“An air vent in the middle of a wall is like a wart on the face of an otherwise beautiful person,” said Annie Elliott, the principal designer of Annie Elliott Design. That’s why interior design magazines typically airbrush these eyesores out of pictures, she said.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have the benefit of Photoshop when it comes to the air return grilles and supply registers that are a necessary part of our HVAC systems. So when I wanted to disguise the air return grille in my foyer, I turned to camouflage. On Chairish, I found a vintage console table with an open base. Its sinuous, branchlike legs distract the eye while still allowing air to flow freely.

It turns out I was onto something.

If you leave some breathing room around air return grilles and supply registers, you can hide unsightly vents without compromising the function of your heating and cooling system, said Ed Janowiak, the manager of HVAC design education at Air Conditioning Contractors of America.

In his own home, Mr. Janowiak placed a breakfront with feet over a return vent on the floor, while in his living room, he positioned a couch a few inches in front of a return vent on the wall. A low shelving unit, decorative screen or Windsor chair would have also done the trick, as would décor like a faux tree, pile of woven baskets or stack of decorative boxes.

Image

Blocking a vent is fine, as long as air flow is maintained. Credit...Dina Cheney

Not just any item placed in front of a vent will work, though. Mr. Janowiak recommended avoiding placing real plants in front of air vents because the air flow might cause water to evaporate from the leaves.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.