Dramatic Bedroom Redesign

So what better way to celebrate her life change than to transform her most intimate space into a luxurious retreat? With this thought in mind, Donna called in the Divine Design troupe and gave us carte blanche.

The space was outdated to say the least, from the shabby carpeting to 1980s-style wallpaper and passe furnishings. I decided to "glam" and "luxe" it up by creating a room with a marvelous theme: the golden Hollywood era. I wanted to fashion a room that was truly fit for a starlet (and her costars--Donna's dogs, Lucy and Ralph, and her bird, Kramer).

The idea here was to replace everything and start from scratch: a modern paint job, elegant fabrics and furnishings, flattering lighting and a bevy of extraordinary accessories.

I started with the walls, which were covered in a foil-like wallpaper that was chic in its heyday, but was now sorely dated. So, off came the paper and on went an up-to-date look.

I painted three of the four walls in a neutral cream color, and then, to inject some Hollywood drama, painted the wall behind Donna's bed in a mix of blue and plum.

To get a glam result, I applied one base coat of paint, then added two coats of Venetian plaster, and topped it all off with an iridescent coating of plaster and pigment for a textured and sparkly effect.

This wall served as a perfect backdrop for what would become the focal point of the room--a new neutral-colored custom headboard that was designed to look like an elegant and tufted armchair. When choosing the fabrics, I picked rich silks and elegant details.

I used a rich, piled carpet on the floor, creamy damask drapes for the windows and then added some elegant, mock panels to cordon off a dressing area for our star. Next, I went wild with rich, ripe plum, fuchsia and blue fabrics for the bedspread and throw pillows.

Keeping with this stylish look, I replaced Donna's old chandelier with a flush-mounted fixture with 500 (count 'em) little crystals, lit with a low-voltage halogen bulb. I also replaced her ceiling fan with a new 1930s deco-inspired fixture.

I got rid of Donna's old bedroom set and added new mirrored furniture, along with an eye-catching, new desk where our celebrity can write her memoirs, a chaise longue she can recline on while gazing dreamily out the window, and a reupholstered, purple ottoman (the one piece of furniture the dogs insisted we keep) for Ralph and Lucy to gain access to the new silk-draped bed.

An extra luxurious feel came from all of the details and accents in the room: lamps, perfume bottles, a silk throw, an area rug, photographs of screen legends--all of which added to this starlet-worthy spruce-up.

When I was done, the once dark and dated space had a fresh, new look. By using glamorous fixtures and fabrics, sublime lighting and luxurious furnishings, I created the ultimate movie-star oasis. Both Donna and her bedroom are now ready for their "close-up." How divine.

(Interior decorator Candice Olson is host of Home & Garden Television's Divine Design.)