Tiered theater seating puts the back row higher than the front row so everyone can see the screen. It is also called stadium seating, and it means tiered rows, not curved rows. This page brings together the seats that make a tiered room work: BACKROW seats for the back, a low FRONTROW seat and standard recliners for the front, in rows of 2 to 5. For every other kind of seating, start at the home theater seating hub.
What Is Tiered Theater Seating?
Tiered seating raises each row above the one in front, the way a movie theater does. For stadium style seating for home rooms, there are two ways to get the height: choose taller BACKROW seats for the back row, or put the back row on a riser, which is a low platform. A BACKROW seat is about 6–8.5" taller than a standard front row of the same model, depending on the model, so check your front row's height. SoundRight risers come in 7" and 14" and are on SoundRight Home Theater Seat Risers. The Rialto BACKROW page says its design lets a back-row seat see the screen without risers.
BACKROW Seats for the Back Row
The BACKROW models in this collection are the Rialto, Serenity, Monterey, Diamante and Equinox, each available as a row of 2 to 5 seats or as a single recliner. The Rialto and Serenity BACKROW list power recline without a power headrest or power lumbar, the Monterey and Diamante BACKROW list a power headrest, and the Equinox BACKROW lists both a power headrest and power lumbar. Seat height, measured from the floor to the top of the cushion on the product's dimension diagram, is 24" on the Rialto BACKROW and 28" on the Serenity and Monterey BACKROW. Check the Diamante and Equinox product pages for theirs, and compare it with the model you plan for the front row.
Front Row Seats: FRONTROW and Standard Recliners
The Rialto FRONTROW sits low to the ground so the seats behind it keep a clear view. It does not recline. Its seat height (floor to the top of the cushion), from the product's dimension diagram, is 11", and its overall height is 32.5". If you want a recliner in the front row, the standard Rialto, Serenity, Monterey, Diamante and Equinox seats in this collection are the matching front-row models for their BACKROW versions. For single seats, see Single Theater Recliners.
Row Widths and Wall Clearance
Standard rows run about 62–86" for 2 seats, 90–126" for 3, 117–164" for 4 and 145–178" for 5. Named examples from this collection: a Rialto FRONTROW row of 2 is 66", a row of 3 is 96", a row of 4 is 126" and a row of 5 is 156", and the Monterey BACKROW row of 3 is 101". Wallhugger clearance, the space a seat needs behind it to recline, runs about 3" to 6.5" across Seatcraft models; the Rialto lists 3" and the Serenity lists 6.5". Check the Specifications tab for your model.
Risers and Local Code
If you add a riser, riser safety is a matter for local code, so check with your building department before you build. Power recliners plug into a standard 110v wall outlet and each seat may need its own outlet, so ask a licensed electrician how to plan outlets for each tier.
How to Choose Tiered Theater Seating
1. Decide how you will raise the back row
| Approach | What it is | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| BACKROW seats | Taller seats for the back row, about 6–8.5" taller than a standard front row of the same model, depending on the model | Rialto, Serenity, Monterey, Diamante and Equinox BACKROW |
| Risers | A low platform under the back row, in 7" and 14" heights | SoundRight risers |
| Tiered room packages | Packages built around a tiered layout | Rialto Tiered Package, Grenada Tiered Package |
2. Pick a comfort package for each row
| Package | What it adds | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Power recline | Push-button recline, no power headrest or lumbar on the spec | Rialto and Serenity BACKROW |
| Power headrest | Adjustable power headrest | Monterey and Diamante BACKROW |
| Headrest and lumbar | Power headrest plus power lumbar, 2.2 density memory foam | Equinox CoolZero, Equinox BACKROW |
3. Match the rows and measure the room
Choose the same model for the front and back row if you want the rows to match. Measure the room width against the row widths above, and use the Full Recline figure on the Dimensions tab as the distance from the wall when fully reclined. Ask the design team at 1-800-407-8665 about spacing between the tiers.
Popular Tiered Theater Seating at 4Seating
- Rialto BACKROW Theater Seating®, Power Recline, Italian Leather: 3" wallhugger clearance and a 65" Full Recline.
- Rialto Italian Leather FRONTROW Theater Seating®: a low 11" seat height (floor to the top of the cushion) and no recline, with an overall height of 32.5"; a row of 3 is 96".
- Equinox CoolZeroᵀᴹ Italian Leather BACKROW Theater Seating®: power headrest, power lumbar and 2.2 density memory foam.
- Monterey CoolZeroᵀᴹ Italian Leather BACKROW Theater Seating®: power headrest, with a row of 3 at 101".
- Serenity Leather BACKROW Home Theater Seating®: power recline and 6.5" wallhugger clearance.
Related Theater Seating
See BACKROW Back Row Theater Seating for the full BACKROW range, SoundRight Home Theater Seat Risers, the Rialto Tiered Package, the Grenada Tiered Package and the Home Theater Seating hub. To plan rows and spacing, read Home Theater Seating Layout: Rows, Curves, Aisles & How Many Seats Fit.
Call the design team at 1-800-407-8665 to plan your tiers or request sample swatches, which are available for many upholstery options. For tiered rows of 2 or more seats, curbside shipping is free, white-glove delivery is available as an add-on, and qualifying in-stock seats ordered before 2pm PST can ship within 24 hours.
