How To Choose The Right Home Theater Seating
Have you just bought a wonderful surround-sound home
entertainment system but no decent home theater seating to sit
on to watch the latest rented DVD? Do you always have to squeeze
next to the cat and your daughter who likes to hog the old sofa
like it was her bed whenever she watches anything on the screen?
Do you have to constantly pause the DVD to get your tomato juice
from the kitchen benchtop because there is no place to put your
drink without fear of spilling it on your white carpet? And does
your back suffer terribly even only after 30 minutes of watching
your favorite sitcom?
Home theater systems and home theater seating - the suburban
preoccupation of the decade
If you've answered yes to any of the questions above, then
despair no more. In the past five years or so, home theater
seats have surpassed the comfort and support provided by the
traditional movie theater seat.
Home theater seating can range from actual movie theater seats
with beverage holders to more plush reclining club chairs and
home theater loungers with footrests and built in wireless bass
audio.
But how do you choose a good home theater seating? Below are
some tips on how to choose a home theater seating that is just
right for you.
Tips on how to choose the right home theater seating
1. The first thing to ask yourself is how many will you normally
seat?
- If you prefer your home viewing to be strictly limited to
yourself and your only daughter, then you will only need a
seating for a small group of three.
- If you are planning to invite the whole neighborhood, then you
may need to create one or more rows of grouped seating just like
in a real theater. You can choose to have single seats carefully
placed in your home entertainment or rumpus room or build a
group of 2, 3 or 4 chairs.
2. The second and equally important question is will your
current home entertainment or rumpus room have space enough for
your home theater seating plan? It would be wise to allocate a
room or part of a room that is spacious enough for your home
entertainment area. Or if you have the budget and the
inclination - you may want to add a special room for this
specific purpose.
3. A very important priority in any home theater seating is
comfort as you may need to be seated for an average of 90 to 120
minutes for a full length feature movie. Answering the following
questions may help you to judge whether the home theater seating
you are choosing will give you the level of comfort that you
need.
- Does the footrest extend before the backrest reclines? This is
important so that your body remains supported and your movie
viewing and line of sight is kept intact.
- Are the armrests wide enough to rest your arms and provide the
right balance?
- Does the seat and back offer both firmness and flexibility?
Does the seat provide high density foam cushions to provide both
comfort and back support?
- Does it provide full support from head to toe?
4. What style of home theater seating will fit your decor? After
all, theater seats should be part of the home theater and should
enhance its overall decor. Do you want an upholstered home
theater seating or do you want to see some of the timber's
natural woodgrain enlivened by an oil finish?
Do you want supple, luxurious leather or the warm caress of
velvet? What colors complement your decor - the girly-cute pink
of custard; the regal low-maintenance ruby of pomegranate or the
uptown classy brown of biscuit?
5. Was the home theater seating constructed using techniques
that have been proven to result in stronger and more durable
loungers and seats that can withstand everyday use, such as
using kiln-dried hardwood base frames and cushions made of high
density 2-lb foam.
6. Last but not least, how much do you want to spend for your
home theater seating? Whatever your budget, there seems to be a
home theater seating for everyone's fancy:
- whether its the $4,700 three-seater Rodeo Leather Lounge with
built in wireless bass shaker, recliner, footrest and wide
armrest rolls for the ultimate in home theater experience,
- a vintage movie theater seat which had its previous home from
a local movie house and which you've just bid successfully on
ebay for $99,
- or somewhere in between.
About The Author:
Flor Buenaventura is a writer who has a great interest in
furnishings for the home and garden. To see a fantastic
collection of resources related to home theater seating, please
visit her Home
Theater Seating website.