a new emphasis on comfort.

People are taking more control of their lives, working at home and dressing more comfortably now, says decorator and author Teri Seidman. The call for comfortable rooms is part of this thinking, says Seidman, co-author of "Decorating for Comfort'' (Villard Books, $24 hardcover).

What exactly is comfort in home decorating and how do you get it? "Physical ease -- easy chairs, conveniently placed tables, good lighting, and enough storage space help to define comfort,'' Seidman says. "Having furnishings that are in keeping with personal esthetic preferences is also part of comfort.'' It is difficult to relax if there are unpleasant odors and noise. Such problems often cannot be fixed with decorating choices, she admits. Home fragrance and white noise machines or sound-muffling window treatments are, however, ways of dealing with the problem, short of structural solutions.

Seidman traces the rise of comfort in decorating to home electronics, which has meant more people spending leisure time at home or even working there.

"Before VCRs and big screen TVs, we went out to the movies. Now the movies come to us,'' she says. "We use exercise equipment at home when formerly we went to the gym, entertain with home-cooked meals instead of going out to a restaurant.'' Many people have to fit more items into a home than in the past: VCR's, big screen TVs, exercise equipment, and home office equipment -- computers, fax machines, and file drawers. These new items mean that rooms are furnished differently to accommodate the new activities. Seidman finds that old decorating rules such as keeping the television set out of the living room and having a separate room for dining don't necessarily fit into a comfortable home.

Some typical changes including putting a large-screen TV in the living room, claiming a separate dining room for a different use such as a home office or an exercise area.

Design for special needs initiated a number of the ideas about comfort that are now moving into the mainstream. These include counters at different heights, handles instead of knobs on doors. clocks with larger numerals, low-glare lighting.

While the living room and dining room are the two rooms that have changed most in response to the wish for a comfortable home, other rooms also need rethinking.

"Now that many people have a dishwasher, having a big picture window behind the kitchen sink is no longer important to them,'' Seidman says. "Instead, they want a nice view from the home office where they spend a lot more time.''