With streaming services investing more in quality TV shows and movies, we are spending more time watching our televisions. Alongside this increase in watch time has come an appreciation for viewing comfort. For some this means having an ever-larger screen, a comfier sofa, or access to food and blankets for those longer movies. Media units have, therefore, risen in popularity and become essential features in living rooms and sometimes even bedrooms.
A media unit is essentially a space specifically for your television, TV box, and any DVDs / Blu-rays that are needed for your viewing pleasure. When placed in a living room, media units are almost always the focal point of the space and as such are increasingly replacing fireplaces in this respect. Media units are at their best when custom made and can accommodate not only the TV, but also built in fridge and freezer units, or concealed areas for making cocktails, even an area for a microwave for quick popcorn.
At their most basic, a good media unit will place the TV on a bracket, allowing it to angle to the ideal viewing position, which can vary depending on the number of people viewing, the time of day or the length of the programme. LED lighting means evening viewing can happen in low light, without creating glare on the TV (as this section is usually left dark). The lit areas are then ideal places to display objet or photos, small potted plants, books, or much-loved DVD’s or other collections.
The base section of a media unit is sometimes deeper to allow for a variety of storage options and can conceal board games, household files or extra blankets amongst other things. The upper portion where the TV is positioned is shallower, although the TV section includes a void, so that all of the wires and cables can remain out of sight and allow for a clean, streamlined look. The upper section can take the form of bookcase style shelves, or quirkily shaped cubes or random shapes to cater for unusually sized objet to take centre stage.
When it comes to colour options, a darker palette remains a top choice, as this is the one space in the home where rich colours enable the cosier, darker backdrop to film and television viewing that we all crave. Often partnered with deep or even the same coloured walls, the choice of colour is never an issue when commissioning a bespoke TV unit. Finally, the choice of TV heights is also an option, with the best viewing position found directly across from you when seated.
So when you are ready to consider your media unit, remember to choose a television size that will serve for the medium term, but make an allowance for it to get larger. One thing is certain, this trend shows no sign of changing any time soon, as the number of us choosing to stay in for our viewing pleasure grows. Media units are to the modern living room what the fireside was to our Victorian ancestors, the heart of family life.