Drab to Fab

It's amazing how far fresh paint, a few yards of fabric, and some smart ideas will go to spruce up a room. To revamp your own living room, start with a fabric you love. Select a favorite hue from it to paint on the walls. Pull out an additional color to use as an accent. When dealing with a bold pattern such as this one, it's best to use it throughout the room to get the print's full effect. Give your mantel special attention.

Artful and Functional Mantel

Large clear windows flank a carved limestone fireplace. A recess above the mantel conceals a plasma TV behind hand-forged metal doors with magnetic latches. The doors themselves are a work of art.

Christmas in Killarney

These custom-made Irish stockings blend in nicely with the rest of the room's earthy color palette, ranging from dark green and chocolate brown to antique gold and warm ivory. Bundled tulips and swags of evergreen garlands complete the festive look.

An Ideal Family Room

This family room's impressive furnishings include two cherry armoires flanking the fireplace, a pair of buttery yellow chairs, and a soft blue sofa that echoes the hue on the walls. Off-white silk drapery panels soften the large windows without hiding the stunning golf course view. Two-story ceilings reinforce the room's sense of openness.