Good design has always been about harmony

Everyone interested in interior design has heard about feng shui, a set of ancient Chinese principles for creating a harmonious home environment. But what about vastu, India's equally ancient version of feng shui?

Then there's our own country's green design movement, which aims to produce settings that are healthy for their users as well as gentle in their impact on our fragile planet.

What all this amounts to is an effort to balance function and aesthetics in soothing ways while also allowing for personal expression. And that's exactly what professional designers had been trying to achieve since long before Americans became fascinated with feng shui, vastu and green interiors.

It's always been about harmony, moderation and individual flair.

Q: We want to redo a family room as a home media center. The windows need a new treatment to make the space darker for TV viewing in the daytime, and we also plan to install a gas log system in a currently unused fireplace. Any suggestions for furnishings?

A: Successful settings of the sort you describe are generally built around a single focal point. A fireplace almost always plays that role, so my first suggestion is to place a flat-screen TV on the wall directly above it.

If that arrangement proves impossible for whatever reason, make sure the TV gets situated where there's no interference in the form of glare or reflection from the windows.

And as for the windows' treatment, think twice before buying black-out shades or thick drapery. Take a look at the photo and perhaps you'll agree that shoji screens would be a much more attractive choice. These Japanese-style shades with adjustable vanes afford adequate light control for your purposes while also allowing fresh air to enter the room.

This photo appears, by the way, in "Space Matters," a helpful design book written by Kathleen Cox and published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang. In it, Cox discusses how vastu principles can be applied to contemporary American interiors. What yoga does for the body, she writes, vastu can do for the home.

In this model, the TV's placement between two windows ensures that it serves as a glare-free focal point, although that fireplace, if working, might be a competing element. The angle of the sofa does suggest that the designer is trying to facilitate a balance with two centers of attention. What's more, the rounded chairs have swivel bases which enable them to be oriented toward the TV, the fireplace or, as at present, in a position conducive to conversation.

Subdued coloring of the sort seen here would be my choice too for a family media room. Soft fabrics and the low-pile carpet complement the look.

Rita St. Clair is a syndicated columnist with Tribune Media Services Inc. E-mail general interior design questions to her at rsca@ritastclair.com.