What's The Right Sized TV To Put In A Kitchen?

As much as it may enhance your cooking routine, it's easy to wonder whether a TV in your kitchen island is trendy or tacky. The idea of a TV in the kitchen may have seemed like a silly luxury in the past, but it's a growing trend that's turning the concept into a modern necessity. Installing a television in a kitchen promotes it as an area for entertainment and socializing. Even here, it's important to avoid common mistakes everyone makes when buying TVs and address the most critical details, starting with selecting a properly sized screen. When screens are too small or too large, it negatively affects your viewing experience. With a screen that is too large, you might struggle to clearly see the images, causing eyestrain. If it's too small, you may squint to try to see the details on the screen but still miss them. In a more intimate area like the kitchen, a smaller TV around 32 to 40 inches often works best, providing a practical solution without overwhelming the space.

The right television size for your kitchen will primarily depend on the proximity of the vantage point to the TV, whether you plan to watch it while sitting at the island or standing at the counter. When manufacturers list the TV size, they use a measurement from one corner to the opposite corner of the screen. If most people will be sitting between 6 ½ and 7 ½ feet from the screen, a 50 or 55-inch television is the ideal size. However, if people will be sitting between 4 ½ and 5 ½ feet away, a 32 or 40-inch screen is the right choice.

Rather than worrying about seating distance from the TV, you might prefer a size that lets you hide it underneath upper cabinets in the kitchen. You could use a mounting kit that folds the TV upward to hide it from view when not in use. The underside of most cabinets is 15 to 20 inches above the countertop. A 32-inch TV screen (measured diagonally) should fit well in this space, as it has a height of around 16 inches. 

If you're worried about screen resolution, you can find 1080p HD resolution in a 32-inch TV. (Television screens as small as 22 inches may also offer 1080p HD resolution.) However, 32-inch TVs with 4K resolution are rarer, as it's difficult to notice the better resolution on the small screen.

Some people try to hide the TV inside an island countertop, using a mechanism to raise it for viewing and conceal it when not in use to keep the workspace clear. If you choose this design, you might have limitations on how big the screen can be while still fitting inside a narrow kitchen island. Check with your installer for ideas on TV screen sizes you can use. Additionally, some experts believe having a TV in the kitchen is a mistake because it may distract from the design and feel of a beautifully designed workspace. You'll also find that some designers feel larger screens make this problem worse, creating a rectangular "black hole" on a wall, giving you all the more reason to choose a more modest-sized TV to fit in the space.