Rebecca K. Dreman (1974)

Home is where she gets away from the pressure of work and enjoys entertaining, watching a good football game and spending quality time with family and friends.

An Iowa farm girl by birth, Denver, Colorado, has been home to Dreman since the 1960s. In 1978, she and her husband, George Dreman, moved into this two-story, four bedroom house on Denver's south side (figure A). When the couple bought the 3,600-square-foot house, it had olive green carpets and orange walls. Dreman had the walls repainted with neutral carpeting, and the home has a much more spacious and grand feel now.

Off the entryway is a step-down living room. At the heart of it, a curved sofa (figure B) designed in the 1970s gets a lot of use. The Dremans entertain often, and the sofa can seat 12 to 13 people easily, which helps to encourage conversation and fun times. Silk pillows add color and shine to the sectional sofa. Above it, two line drawings hang on either side of a 19th-century European clock.

Dreman's husband creates steel sculptures that adorn different rooms of the home (figures C and D). Most of the items in the home have a strong meaning to Dreman, and she feels that people should decorate with items they genuinely like and have a connection with, rather than just because it goes with the other decor.

A door off the dining room leads to a warm and comfortable family room (figure E). Most notable is the large rock fireplace. Dreman points out how challenging it was to keep the rock element from overpowering the room, yet still obtain that sense of balance.

On top of a woven rug, soft pillows surround a seaman's chest. This is the chest that children and other visitors lean against while enjoying a movie or a hometown Denver Broncos game.

Dreman said she learned many lessons during her year as Miss America, the most important of which is that there is no time like family time, and no more important place to share it than home.