As a man in the late 1990's it used to be enough to have a comfortable sofa be the epicenter of your home theater furniture outlay. Using crude geometry to perfectly align your five piece, thousand dollar Bose Acoustimass sound system that you saw demonstrated inside a home theater electronics outlet you figured out just the right angles to get your sound perfect. You were so proud and giddy to invite your less fortunate buddies over (read here: poor) to sit them in the spongy confines of your ratty furniture and subject them to the opening sequence of Top Gun as F-14 Tomcats launched from the flight deck , Kenny Loggins screeching through your speaker pods, beaming with pride as you looked on at your mismatched home theater furniture setup.
Years have gone by and you've managed to get to a station in life where you've realized, it's Miller Time, and if you're going to create a home theater that actually has more in common with a theater than it does a shared family room you need to do a little homework. The furniture you decide on bought to invite patrons to your personal Cinema Paradiso to feel relaxed. The space you're now dedicating to projecting your Blu-rays on the pristinely white, 100 "Da-Lite screen needs to look mature so the sofa is not going to cut it anymore. recliners? Throw some matching leather sofas together? Assume someone will provide you the answers once you hit the showroom.
If your wife or girlfriend, or both, does not stop you from hiring the store first let me do it for you.
SPACE
First of all, you need to measure your space. Seems like such an easy thing to forget but not only do you have to account for how far back you need to position your new furniture in order to bask in the radiance of your screen at a proper distance but you also have to leave enough room, 18 "to 24" is standard, between rows if you want this to be a theater made for more than just a few people. The latter point brings up a good idea to keep in mind as well: How many people will fit in this space?
VISITORS
Two to four chairs, recliners, or a combination of both, arranged in a room is a good rule of thumb if this is space is more nook and cranny than it is performance hall but if you have the space you have other options. From sectional pieces that look like a twin bed with sofa cushion upholstery, providing the most luxurious experience for you and your guests, to a row of really connected high backed chairs where you can relax without being disconnected from those you're sharing this space with , the latitude you have is endless. As with any option, however, you also need to keep another factor in mind: budget.
MONEY
The good news is that home theater furniture is attainable at so many price points. You can find a couple of velor, mulled wine colored, home theater seats straight from Radio City Music Hall on eBay for a few Benjamins or you can pay thousands upon thousands for a set of five connected recliners made from supple leather wrapped around a kiln dried frame. The combinations that are available in between here are as limitless as your pocketbook so a little forethought to some basics will end up saving you Conan sized aggravation down the line.
Really, this space bought to define you. You've worked hard to forget that you were the guy who wanted to show how sweet "Playing With The Boys" sounded coming out of your twee speakers, Goose and Maverick getting their volleyball on, so find furniture that shows how much more austere and thoughtful you've become in older age. Even if you learned to only play Kirsten Dunst's cheerleading opus Bring It On long after your buddies have left your film cave you at lest deserve to watch her getting jiggy in something that reflects your sensibility even if it's still in arrested development.