A customer emailed us last month asking whether her 55-inch TV would “look silly” on a 140cm cabinet. Fair question. The internet is full of entertainment units with no real guidance on sizing, and most people end up guessing—then returning the thing three weeks later because the TV overhangs the edges or the cabinet swallows a whole wall. So let’s sort out the actual decision-making, using our Sonoma Oak 140cm TV cabinet as the working example, since it’s the size most Australian lounge rooms actually need.
Match the cabinet width to your TV, not the other way round
The general rule: your cabinet should be at least as wide as your TV, ideally 15-20cm wider on each side for visual balance. A 140cm-wide unit comfortably suits TVs up to about 65 inches (roughly 145cm screen width including the stand). Go much bigger than that and the telly starts to look perched on a shelf that’s too narrow, which never looks intentional.
If you’ve got a smaller room or you’re wall-mounting the TV above the cabinet, width matters less because the unit becomes pure storage rather than a TV plinth. In that case, something like the wall-mounted white TV cabinet frees up floor space entirely and works well in smaller living rooms or apartments where every centimetre counts.
Depth and height: the details people forget to check
Most standard TV cabinets sit between 35-45cm deep, which is enough for a soundbar, a games console and a router without anything hanging off the back edge. Height usually runs 40-55cm—low enough that the screen sits at comfortable eye level from a standard sofa. Before you buy anything, measure:
- The distance from your power point to where the cabinet will sit (cable holes only help if they’re near the sockets)
- Ceiling clearance if you’re mounting a TV above it
- Door/drawer swing space—nothing worse than a cabinet you can’t fully open because the sofa’s in the way
The Sonoma Oak unit’s proportions are built for exactly this—compact enough for a rental or a smaller lounge, but with enough surface depth that a 50-inch TV doesn’t look precarious.
Storage: drawers vs open shelving vs push-open doors
This is where people either love or regret their choice six months in. Open shelving looks great in photos but collects dust and shows every remote, cable and stray game console. Drawers hide clutter completely but can be fiddly with cables running to the TV. Push-open doors—no handles, just a light press—give you closed storage without hardware sticking out, which matters if you’ve got young kids grabbing at cabinet edges.
If you want a mix of closed storage and a display shelf for a router light or a candle, the Sonoma Oak cabinet gives you both in one 140cm footprint. For a bigger media setup—multiple consoles, a soundbar, DVDs if you’re still holding onto those—the 180cm LED entertainment unit with push-open storage has noticeably more room and built-in ambient lighting underneath, which is a nice touch for evening TV watching without the main lights on.
What “engineered wood” actually means, and why it’s fine
People sometimes hear “engineered wood” and assume it’s flimsy. It’s not solid oak, that’s true—but it’s a manufactured board (usually particleboard or MDF core) finished with a wood-grain laminate or veneer, and it’s what most affordable, good-looking furniture is made from these days. The upside: it’s more stable than solid timber, doesn’t warp with humidity changes the way solid wood can, and costs a fraction of the price. For a piece that’s mostly going to hold a TV and some cables rather than take heavy daily impact, engineered wood is a completely sensible choice.
The Sonoma oak finish specifically mimics the pale, warm grain of European oak without the price tag—it reads as a mid-tone wood that sits comfortably with both grey and warmer colour schemes, which is why it works in so many different living rooms.
Colour and finish: matching your existing room
Sonoma oak is one of those “safe but not boring” tones—warmer than pure white, lighter than walnut or dark timber. It pairs naturally with:
- Grey or charcoal sofas (a very common Australian lounge combo)
- Timber floorboards or oak-look vinyl planks
- Black TV brackets and matte black accessories
If your room leans more monochrome or you want the cabinet to disappear visually against a feature wall, black units like the 180cm LED cabinet or crisp white options like the wall-mounted unit tend to suit that look better than a mid-tone timber.
Cable management—ask about it before you buy
Look for cutouts at the back panel, ideally more than one, positioned so you’re not fishing cables through a single small hole behind a router and three power boards. A cabinet with a back panel that’s fully enclosed (no cutouts at all) is a pain—you end up drilling it yourself or running cables out the side, which looks messy. Check the product listing photos for back-panel cutouts before ordering, not after it arrives flat-packed.
Assembly and weight limits, honestly
Most flat-pack TV cabinets in this price range take 45 minutes to an hour with two people, an Allen key (usually included) and a screwdriver. Read the weight rating for the top surface before deciding on TV size—most units in the 140-180cm range handle TVs up to 25-30kg comfortably, which covers the vast majority of 55-65 inch flat screens sold today. If you’re using a TV stand mount, distribute the weight and don’t push heavy items right to the front edge; a slight lip or raised edge on the cabinet top (check the listing) helps stop things sliding off during vacuuming day.
At the end of the day, the best TV cabinet is the one sized correctly for your room and your screen, with storage that matches how much gear you’re actually hiding away. Measure twice, check the cable cutouts, and pick the finish that matches what’s already in the room rather than starting from scratch.