If you’ve ever designed a build-it-yourself home theater, you’ll know how tough it is to nail the seating layout just right. You, of course, want those nice, new, high-end theater room seats upholstered in premium leather to look their best, but you also want it to be practical. Everyone should have a clear view of the screen while still having enough personal space and not feeling crammed together.
What if we told you that there was a super easy way to make your space look put together while still ensuring that everyone has ample space and a fantastic view of the movie? Enter elevated risers for home theater seating. Who knew something as simple as a raised platform to put your entertainment room recliners on could be such a versatile workhorse in the home theater? Here’s how these could be the solution that you never knew you needed.
They Give You the Best Views in the House
Who else has ever been victimized by some tall, innocuous strangers at the movie theater who decided to sit right in the row in front of you, thus effectively partially blocking your view of the screen? If you can’t raise your hand, we regret to inform you that you are the tall, innocuous stranger. Thankfully, adding some risers to one of your rows of three media room recliners—or more—takes care of this problem before it can even happen. Risers are quite a bit taller than the average next-step-up row of seats in a movie theater, making sure that no matter anyone’s height, everyone has the chance to see a clear view of the screen in front of them.
Not only that, but when you utilize platforms that raise your entertainment room recliner chairs, you’re also giving everyone on that platform the optimal viewing angle. Think about it—if your super comfortable multimedia room chair is on the floor, chances are you’re going to have to slightly tilt your head up to see the screen, creating strain on your neck over time. Meanwhile, if you’re raised slightly off the ground, you’ll be able to look straight ahead and be head-on with the screen, keeping your neck in the best position for your body possible.
They Accommodate Multiple Rows of Seating
Let’s say that basement entertainment room came together, but it’s a small home theater nonetheless—and that’s okay; great things can come in small packages. Regardless, you’re going to have to do some work to fit that stylish leather home theater chaise lounge and the row of four premium entertainment room chairs in that space. The easiest solution to what would otherwise be a potentially hard fit is to have a raised row of media room recliners in the back. That way, everyone has a comfortable view. Actually, when you’re working with multiple rows of seating, risers almost become essential to make everything fit and flow just how you need it to.
They Offer Extra Storage
You can never have too much storage—it’s a fact of adult life. Once you get to a certain age, The Container Store becomes a new favorite shopping place. Storage in your home theater isn’t any different. You’re going to need a place for that favorite blanket to throw over your soft, leather-upholstered reclining home theater chair when it’s not in use, and you’re going to need a spot to stash, electronic equipment, remotes, and all the other things you use to enhance your experience. Why not use your raised home theater seating platforms? You can easily incorporate storage compartments underneath your risers that provide all-too-handy storage options, while keeping the bins and containers out of eyesight. It’s a win-win—you get valuable storage options, and the aesthetic of the room isn’t going to be messed up by seeing a plastic storage bin somewhere.
They Help Create the Perfect Ambiance
Tiered seating is instantly evocative of a movie theater—you see it, and you immediately remember all of the good times you’ve had at the theaters. Risers help recreate that classic experience in your home, and they also elevate the room itself. Having a row of five reclining home theater chairs in the back and a row of media room recliners that sit three in front just kind of looks clunky with all of that seating being on the same visual level. When you add a riser for those five seats in the back, not only does everyone get a perfect view of the screen, the flow of the room just became ten times better. They help make your home theater look intentional and adult.
For those of you with surround-sound systems, you might be surprised to learn that risers can also help improve the acoustics in your entertainment room. If you’re sitting in your favorite, impossibly soft, fabric-upholstered media room recliner that’s raised on a platform, you’re actually going to be sitting closer to the speaker systems you have set up. If you’re closer to the speakers, you should get better sound quality out of your shows and movies and improve the immersion of the room as a result.
Elevated platforms that raise your entertainment room chairs really can do so much more for your home theater than you would have initially thought. They’re definitely the underappreciated workhorse of entertainment rooms everywhere. Once you’ve got them, though, you’ll wonder why it took you so long to bring your home theater to new heights.