (DLP) – DLP displays were a bit of an oddity in the electronics space and are no longer in production. Getting a used or refurbished one could save you some money, though it will be larger and heavier than an LCD TV.
• Plasma Panels – Plasma displays were the first real step up from the old-school cathode-ray TVs. Due to their heaviness, bulkiness, and propensity for having images burned into their screens, you probably don’t want to go out of your way to find one, but it could be a good option if you’re getting it for free!

Ideas About How to Decorate Around Your TV

Once you have your TV and wall mount or stand, it’s time to get creative and decorate! Here are a few ideas to get you started; you can Google the ideas so you can take a nice look at different pictures to help spark your creativity:

• Frame your TV with colorful books – a few simple shelves will give you some space to showcase your book collection and frame your TV.
• Create a gallery wall – if you curate photos, frames, and patterns correctly, you can work your TV into the design of a gallery wall and give your living room an intentional and modern vibe. 
• Hide it completely! – Nothing says you can’t develop a creative way to disguise your TV. Some newer TVs come with the option of putting a frame on them and then choosing artwork to display, so your TV doubles as an art piece. These are a bit pricey, but if you have some DIY drive, you can use that as inspiration for something similar!
• Collectibles – Are you an avid gamer, Star Wars buff, or Godzilla aficionado? Use your living room decor to showcase your passions! Instead of cramming those collectibles into your office or gaming room, find a way to elegantly and purposefully get them out into your common areas. 

How to Decorate Around a TV So It’s a Part of the Decor Theme

If you’d like to disguise your TV so it isn’t as central a feature in your home, here are some tried and true ways to make that big black rectangle less of a focal point:

• TV nook – putting your TV in an out-of-the-way spot is an excellent method of minimizing its impact on your decor.
• Use color psychology – color is used all the time to direct our attention towards or away from certain decor elements. If you want to bring attention to other areas of the room and away from your TV, consider painting an accent wall on a wall perpendicular to your TV.
• Lighting – you don’t necessarily have to change your overhead lighting to disguise your TV. Instead, think about putting a table lamp on a console behind your couch if positioned directly across from the TV. When you turn the light on, people’s attention will naturally be drawn away from the TV and toward the light. 

DIY or Do I Need A Professional? 

Unless you’re a tried and true DIY guru (or can co-opt someone who is into helping you), you might need a handyman to do things like setting up shelves or installing the wall mount for your TV. If you need any electrical work done to create a TV nook or add lighting, a handyman is a perfect person to help get your projects done quickly and safely. A quick Googling will give you a list of local handypersons who can help you out with things like:

• Painting
• Electrical
• Lighting
• Internet
• Shelves

DIY or Do I Need A Professional to mount my TV? 

Can I do it myself or do I even know how to use power tools? It might cost a bit of extra cash to get the TV mounted but it’s better to get it done the right way the first time so you don’t damage your wall.

So you’ve decided to install your TV on the wall, but how high should you mount it? That depends on a variety of factors, including the size of the TV you’ll be wall mounting, as well as the viewing distance, eye-level height, and angle from which you’ll be watching it.

Another thing to consider is the way you will be using the space where you’ll be mounting the TV. Is it a lounge room for your friends or roommate where the main purpose is to sit on the sofa and watch television, or will it be in our bedroom?

Once you are clear about your ideas and where you will mount your TV you need to decide if you can do it or do you have a friend or parent that can help you. If you don’t there are professionals all over the place that can help you mount the TV.

TV Accessories

TV accessories are essential to consider when you decorate your space, and at the same time, with these accessories, you increase your confront experience, and others could help you.

• Installing your TV on the wall: A TV wall mount bracket could help you have better visibility and protect your TV from breaking.
• Streaming device: These days, there are many devices you can use to stream content from platforms like Hulu and Netflix. You might get a streaming box from your internet provider or opt for a Fire Stick.
• Floating Tempered Glass TV Shelf: You will need somewhere to put your game consoles, streaming box, or remote controls, so they look decorative in your space.
• Sound Bar or audio system: A speaker system sits below your TV screen, providing an immersive audio experience.

Finding the proper TV setup for your first house or apartment will help you feel settled in and at home in your new space. Picture making dinner (or getting delivery, let’s be honest) and cozying up in front of your new TV for a night of movies in the new cinema tv or gaming instead of spending it hunched over your laptop. You’re almost there! Now that you have all the knowledge to choose an excellent TV for your first place — get out there and get shopping!