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When you think of setting up a home theater, certain pieces come to mind: The 4K
TV, your speakers, a high-end 4K Blu-ray player and a turntable for when you want to give your eyes a break and listen to music. But about your couch? Or the media console your TV, game consoles and other components sit on? There’s no use creating the perfect setup if you’re uncomfortable using it.
The good news is that there’s plenty of excellent home theater furniture designed to address all of these issues. We’ve collected the best options based on their size, style and price, so you can put together a space that looks good and most importantly feels comfortable and inviting to be in.
BEST SOFA
Haiylee Zero Gravity Home Theater Seating
Wildon Home’s three-seat leather recliner sofa brings the movie theater experience home. Each seat has an adjustable headrest and power recline, so you can get yourself into the perfect position, and a 360-degree swivel tray table to hold your snacks. An LED-lit cup holder will make it easier to secure your drink in a dark room, too. The seats have hidden storage in the arm rests to hold Blu-rays, game controllers, or other items, and USB-C and USB-A charging ports to keep your devices charged. Each viewer will feel like they’re in their own individual seat rather than sharing a space.
BEST SECTIONAL COUCH
Modular Sectional Pull-Out Sofa
If you do want everyone to feel a little more connected while they watch, Ebern Designs’ Modular Sectional Pull-Out Sofa is a great choice. The foam-filled U-shaped couch is large, and covered in Chenille. It has a pop-out side table, cup holders and hidden storage in its arm rests. It can be reconfigured to look like a standard couch, or a lounge, where viewers can lay down more fully. Its modularity makes it an especially good option if your home theater is in your living room, where you’ll be doing more than just watching movies and playing games.
BEST RECLINER
Red Barrel Studio Power Lift Recliner
Getting two or three of Red Barrel Studio’s Power Lift Recliners is an excellent way to give every viewer their own dedicated space without sacrificing comfort. The oversized, plush chair can be fully or partially reclined, so you can find the perfect angle. Each one has a side pocket to hold your items, and there’s a cup holder in each arm rest in case you or a guest would like to alternate between a soft and not-so-soft drink. A built-in USB port allows you to top up your smartphone or tablet while the movie is going.
BEST LOVESEAT
Latitude Run Wall Hugger Love Seat
Latitude Run’s Wall Hugger Love Seat has some of the best attributes from our top sofa recommendation, with a bit of modularity thrown in. It can seat up to four people right next to one another, but two massive arm rests come down to reveal four cup holders, USB-C and USB-A ports and even AC outlets. Side pockets on both edges of the sofa can safely hold the manuals to your home theater equipment or other important items, while several pull-out drawers at the base of the loveseat offer even more storage. The ability to hold more people when you’ve got a lot of guests, or fewer when it’s just you and one other viewer gives you some welcome flexibility.
BEST TWO-SEAT RECLINER
LnsenFin Two-Seat Recliner Couch
If you’re setting up a home theater in a small room, LnsenFin’s Two-Seat Recliner Couch may be all you need. Each of the connected seats has ample room for the viewer, thick arm rests for added comfort, and one cup holder a piece. You can recline at three angles between 90 and 150 degrees, so guarantee comfort while you’re viewing. Storage in the arm rests are always welcome, as are the AC outlets and USB-C and USB-A ports for your device charging. LnsenFin fit all of the essential home theater seating features into a much more compact option.
BEST COFFEE TABLE
Holliman Solid Wood Single Coffee Table
If you already have appropriate home theater seating, Holliman’s Coffee Table would be an excellent addition to the space. It’s made from solid wood, so it should look good and last a long time, and it offers two tiers or storage for your books, Blu-rays, games, or (most arguably most importantly) blankets if you or a viewer gets chilly. It also has a pair of drawers for remotes or additional home theater accessories. As with the Ebern Designs’ Sofa, it’s a great choice if your home theater is in a shared space where you’ll be hosting people for more than just movie nights.
BEST OTTOMAN
Hoya Oval Velvet Storage Ottoman
AllModern’s Hoya’s two-piece Oval Velvet Storage Ottoman is another way to keep your blankets and other goodies sorted, while giving you a place to put your feet up if you’re using a typical couch in your home theater room. The ottomans are made from wood and foam that’s wrapped in velvet, and AllModern offers them in several colors, so you can pick one that matches the vibe of your room. Both ottomans have a removable top that reveals ample storage space for game consoles you don’t use very often, board games, or other larger items you’d like out of sight.
BEST FULL-SIZED MEDIA CENTER
Latitude Run Malaliya Wide Media Center
If a big-screen TV is the heart of your home theater system, Latitude Run’s Malaliya Media Center can help you keep your space organized. It has a large space in the middle to hold your TV and soundbar (it’ll also help you frame the set if you wall mount it), flanked by a pair of full-sized bookshelves that sit atop three pullout drawers. See-through storage beneath the central section can be used to hold home theater equipment (a stereo receiver, game consoles, 4K Blu-ray player, for example), or your media library. You can get these the media center in a few colors, but the darkest one gets our top recommendation because it’ll fade away more when you’re watching in a dark room.
BEST COMPACT MEDIA CENTER
Latitude Run Colima Modern Floating TV Stand
Latitude Run’s Colima is an excellent media center option if you prefer minimalism, or don’t have a large home theater space. The wall-mountable furniture has three large shelves that can hold all your gear, with doors that’ll keep it out of sight. There’s also a small, crescent-shaped cutout on the backside that you can thread your power cables through to keep them from distracting your view of the TV. Again, we recommend getting the darkest colorway possible, so it doesn’t distract you from the movie or game you’re trying to enjoy during nighttime viewing.
BEST MULTIMEDIA STORAGE
Ebern Designs 24-Shelf Multimedia Media Storage Tower
Next to your AV equipment and comfortable seating, your physical library of TV shows, movies and games are the most important part of your home theater. Eber Designs’ 24-Shelf Media Storage Tower can hold dozens of Blu-ray and game cases, so you can grab the one you need immediately rather than searching around. The shelves are adjustable, so you can keep your library of 5.1 DVD-Audio discs and SACDs at the ready the next time you want to experience your favorite albums in surround sound. It includes a wall mount kit to keep the shelving securely fastened in case someone bumps into it.
BEST ACOUSTIC PANELING
Comforthomi 3D Wood Slat Wall Panels
I’d argue acoustic paneling is the most underrated piece of home theater furniture because it’s easy to forget, but allows you to enjoy your space long into the night without disturbing your housemates or neighbors. Comrofthomi’s two-panel set (get as many as you need after measuring your space) is made from wood-textured laminate and insulated by high-density acoustic polyester fiber that’ll dampen sounds to prevent them from disturbing the people around you. The panels can be cut to your preferred length, and installed against any wall. If you’re getting noise complaints, or feel wary about using your home theater after bedtime, these panels are a good solution.
BEST TV WALL MOUNT
Vivo VM120M
One of the easiest ways to reclaim space in your home theater is wall-mounting your TV, which can theoretically eliminate the need for a media center, or at least allow you to use the top space for other gear. Vivo’s VM120M can be used with TVs between 60 and 120 inches, and its extending arm lets you swivel your set pretty dramatically. You can also tilt the TV up and down to the perfect angle. You can also use the mount to keep your TV close to flush against the wall if you’d like, which will make it look even more sleek.
How We Chose the Best Home Theater Furniture and Seating
Our two focuses when choosing home theater furniture were comfort and functionality. You want the room to be a place where you can completely relax, but you also want to optimize the space without making it feel cluttered or claustrophobic. When choosing seating, we considered not only its materials and size, but also how much built-in storage space it had, so you don’t have to keep your remotes, game controllers, or other items in your sightline at all times.
Similarly, there’re charging ports on many of the seats, so you’ll leave the room with a topped up smartphone when the movie or gaming session is over. We also took care to recommend furniture options beyond seating, because there’s a chance that your home theater is in a centralized room rather than its own dedicated space.
