‘Great room’ gets much better

Cindy and John have a "room with a view.'' In fact, the wooded ravine in the backyard is the reason they originally fell in love with their home. Inside the house, though, the view was less than spectacular.

Wood paneling on the 14-foot-high ceiling and a dark brick wall absorbed all the natural light, and the bulky hearth took up a huge amount of floor space. Oversized furniture made the dark room feel small and cramped. Add to that the mountain of plastic storage bins holding their three kids' toys and Cindy's collection of Japanese dolls, and the clutter factor was high enough to block out the view. This great room sure didn't live up to its name.

Cindy and John called me in to shed some light on this dark, cluttered, not-so-great room and create a bright, comfortable gathering space. As the first room you see when you walk into the house, it needed to be beautiful, inviting and plastic-free, incorporate storage and display space, and provide room for the whole family to watch TV, play games, read or just hang out together in style.

The family told me they wanted a casual cottage feel, so I started with warm white and ivory, and chose a complementary palette of sandy tones, pale blues and light greens. Add furnishings in distressed leather and distressed wood, and we have the makings of a room that's a beautiful extension of the natural surroundings.

But before we could start lightening things up, we needed to do some heavy lifting. We built faux beams and installed molding on the ceiling to add architectural interest and painted it all creamy ivory to brighten things up.

Then we took a jackhammer to that clunky hearth to open up some floor space. We built a mantel and painted the brick above it white. A gorgeous sandy-tone marble mosaic-tile surround and a new gas-log insert make this fireplace a beautiful focal point.

We covered the rest of the overpowering dark brick wall with light-colored custom cabinetry, which serves double duty as storage for all the kid stuff and a display area for Cindy's Japanese dolls. It solves the problems of the "bin there, done that" plastic clutter and the dominating ugly brick in one stroke.

We hung a fan 36 inches below the ceiling to give the area a more intimate feel. A sectional sofa with washable slipcovers (slipcovers and kids: a match made in heaven) is a perfect place for the family to cozy up for some quality time. And where the hearth once awkwardly projected into the room, we now have an ideal space for a gorgeous leather armchair. Accent cushions, an area rug and a rustic coffee table complete the space.

In the dining area, I framed the windows (and that great ravine view) with striped cotton panels in white and wispy sky blue. Woven grass blinds provide privacy and add texture. Cindy and John's existing wood pedestal table took on a whole new look in these surroundings, complemented by soft white upholstered dining chairs. Overhead, a mother-of-pearl chandelier is a natural but contemporary fixture that picks up all the colors of the room.

A few finishing touches -- including track lighting and lamps -- and the room was complete. Before, Cindy and John's great room had nothing going for it but its windows. It was cramped, dark and piled high with plastic storage. Now it's bright, beautiful and perfect for the family to kick back and relax in and enjoy the view. It's better than great -- it's divine!

Interior decorator Candice Olson is host of HGTV's "Divine Design." For more ideas or information visit www.divinedesign.tv. Her column is syndicated by Scripps Howard News Service.