How to Pick Home Theater Seating

After buying a projector and screen and setting up all the proper cables for a home theater, you'll want to kick back and enjoy a movie on your new system. If you convert a den into your home theater, you'll probably avoid having to buy new furniture. However, you may want to buy new seats so more people can enjoy the new movie setup.

Instructions

Pick Home Theater Seating

1. Draw up a rough estimate of how many people on average will be viewing movies in your home theater. This number could just be your immediate family, plus an extra seat or two in case you have guests.

2. Measure the available space in your home theater before you look at seating. Remember that you'll want to position the seating at least 6 feet from the screen and even more if you have a large screen.

3. Head to a furniture store and look for recliner seats that are similar to movie theater designs. If you have a large budget, you can pick seating with perks like leather covering and matching tables for resting drinks and snacks.

4. Look for a small two or three-seat couch. Some people prefer to keep a couch directly in front of the projection screen and pick separate seating to set up on the sides.

5. Ask about staggered height couches if you want to set up rows of home theater seating. You can also build wooden platforms 12 inches and 24 inches high to place seating, giving your room a real theater feel.

Tips & Warnings

• You may want to get seating that has a firm back support so you can stay comfortable during those long movie marathons.

• If you don't want your children using a certain couch, you may be able to find child-sized theater seats. Bean-bag chairs are always a fun alternative for young viewers too.

• Some companies offer plush folding seats if you really want to recreate a theater atmosphere.

• Theater seating is expensive, so don't buy more than you need. Remember you can always pull in seats from other rooms if you have lots of guests over.

• Add to your home theater ambiance with some classic movie posters in frames.

• Be sure to find out how to clean your theater seating because spills are probably unavoidable. Some stores sell cleaning kits to help remove stains from expensive leather or cloth seats.