Fortress Seating Enhances Luxurious Entertainment-Centered Lifestyle
“We put more time into that sectional than anything we’ve ever designed,” Eagle Sentry sales manager Cory Reif recalls. "The client loved it. There really isn't anything Fortress can't do, from custom theater seating to high-end family room sectionals.”
About a year ago, Las Vegas-based integrator, Eagle Sentry worked closely with Fortress Seating to design a custom sectional for the great room of a bachelor’s 6,000-square-foot abode on the outskirts of Las Vegas. It was the first time Eagle Sentry had branched out beyond the home theater to design and install custom furniture meant for the central living space.
“We put more time into that sectional than anything we’ve ever designed,” Eagle Sentry sales manager Cory Reif recalls. "The client loved it. There really isn't anything Fortress can't do, from custom theater seating to high-end family room sectionals.”
The fully customizable, luxurious styling impressed the owner so much, that he again called upon Eagle Sentry and Fortress to design the perfect entertainment venues for his new, 32,000-square-foot “forever home.” The second house overlooks the Vegas strip with three levels, two garages, a circular driveway, and a car elevator.
Technology and Seating to Fit a Vegas Lifestyle
The client enjoys hosting elaborate parties, and the systems, as well as the furniture, needed to be rock-solid reliable and durable. Technology systems include nine surround sound home theater systems, three projection screens, Colorbeam LED lighting, and Fortress seating in the living room, great room, and thirteen-seat media room.
Not Your Average Home Theater
Nothing about the Vegas home, from the AV systems to the car elevator, is "off-the-shelf," including the home theater chairs. Based on Fortress' Madison line, created 40 years ago as a high-end executive model the chairs feature significant enhancements, including extra-wide 27-inch seats and medium-height backs, lending to the modern look of the media room. “It’s a departure from what we’d normally install in a home theater,” Reif says. “These chairs have a low profile and a really modern design, with all the convenience features you might expect in home theater seating.”
One stand-out feature, according to Reif, is the retractable pocket arms built into the back row. “The way Fortress designed the pocket arms is really amazing,” Reif says. "When you retract the pocket arms, they just blend into the chair so that you can sit with your back up against them, and it's still really comfortable."
Each chair includes upgraded stainless steel cupholders, USB power ports, and soft-touch switches to recline the seat. Additionally, each chair has a removable glass swivel tray that pops into the cupholder and can store out of view in a cabinet when not in use.
Four head support pillows hang from the back of the theater chairs to be placed on any seat. "You just pick them up and put them anywhere, on any of the chairs, for added support," Reif says.
The seating is upholstered in a durable microfiber fabric called Architex Ultra-Posh in Flame Red. The material is as costly as premium grade leather, and it is hailed as being ultra-durable, soft, and stain-resistant. “You can write on this material with a ballpoint pen and then wash it off with just water,” Reif says.
The bright red color, bolder than the upholstery in the rest of the house, stands out against subtle charcoal and gray animal print carpeting and is further enhanced by recessed color-changing LEDs in the theater's ceiling and LED rope lights that accent the room’s millwork.
The theater’s aesthetics blend perfectly with the room’s technology. A 200-inch Stewart Filmscreen Phantom High Ambient Light Rejecting curved, frameless screen powered by a Barco Loki projector, create a superior visual experience. A McIntosh Labs processor powers a 13-speaker Dolby Atmos object-based surround sound system, using JL Audio in-wall Fathom subs and Bowers & Wilkins architectural speakers.
Room to Relax and Play
While the home theater seats sport virtually every conceivable option, it was the sectionals in the great room and living room that presented exciting creative challenges for the Eagle Sentry team.
The client wanted a U-shaped sectional in the great room and an L-shaped sectional in the living room, both modeled after the Milano seating created for his first home. “The client wanted not just to reproduce, but to enhance what he has in his current home,” Reif says.
Like the original Milano, the sectionals in the living room and great room each have a back bench. For added support and comfort, Fortress expanded the depth to 24 inches, rather than the 18-inch deep bench in the original home.
The U-shaped great room sectional seats 13 people on the incliners, and another seven on the bench, which faces out into the kitchen. “This is our second time doing this, so we know the end result, and we know it works perfectly with the client’s lifestyle and the entertaining he does,” Reif adds.
The seating in both rooms includes incliner chairs with motorized adjustable headrests. "You can dial in the chair to be absolutely perfect for you no matter how tall or short you may be," Reif explains. Like the home theater seating, the sectionals also include soft-touch buttons to control the incliners and motorized headrests, USB ports, and stainless steel cupholders.
Matching the Décor, Fitting the Room
Although the sectionals are a centerpiece of the home for their comfort and durability, they don’t dominate the décor. “The client didn’t want to have the furniture stand out,” Reif says. With this in mind, Eagle Sentry worked with the interior designer to select a subtle fabric in charcoal gray to match the stone accents and gray tiles in the rooms.
“It’s within the same gray palette, but darker, so it’s going to match and contrast at the same time,” Reif says, noting how every element of the furniture was custom-designed to match the home. “It’s not just a sectional you buy and throw into a room, hoping it fits. The seating has been designed and measured and custom-built to fit the space perfectly,” he says.
Just as an integrator would calculate sightlines for a projection screen or LED or pay attention to acoustics to ensure the best possible sound quality in any room, Eagle Sentry designed the furniture using SketchUp 3D modeling software and then brought those designs into the builder’s 3D model of the home to ensure a perfect fit.
“Everything was taken into account, including the walkways and the spacing when people are sitting down, to ensure the flow of the house is perfect.”
Reif concludes, “The client wanted the best of everything, and he’s so excited about the technology in his new home. It makes it very easy to work with him. Nearly every element of this project was exciting and fun.”
Read more about this installation and the home it is in from
COnnected Design.
THE POPULAR AIRFLO OF THE 60'S IS BACK
Intended for comfort, the channeled upholstery detail along with the metal plinth base and feet, there is no mistaking this retro look. Available any way you want it… Theater Seating, Club Chairs, or Sofas.
A I R F L O
THE POPULAR AIRFLO OF THE 60'S IS BACK
Intended for comfort, the channeled upholstery detail along with the metal plinth base and feet, there is no mistaking this retro look. Available any way you want it… Theater Seating, Club Chairs, or Sofas.
AIRFLO 2018
The inspiration for this popular modular seating system was born from the Airstream trailers of the 50’s
AIRFLO of the 60's
It’s Dark in Here!
How to Keep Your Home Theater Safe
It’s dark in your home theater. Your eyes haven’t adjusted yet. You know there are risers, but you can’t see them yet. The movie’s opening credits come on with an intense bass-heavy soundtrack that rattles you. You recline in your motorized FORTRESS seat to enjoy the movie, and lo and behold, nature calls. We all know how precarious this situation can be, but with a few simple tips, you and your electronic systems contractor can design your home theater with safety in mind.
How to Keep Your Home Theater Safe
It’s dark in your home theater. Your eyes haven’t adjusted yet. You know there are risers, but you can’t see them yet. The movie’s opening credits come on with an intense bass-heavy soundtrack that rattles you. You recline in your motorized FORTRESS seat to enjoy the movie, and lo and behold, nature calls. We all know how precarious this situation can be, but with a few simple tips, you and your electronic systems contractor can design your home theater with safety in mind.
Smart Chair Means Safe Chair
Reclining mechanisms in home theater loungers can be safety hazards, especially for small children who have a fondness for pressing buttons, and even more so in the dark. But don’t let that deter you from building the most convenient and comfortable home theater possible.
With FORTRESS models, motorization is available for reclining, adjusting seat height, adjusting and articulating the head rest, fine-tuning the chair’s lumbar support, as well as lifts, 1st class tray tables, retractable touch screen, press backs, massage and warming, and hide-a-beds. Swivel and rocker mechanisms are also available.
With all these moving parts, safety is important. First and foremost, theater chairs should be installed properly, making certain the space is stable, sturdy, and the flooring is level.
Our latest Smart Chair technology has safety mechanisms built-in. In addition to allowing the installer to program your FORTRESS Smart Chair to interact with the automation system, Smart Chairs have occupancy sensors. So if someone exits the chair without closing the footrest, it closes automatically after a few seconds. It also detects human occupancy in any piece of motorized furniture, allowing the chair to detect human contact in mechanism pinch points, stopping the motor, reducing damages to the chair, and avoiding accidents.
Light the Way
Lighting is essential to keep you safe in your dark home theater. We’ve heard stories about people tumbling down risers or tripping over their feet on a slanted and unlit aisle. Talk to your installer about installing subtle aisle lighting, or use our Smart Chair technology to tie occupancy sensors to the lighting system. The chair senses you are getting up, and the aisle lights come up to illuminate your way, helping you get that drink or bowl of popcorn without casualties. We also offer illuminated cup holders to reduce spills and slips, and a reading light that lets you do simple and quick tasks in your seat without fussing with the main lighting system.
Whether you’re at the planning stages or are ready to break ground, it’s never to late to think about safety in your home theater. If you have questions about any of our seating models or how to make your home theater safer, drop us a line at customerservice@fortresseating.com. We’re here to help.
Love (Seats) Are In the Air!
While traditional theater seats are great, sometimes, you don’t want an armrest coming between you and the person sitting next to you. That’s why they call it a love seat, after all. To get the love seat or sofa effect in your home theater or media room and cuddle a little closer, you have a few different options.
While traditional theater seats are great, sometimes, you don’t want an armrest coming between you and the person sitting next to you. That’s why they call it a love seat, after all. To get the love seat or sofa effect in your home theater or media room and cuddle a little closer, you have a few different options.
First, you can go with traditional theater seats, but accessorize with the Pocket Arm, one of our best-selling accessories. The Pocket Arm comes down when you need it, but disappears when it’s in the way. Because it’s tailor-made, the underside of the pocket arm blends with the style and shape of the seat for a balanced elegant look whether up or down. Outfit the arm with a FORTRESS Lighted Cup Holder with softly glowing LED lights and refrigeration to keep your drink cool during a romantic movie.
Caption: Now you see it, now you don’t. The FORTRESS SEATING Pocket Arm comes down when you need it, disappears when it’s in the way. Because it’s tailor-made, the underside of the pocket arm blends with the style and shape of the seat for a balanced elegant look, whether up or down
Another option to get a bit cozier is to eschew the traditional theater chair altogether and opt for a big, comfortable sectional that you and all your loved ones can pile onto for an evening of entertainment.
The New Land sectional is a great example, and can be used in any room of the home, not just the theater. The concept for this sectional came about when custom integrator New Land Solutions needed to convert a customer’s living room into a theater, and then back again.The result is a lightweight, elegant, and completely customizable design that works equally well for theater and everyday use.
Whether you opt for a traditional theater look or a more intimate sectional, you’ll want to consider FORTESS’s new Smart Chair technology for any model you choose. This tech seamlessly interacts with home automation and control systems and featuresseveral optionsthat allow seats to interact with other smart devices in the room. For example, human occupancy sensors detect when someone exits the chair and automatically perform functions like adjusting overhead and pathway lighting or pausing a Blu-ray player or TV. FORTRESS has also equipped the technology to detect human contact in mechanism pinch points, stopping the motor to reduce risk of accidents and keep your loved ones safe, not to mention comfortably entertained and happy.
Choosing a Seating Fabric:
What You Need to Know to Make the Choice That’s Right for You. Decisions. Decisions. When it’s time to start designing your home theater, media room, or living area, selecting a material that will work in your room and within your lifestyle can be overwhelming, especially when given more choices. This short guide will help you understand the choices available in order to make better decisions and keep you happy with your FORTRESS seating for years to come.
What You Need to Know to Make the Choice That’s Right for You
Decisions. Decisions.
When it’s time to start designing your home theater, media room, or living area, selecting a material that will work in your room and within your lifestyle can be overwhelming, especially when given more choices. This short guide will help you understand the choices available in order to make better decisions and keep you happy with your FORTRESS seating for years to come.
A Word About AV Quality
When it comes to selecting seating for a dedicated theater, many installers will tell you that the color you select can have a small bearing on the image onscreen. Bright white seating, for example, may reflect light onto the screen and wash out the image, while a bright orange has the potential to tint the picture. Therefore, your electronic systems contractor may advise you to choose a neutral or darker color palate for your theater seating.
The material you choose can also play a role there. Leather will be more reflective than velvet, which is why you see a lot of velvet seats in theaters. Likewise, a plush fabric like velvet will have less of an affect on the sound quality in your theater than leather. Of course, the balance of looks versus performance is one only you can decide, and generally, the effects of your seating arrangement on the AV quality are minimal.
Make it Plush withVelvet!
Velvet is a very popular choice for theater seating. It’s luxurious, plush, absorbent, and is offered in many colors and solid patterns. Another huge plus is that it’s very durable. It is a fabric, however, and therefore may require stain treatment over time in high-use areas. We do offer stain-guarding and fire barriers for fabrics, should you want that extra layer of protection.
Make it Sleek with Leather
Leather’s big draw is that it is extremely durable, comes in a wide array of colors, can look very modern to very traditional, and is less susceptible to stains or dirt in comparison to fabric. Have a spill or smudge? Simply wipe it clean! Something to be aware of when specifying leather is that it is a natural material, and therefore can stretch over time. It is also a bit more expensive than fabric.
Find the Fabric of Your Dreams
FORTRESS offers a wide variety of standard materials, like Standard and PremiumLeather, Faux Suede, Faux Leather, Velvet, Mohair, and Chenille. But really, the sky’s the limit when you are designing your space, because FORTRESS is all about customization. We invite you to supply your own upholstery should you choose. We also work closely with material manufacturers, and are happy to help you source thatspecial fabric you’re looking for.
For help designing your home theater, media room, or living area seating, drop us a line. We are here to help you realize the space of your dreams!
Home Theater Design 101
After that Godfather marathon or binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix, you might feel fatigue, have a crick in your neck, or even a headache. If so, you might be the victim of bad home theater design! A few simple adjustments and you’ll be on the road to a more comfortable and enjoyable experience.
After that Godfather marathon or binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix, you might feel fatigue, have a crick in your neck, or even a headache. If so, you might be the victim of bad home theater design! A few simple adjustments and you’ll be on the road to a more comfortable and enjoyable experience.
Get the Best Seats in the House
The right seating is one of the most important considerations for any home theater design. That’s because it’s largely to credit for your comfort. For one, if you have more than one row of seating you need to make sure that you have the proper viewing angles and unobstructed sight lines to the screen.
This might mean installing a riser or two so that those from the second row back don’t have to strain to see the screen. A good electronic systems contractor will make sure that the risers plus seating combine to give proper viewing clearance for the back rows, and that the back row has adequate headroom. Trying to force as many seats as possible only leads to making the room feel cramped and claustrophobic.
It’s All About the Materials
That shade of Eggshell White really pops, but did you know it can take away to the image on the screen? Bright wall colors tend to reflect light back onto the screen, washing out the picture. Dark or neutral shades minimize light reflection and screen coloration. Also consider sound when selecting your surface materials. Hardwood floors or concrete will reflect sound, making the room sound like a basketball court. Temper them with plush, luxurious seating, pillows, drapes, or opt for carpet—all of which absorb sound. For more on material, read our blog about selecting seating materials, here.
Just Say No to Wire
Whether you have a dedicated home theater or a casual media room, one of the biggest no-nos is exposed wiring. They’re not only an eyesore, but can be a safety hazard when running across floors or jumbled in a ball behind a media console. For best results, wires should be hidden inside walls, which most likely means snaking cable from your display and speakers to your components.
Call an Electronics Contractor at Blueprint Phase
Rarely, the call to the electronic systems contractor is the first one a homeowner makes when he or she is embarking on a new home or remodel. More often than not, that honor is bestowed upon the builder or architect. We recommend talking to an electronic systems contractor early in the design process so that you can make sure your home theater is installed without a hitch. These professionals will be up on the latest designs, technologies, and building trends and guide you through the process.
Make sure to address seating early in the conversation with your systems contractor, as well. That’s because the size of the screen and type of projector could be affected by the number of seats you want in your theater. Why? Theater seating requires a certain amount of floor space to provide for proper sight lines and comfort. Knowing the seating layout and how much room it will require assists you in determining the right projector and screen size. Knowing what seating you want early will allow you to plan the room better, which will allow you to avoid last minute sacrifices due to space problems.
These are just a few of our tips for making your home theater better. We hope you are inspired to make the most of your environment. If you’d like to learn more, give us a call or come in! We’re excited to share our passion with you.
Made in the USA!
Did you know that FORTRESS Seating is all hand-made in the US at our factory in La Verne, California? At FORTRESS, we take great pride in being able to build a chair from concept to shipping, right here in the United States, and with the finest quality and craftsmanship. Come with us on this behind-the-scenes photo tour of what happens in our La Verne factory, from structure to stuffing to stitching to shipping!
Did you know that FORTRESS Seating is all hand-made in the US at our factory in La Verne, California? At FORTRESS, we take great pride in being able to build a chair from concept to shipping, right here in the United States, and with the finest quality and craftsmanship. Come with us on this behind-the-scenes photo tour of what happens in our La Verne factory, from structure to stuffing to stitching to shipping!
The FORTRESS Seating Factory in La Verne, California, is where the magic happens. From concept to shipping, every seat is created right here in the US.
The view of the wood shop from above. This is where all the internal structures of FORTRESS Seating are designed. In the case of unusual requests or extremely custom configurations, designs like the semicircular arrangement shown here are built to fit a template based on the customers’ specifications and are often tested in plywood before the final wood structure is created.
Shown here is the structure of a chaise lounge in the process of being built. Fortress builds all products to ANSI BIFMA standards. The frame is constructed with Alder hardwood and Birch plywood. Next stop, upholstery!
For extended viewing in a theater or media room environment, comfort is key, but so is support. FORTRESS doesn’t skimp on the foam in its seating. They carefully combine different foams to create a soft, but supportive cushion on the seat as well as the back. FORTRESS uses a high-density foam along with a memory gel foam which allows the cushion to return to its original shape after having been sat in. You can also specify how firm or how soft you want the seat and back for long-lasting comfort.
Additionally, FORTRESS strives to find green alternatives to the components that make up our chairs. The foam we use is manufactured—emission-free—with plant-based renewable resources and contains organic, halogen-free fire retardants. All chairs use flex webbing, no springs here!
In the cutting department each piece of fabric or leather is carefully inspected for imperfections. Precise attention to pattern matching and the elimination of leather blemishes is accomplished by our skilled cutters. Imperfections are flagged, and those pieces are recycled so nothing is wasted.
Fortress upholsterers take great pride in their work and it shows. Seams are straight and the attention to all the details is evident. Reinforced stitching extends the life of FORTRESS seats, making them more durable. Double stitching to upholstery tape eliminates the problem of seam-splitting.
These plush, velvet custom backs and arms are awaiting their seats, then will be assembled, tested, and shipped.
The West End is a modern design that can be specified with loungers. This custom configuration was designed for a cinema inside a hotel, and is nearly ready for shipping.
Every chair is completely assembled and tested at the factory before it is shipped. These fully assembled El Dorado's have gone through a thorough quality control and are ready for shipping.
Every company needs a familiar furry face. Ours is Cisco. Here he awaits a treat from the fridge on the second floor.
Home Theater Seating: It’s What’s Inside That Counts
Home theater seating build quality matters, and Fortress Seating excels in hand-made craftsmanship.
If you’ve ever purchased a sofa or chair either online or in a store, you know that quality can vary wildly. While that $700 sectional may have looked great and seemed like a good deal, when your elbow goes right through the arm rest and you have to go through the hassle of returning it (if you can), you start to wonder if it was such a great deal after all. Home theater seating is no different. Quality is not a given, even if you are paying big bucks.
Fortress Seating prides itself on quality – not just on the outside, but the inside as well. Every chair, every arm rest, every chaise lounge is, at its core, made from real wood instead of cardboard or other flimsy materials like some furniture manufacturers use. Below you’ll see a Fortess Seating arm rest in the making, complete with cupholder and an opening for controls. The entire armrest is made of Birch ply and Alder hard wood. And we all know that a strong core makes for a structurally sound body.
Fortress Seating inserts metal t-nuts in all the wood, so the components can be bolted together, and everything is metal-to-metal connections. Below, a Fortress employee uses these metal fasteners to construct an armrest.
While you might think that this extremely comfortable home theater seating is made mostly of foam, even the plush Fortress Seating chaise lounges are built using solid wood. Below, a FORTRESS employee puts the finishing touches on a chaise lounge frame.
If you’re building a media room or private cinema, build quality in your home theater seating shouldn’t be something you compromise on. The last thing you want is to spend a hefty sum on your electronics, only to skimp on the seating and find it uncomfortable and falling apart in a few months. Carefully consider your options and ask questions. Build quality goes a long way toward ensuring that your investment will last a lifetime. With the right stuff inside, you can’t go wrong.