Exposed to Drama
Exposed beams give volume and drama to this casual living room, outfitted with wicker and slipcovered furniture.
A Stately Classic in the Crescent City
A pair of Louis XVI round-backed fauteuils and a Consulate bergere radiate high-toned elegance in this living room.
Generous club chairs in this family room are covered in a Henry Calvin chenille. The pillows add a touch of red, a color repeated throughout the house.
Perfectly Polished
The comfort factor of this living room is powerful: The sofas invite you to sit, and French doors embrace the garden vistas as part of the room's décor.
The designer's long-haired dachshund sits on a daybed. The tones of the room--stone, straw, and white--are soothing.
Rearranged and Renewed
Maximize a room's potential with smart furniture choices and groupings. Think about conversation groups when placing furniture in a room. Pull pieces away from the walls, and create walkways behind the furniture. Mix wood finishes and styles of furniture. It will look as if you've collected things over the years.
When buying furniture, think about whether it will work in multiple rooms in case you move or your needs change.
Persian Pleasures
A 100-year-old Persian rug anchors this sitting room.
Shine in a Small Space
This cozy beach condo, once small and cramped, now bursts with openess and a wonderful simplicity. To achieve a similar look, follow these tips: Don't be afraid to use large-scale furniture in a compact room. Keep it simple; Look for pieces with clean lines that won't overwhelm the space. Use storage creatively; mix built-ins with other pieces that are pretty and functional. Keep accessories and knicknacks to a minimum.
An old wine-tasting table functions as the kitchen island. Reclaimed wood, stained a deep brown, is used throughout the home.
This transformation included beaded-board-and-beamed ceiling, replacing carpet with recycled wood floors, and installing high-tech lighting. A fireplace was also added for enjoyment during the cooler months.
Designer Mona Hajj had an old saloon refrigerator refurbished and converted into a wine cabinet and bar area. It's ideal for a buffet as well.
Air Flow
Three pairs of French doors lead to this generous room where the kitchen, dining, and living areas flow seamlessly.
Graceful Viewing
A graceful arch frames the view into a TV alcove.
Polynesian Posh
This Hawaiian living room is meant to be a nurturing and warm but very fun place.
Living Whimsy
In this whimiscal Polynesian-style living room, artifacts from the '40s and '50s share space with a disco ball straight from the '70s.
Ray of Sunshine
This wavy-edged coffee table's glossy yellow finish brings a bit of sunshine to this living room's ebullient blue-and-white-striped rug.
Light and Air
This sunny platform is enclosed by a series of panels, some of which hang off barn-door tracks, enabling them to slide open. The panels are composed of lightweight, translucent, uncorrogated fiberglass. They provide privacy while bathing this indoor-outdoor living space in golden light.
Bright & Light
In this family room, several gathering areas were created so that activities can take place simultaneously. Prominent details and metallic colors create a modern theme with a romantic, retro flair. Walls are covered in a textured taupe shade, and hardwood flooring is enhanced by a wool rug reflecting the artwork by modern artist Gustav Klimpt.
Subtle silk fabric panels, pooled to form bishop sleeves, frame the enormous picture window. Complementary ottomans were chosen for their unusual size and shape. The animal print on two of the pieces contrasts nicely with the solid colored ones.
When updating your home, emphasize the home's best architectural features. Use the home's history as a starting point in determining an interior style with an updated twist. Pull up flooring and change wall colors to increase the sense of space and light.
Office Retreat
This office doubles as a handsome retreat. It holds a pine coffee table and side chairs with linen upholstery in chocolate and white.
Secrets to Great Style
This homeowner painted her living room walls a warm yellow and the mantel a rich black. The yellow provides an ideal backdrop for the oversize painting, and the black mantel creates an instant focal point. The ottoman is a nice solution for high-traffic areas because it's moveable. It also introduces an additional fabric to the room. From the majolica plates to the black tray on the ottoman, the extra touches enhance the design of the room.
A simple mantel is painted a glossy black for a dramatic makeover. Reproduction prints complement the larger original painting above the sofa. The designer determined that a couple of custom pieces would provide a better fit in the compact area. She had an ottoman, which serves as the coffee table, covered in an animal-print fabric to add personality to the room. The soft edges make it toddler-friendly. She also commissioned a bench that sits in front of the fireplace.
These homeowners asked designer Mary McWilliams to help design their home. With a color palette, fabrics, and a list of necessary furniture pieces in mind, the designer headed to her favorite furniture store. "Within the hour, a green chenille sofa and a pair of chocolate velvet library chairs were tagged and ready to be shipped," she remembers. The comfortable sofa had a tall back to anchor the room and balance the large painting that would hang above it. Exposed arms and legs on the chairs contrast nicely with the upholstery. "Solid upholstery fabrics allow you to make changes with pillows and accent pieces without reinvesting in new furniture," she said.
Wood Tent
White walls offset this living area's eclectic furnishings and wooden tent of a ceiling. The front door, handcrafted from koa, angles into the spacious room.White walls offset this living area's eclectic furnishings and wooden tent of a ceiling. The front door, handcrafted from koa, angles into the spacious room.
Spirit of the Islands
Spirited island prints in this cabana offer a colorful setting.
Pacific Coasting
The long L-shaped window seat beside the fireplace in this living room by the sea beckons weather-watchers. Storage niches control clutter. The homeowners used linoleum tiles to create a striped floor pattern that looks like wood flooring. Not only do the light and dark gold and reddish brown stripes mimic the color of the sand (hiding any brought in on shoes and bare feet), the tiles are water resistant and don't scratch easily.
The living room sofa and window seats are covered in durable, washable denim and cotton-canvas fabrics
Sherbert Style
This living room's custom banquette introduces the shade of lemon-lime sherbet against a sky-blue wall. 
Hanging plates and a mirror add reflection and light to a blue wall.
Double Image
The bookcases of this living room were copied by a local carpenter from Oscar de la Renta's Dominican Republic home.
A square 1960s mustard-colored Baker coffee table holds bouquets, books, hurricane lamps, games, and shells.
Give 'em the Slip
White slipcovers with blue piping and seashell print pillows add an island flair to this living area. A colorful Balinese parasol hangs over the down sofa. The homeowner commissioned a local carpenter to copy bookcases Oscar de la Renta designed for his house in the Dominican Republic. She painted them a soft shade of grayish blue.
