Living Room Redo: From Lackluster to Serene Tropical Retreat

Host Lee Snijders takes a look at the room to find out what part of the design needs to be addressed--he decides that the following pieces are foremost on the makeover list: new slipcovers for the sofa and loveseat, a coffee table, a bigger and better entertainment unit and new window treatments. He then meets with design coordinators Summer Baltzer and Charles Burbridge to divide up the projects and hammer out the details of the Polynesian theme.

The lackluster living area is redesigned into a family-friendly space with a serene tropical theme--here's how the design team makes it happen:

• The walls are painted a soft shade of green that is reminiscent of bamboo.

• Snijders augments two furniture pieces to make them look like a matched set. He disguises a Mission-style coffee table with split bamboo on the outside of the rails and rattan thatching on the inside. A pine entertainment center is given the same look by attaching rattan to the doors and sides; the unfinished edges are trimmed out with split rattan. A coat of stain helps to unify the piece.