Samsung Frame TV Size Guide for Above a Fireplace

We are officially Samsung Frame TV fans in our home. We started with a 55-inch Samsung Frame TV over the fireplace in our living room, then added another Frame TV in the bedroom. Since then, the biggest question has been the same one many people ask before buying: what size TV should go over a fireplace, and how do you know when a television is too big for the space?

After first writing this post, we sold our house with the Frame TVs included in the contract and later bought a third and fourth Frame TV for our new home. You can read my unbiased Samsung Frame TV Review here, including why the Frame TV is beautiful and practical but not the right choice for everyone.

Samsung Frame tv in living room over fireplace

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How To Decide What Size TV Over A Fireplace?

Choosing the best TV size over a fireplace is partly about viewing comfort and partly about design. Whether you are mounting a Samsung Frame TV above a mantel, placing a television over a media cabinet, or hanging it on a plain wall, scale matters. A television that is too small can feel lost, while one that is too large can overpower the room and make the fireplace feel unbalanced.

A simple design rule is to choose a TV that is roughly two-thirds the width of the furniture or architectural feature below it. If your TV is going above a fireplace, measure the mantel and use that as your guide. The TV should generally be about two-thirds of the mantel width and should not be wider than the mantel itself.

Here are helpful guidelines when deciding what size TV to place over a fireplace or anywhere else in your home:

If your Frame TV is going above a media cabinet or fireplace mantel, follow the two-thirds rule. Choose a Frame TV that is about two-thirds the width of the cabinet or mantel below it, and avoid going larger than the furniture or mantel. For example, if your console is 75 inches wide, a 55-inch or 65-inch TV will usually look best.
A TV that is the exact same width as the furniture beneath it is not ideal from a design perspective. Leave at least 6 inches of space on both sides when possible. In our living room, we added sconces, so we left about 15 inches on each side of the TV.
Remember that TV size does not refer to the actual width. Television sizes are measured diagonally from corner to corner. A 55-inch TV is not 55 inches wide.
If your TV is mounted on a wall without furniture beneath it, consider your seating distance. A helpful guideline is to divide the distance from your sofa to the TV by two. If you sit about 120 inches from the screen, a 65-inch TV would usually be the largest size to consider.

2022 Frame TV Sizes

The 2022 Frame TVs are available in seven sizes. The measurements below are listed without the stand. When choosing a TV for a mantel or wall, pay close attention to the width, because that is what will affect the overall balance of the room.

32-inch TV is 28.7″ W x 16.5″ H
43-inch TV is 38.2″ W x 22″ H
50-inch TV is 44.3″ W x 25.4″ H
55-inch TV is 48.7″ W x 27.9″ H
65-inch TV is 57.4″ W x 32.8″ H
75-inch TV is 66.2″ W x 37.8″ H
85-inch TV is 75″ W x 42.7″ H

55″ Frame TV: Choosing A Size When Size Matters

After trying the 2019 Samsung Frame TV in our bedroom and loving the way it looked, I was happy to replace our old black television in the living room. The biggest appeal of the Samsung Frame TV is that it hangs flat against the wall and can look more like framed art than a standard television.

Our mantel is 78 inches wide. Two-thirds of 78 inches is about 52 inches, so we chose a 55-inch Frame TV over the fireplace in our living room. Since a 55-inch TV is about 49 inches wide, it fit the space nicely. A 65-inch Frame TV, which is about 57 inches wide, would also have worked over our mantel.

We did go back and forth on the size. My husband initially preferred the larger option, and from a design perspective, both the 55-inch and 65-inch Frame TVs could have worked without overwhelming the room. The final decision came down to the sconces. I wanted lighting on both sides of the TV, and the 55-inch size left more comfortable room for that layout.

Our Measurements For Our 55″ Frame TV

These are the measurements from our living room setup, which may help if you are deciding between a 55-inch and 65-inch Samsung Frame TV over a fireplace:

The shiplap section along our fireplace front is 87 inches wide
Our mantel is 78 inches wide
We have about 15 inches of space on each side of the TV

Before making the final choice, we used blue painter’s tape to outline the larger TV size on the wall. The 65-inch TV would have looked beautiful over the fireplace by itself, but once we added the sconces into the plan, it felt too tight. Leaving breathing room around the TV made the whole fireplace wall feel more intentional and balanced.

We also added a white bezel around the TV. The bezel is made of magnetic strips, but it gives the TV a more finished framed look. Our electrician installed two sconces on either side to complete the fireplace wall.

Mounting The Samsung Frame TV Over A Fireplace

In an open-concept home, a television over the fireplace is visible from almost every angle. Our old black TV stood out in a way I did not love. My husband did not mind it, but it was far from the look I wanted for the main living area. Once we mounted the Samsung Frame TV over the fireplace, the entire space felt different. When it is not in use, the Frame TV can display art, which makes it feel much more like decor than a traditional screen.

You do not need to buy anything extra to mount the television to the wall. The Samsung Frame TV includes the No Gap Wall Mount in the box, which helps the TV sit close to the wall and look more like artwork. It also comes with one single wire connected to the One Connect Box, which acts as the hub for the TV’s connections.

You also do not necessarily need to hire someone to mount the Samsung Frame TV. The included mounting system is one of the features that makes this television appealing.

To hide the wire and One Connect Box, we drilled one small hole in the left cabinet where the box sits. Then we fished the wire through the empty fireplace area from the box to the TV. The result is clean and seamless. The TV found Netflix and Wi-Fi easily, so the setup process was simple for us.

The Samsung Frame TV changed the way I felt about the living room. Instead of seeing a large black screen from every angle, I now see something that looks much more like framed art.

Samsung Frame tv 55" above a fireplace mantel in a living room

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Are We Feeling Better About Displaying Our TV Over the Fireplace?

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I have shared before that I regretted designing a home where the TV had to be displayed so prominently over the fireplace. At the time, there was no better place to put it, and I did not think through that part of the layout carefully enough.

After replacing the old black television with the 55-inch Samsung Frame TV, the fireplace wall feels completely different. Instead of feeling like a TV is the focal point, it feels like framed art is displayed above the mantel. I love the look now, and I no longer regret that design choice.