Workshop · Tirana, Albania
Custom TV units: low consoles, floating units, media walls and panels
At Formo Atelier we build custom TV units in our Tirana workshop: low TV consoles, the “minibar” of Albanian living rooms, floating units that leave the floor clear, floor-to-ceiling media walls with closed and open volumes, slatted wood panels and plaster niches that hide every cable, and open shelving beside the screen. Every unit is drawn from the real width of your television, the eye height of your sofa and the sockets in your wall, so the screen sits centred, the equipment breathes and nothing hangs down the wall.
Free, itemized quote within one business day.
- Years at the bench, from the workshops of Athens to our own in Tirana.
- 30+
- Commissions built to measure and installed by our own team.
- 300+
- European-standard materials and hardware, on every piece, no exceptions.
- 100%
What we build
Every kind of TV unit, drawn from your screen and your wall
Every order starts with three numbers: the real width of the screen, not its inches, the height of your eyes on the sofa, and the length of the wall. The model, the depth and the storage follow from those.
Low TV consoles (minibar)
The long, low body under the screen with drawers or doors: 40 to 45 cm deep for the decoder, console and soundbar, and 10 to 30 cm wider than the screen so it looks balanced, in fluted, veneered or lacquered fronts.
Floating TV units
A unit hung on the wall with at least 10 cm of clear floor underneath, so the room looks larger and the robot vacuum passes. Anchored into brick or concrete with fixings calculated for the weight, not two screws.
Floor-to-ceiling media walls
The full composition around the screen: closed columns for what should disappear, open shelves for what should show, a lit shelf above, and the television in a panel of oak or walnut, built wall to wall.
Slatted panels and niches
A slatted wood panel or a plaster niche behind the screen with the bracket, the conduit and the socket already inside, so no cable is ever seen and the screen sits exactly at eye height.
Open shelving beside the screen
Open shelves for books and objects alongside a low console, the lightest answer for a short wall where a full media wall would close the room.
Equipment, cables and lighting built in
Ventilation cut-outs behind every device, a 40 mm conduit from the screen to the unit, sockets and the network cable where they are needed, LED strips on their own drivers, all fixed in the drawing before the first cut.
TV unit models we build
The four compositions we build most: a full wall in walnut with a slatted panel, a low oak console with fluted doors, a slatted oak panel over a low unit, and open shelving beside the screen. The model is chosen from your wall and your equipment, not from the photo.
Materials and finishes
Materials for TV units
A TV unit is looked at more than any other piece in the room and carries heat and cables inside, so the fronts are chosen for the look and the carcass for stability. These are the families we build TV units from; the MDF vs melamine guide explains what to ask for.
Wood veneer
A thin layer of real oak, walnut or ash bonded to a stable board core. The look and touch of solid wood with far less movement, so large doors and panels stay flat for years.
MDF (lacquered or moisture-resistant)
A dense, uniform fibreboard that machines cleanly. Moisture-resistant grades go into carcasses near water; lacquered MDF gives smooth matt or satin fronts in any colour, with no visible joints or grain.
Melamine
Chipboard or MDF faced with a hard, printed melamine layer. Scratch- and moisture-resistant, easy to clean, and available in hundreds of wood and plain decors. Our standard for carcasses and the most practical choice for fronts.
Solid wood
Oak, beech, walnut and ash, selected and dried for interior use. For worktops, table tops, frames and handles, where the surface has to take knocks and be sanded back to new.
How it works
From the first message to the last hinge
Consultation
Tell us what you need. We reply within one business day.
Site measurement
We measure the space ourselves, including walls out of square, sockets and pipes.
Drawings and quote
You approve 3D views and technical drawings alongside an itemized quote. Nothing is cut before that.
Build and install
Built in our Tirana workshop and installed by the same team, with a handover inspection together.
The right TV unit size, taken from the screen and the sofa
Inches measure the diagonal, not the width, which is where most TV units go wrong: a 65-inch screen is about 145 cm wide, not 165. A 43-inch screen is 97 cm, a 55-inch 123 cm, a 75-inch 168 cm and an 85-inch 190 cm. The unit should be 10 to 30 cm wider than the screen in total, so a 65-inch television wants a unit of 155 to 175 cm, and 40 to 45 cm deep for the equipment. The full table, screen by screen, with the four models and the cabling rules, is in our TV unit and media wall guide.
The height comes from your eyes, not from the catalogue. Seated on the sofa, most people’s eyes are 100 to 110 cm from the floor, and the centre of the screen should sit there. When the television stands on the unit, the unit height is eye level minus half the screen height: about 70 cm for a 55-inch, about 57 cm for a 75-inch. When the screen is mounted on the wall or in a panel, the unit is free to be as low as the room wants and the bracket is fixed where the drawing says. Our guide to TV viewing distance and mounting height sets out the distances for every screen size.
The equipment decides the inside. We leave at least 10 cm behind and beside every device and cut a vent in the back of the carcass so heat gets out, keep 5 cm between the soundbar and the bottom edge of the screen so the remote still reaches the sensor, and run a conduit of at least 40 mm from the screen to the unit so cables can be changed later without opening the wall. Sockets go behind the screen, the network cable reaches the television, and the fixings are chosen for brick or concrete, not plasterboard. The unit is built to match the living and dining furniture and the coffee table we make for the same room, in one wood and one finish.
How a TV unit is built in our workshop
The four order steps are above. This is what happens between the site visit and the evening you first switch the television on, and why the sockets and the conduit are decided before the wall is closed.
Measuring the wall and the screen
The real width and height of the screen and the distance between its feet, the length of the wall, sockets, the router, the radiator and the window, whether the wall is brick or concrete, and the height of your eyes on the sofa. The visit ends with the model that fits and where the screen will sit.
Technical drawing
An elevation of the wall with the screen at its real size, the bracket position, the conduit, every socket and the LED lines, and a plan showing the depth and the passage in front. You approve the drawing before production, and the electrician works from the same drawing.
Cutting and edge-banding
Carcasses and fronts are cut from the drawing, fluted or slatted fronts are made up in the workshop, ventilation cut-outs and cable holes are drilled before assembly, and every edge is sealed.
Hardware, lighting and finish
Push-to-open or handleless fronts, soft-close hinges and runners, LED strips with their drivers hidden in the carcass, and lacquered or oiled surfaces finished and cured in the workshop, never on site.
Installation
Anchors are set for the wall you have, the unit is levelled and fixed, the conduit and sockets are connected, and the panel or niche is ready for the bracket. We hand the wall over with you, cables in and the screen where the drawing put it.
A master craftsman with 30 years at the bench
Sherif Hamiti built cabinetry and fine joinery in Athens for three decades before co-founding Formo. Every joint, edge and finish that leaves the workshop passes through his hands.
Technical drawings before the first cut
Ardineli Caci turns your idea into 3D models and production drawings that you approve first, so what gets built is exactly what you signed off, to the millimetre.
European boards and hardware, as standard
Moisture-resistant MDF and quality melamine boards for carcasses, solid wood and veneer where the design calls for it, soft-close hinges and runners on every door and drawer, edges sealed on every panel.
Installed by the team that built it
The same people who measured and built your piece install it: aligned fronts, adjusted hinges, sealed joints against the wall, and a handover inspection with you.
Cost
What affects the cost of custom furniture?
Every project is quoted from real site measurements, so there is no price list. These are the things that move a quote up or down:
Size and layout:
the number of units, tall columns, corners, islands and how much wall you are covering.
Materials:
melamine, lacquered or acrylic fronts, veneer and solid wood sit at very different points, and carcass and fronts can be mixed.
Hardware:
soft-close is standard; pull-out pantries, corner mechanisms, lift-up doors and internal organisers add to it.
Integration:
built-in appliances, lighting, sockets and ventilation planned into the cabinetry.
Site conditions:
walls out of square, pipes to work around, access and floor levels all affect the work on the day.
Questions
Common questions about custom TV units
How much does a custom TV unit cost?
The main factors are the length of the wall, whether it is a low console or a full media wall, the fronts you choose (fluted, veneered, lacquered), the lighting and the hardware. A single low unit and a floor-to-ceiling wall sit far apart. Contact us and we will prepare a free, itemized quote.
How wide should the unit be for a 65-inch television?
Between 155 and 175 cm. A 65-inch screen is about 145 cm wide, and the unit should exceed it by 10 to 30 cm in total. Under 150 cm the screen looks as if it is falling off the unit; over 175 the unit starts to read as a separate wall.
How high should the TV unit be?
If the television stands on it, eye level seated minus half the screen height, usually 55 to 70 cm. If the screen is mounted on the wall or in a panel, the unit can be as low as you like and is sized for storage instead. We measure your sofa at the visit and set both from it.
Where do the cables go?
Behind the screen, through a conduit of at least 40 mm into the unit, and out to sockets placed where the drawing shows them. Every device gets 10 cm of air and a vent in the back of the carcass. Nothing runs down the wall, and the cables can be replaced later without opening it.
A low console or a full media wall?
A low console is enough when you only need a place for the equipment and the room has other storage. A full media wall makes sense when the television wall must also replace the bookcase or the living room cabinet. Most Tirana living rooms of about 3 m fall in between: a low unit with a panel behind the screen and open shelves beside it.
Can a floating unit be hung on a brick or concrete wall?
Yes, that is what our walls are. A floating unit and a wall-mounted screen are anchored with fixings calculated for the load and drilled into the brick body, never the mortar, or with concrete screws or expansion anchors. The fixing is decided at the visit, before the first hole.
I have a photo of a TV wall I like. Is that enough to start?
Yes, that is how most orders begin. We measure the wall and the screen, adapt the idea to your sockets and your sofa in a technical drawing, and you approve the drawing before we cut. The idea stays yours; the building is ours.
Do you build TV units outside Tirana?
Yes. The unit is built in the Tirana workshop and installed by our own team across Albania: Durrës, Vlorë, Shkodër, Elbasan, Fier and beyond. Measurement and installation are scheduled together with your quote.
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Start a commission
Ready to plan your TV wall?
Contact us and we will come back with a drawing for your wall and a free quote.
Workshop in Tirana. We build and install across Albania: Durrës, Vlorë, Shkodër, Elbasan, Fier and beyond.
