Most Embarrassing Living Room

Daryl Jelle and Nicole Bieniek were all smiles after winning our nationwide search. When Nicole and her fiancé, Daryl, heard about our hunt for The Most Embarrassing Living Room in America, they had a hunch their self-described "room of randomness" could take the prize. The couple bought their split-level home in Burnsville, Minn., right out of college in October 2011 and furnished the living room on the cheap with hand-me-downs and quirky online finds.

They ignored the green carpet that came with the house, set up a big-screen TV and a pool table, and hung a collection of road signs on the walls, but nothing gelled. "What we really wanted was to combine both of our styles in a comfy room, but we had a strict budget," says Nicole.

When they found out they won a makeover from HGTV designer Meg Caswell, they were ecstatic! They immediately wrote out their wish list: Nix the carpet, add lots of color and create a space where friends would want to hang out. So long, green carpet! Meg couldn't rip it up fast enough.

"I really wanted to give them a fun, energetic space," says Meg. "Luckily I convinced Daryl to get rid of that pool table." She chose Brazilian Koa engineered hardwood, which looks like solid wood but stands up better to moisture and temperature change. Meg added a durable charcoal-gray wool rug from West Elm. They also ditched the hand-me-down furniture for a pair of striped armchairs from West Elm, and custom yellow ottomans and orangey-red poufs. Pillows on the sofa pull all the hues together. Now friends can hang out comfortably — the ottomans scooch around to make extra seating.