OTHER TECH

Here is my modest home theater. The performance is pretty good, since it's a dedicated room, but it's not too nice to look at when the lights are on. I'm hoping for some advice.

NATHAN WOLFSON / SANTA CLARA, CA

Nathan, I'm glad it was you and not me who said that the room isn't too nice to look at when the lights are on. I don't understand what happened to the simple, well-organized floor plan that you started with. Somewhere between planning and execution, things got out of hand.

The room is painted dark, which helps to focus attention on the screen when the movie is on, but what's with the seating? For a moment I thought you had sent me a photo of the storage space in your attic; dude, too many mismatched styles of chairs in the room. If you want to fix this mess and infuse your space with some character, do yourself a favor: Give away the furniture to the Salvation Army (or any friend who can use it) and buy a few inexpensive but matching seats.

Keep the upholstery color on the dark side so you don't draw too much attention to the furniture, and you might never complain again that your room isn't nice to look at. You have no idea what a difference some order and consistency in design accessories can make. You obviously love the concept of a dedicated room. Once you get rid of all this clutter, you'll be able to start enjoying it a whole lot more.