When you walk in the door of your home, you should have an instant sense that you're in a special sanctuary, says HGTV Dream Home interior designer Linda Woodrum. In the living room of the 2006 Dream Home, pale gold walls, a massive stacked stone fireplace, intricate bark and twig detailing on built-in book cases and a soaring ceiling (topped with a magnificent beam of ancient heart pine) all combine to create a special haven. It's a retreat that's inextricably bound up with the natural world, seen through the huge windows that frame an incredible view of mountains and Lake Lure the distance.

Woodrum chose a palette of colors in browns, grays, whites and greens to reflect the nature theme. She avoided a clichéd log cabin feel by using more sophisticated colors that mirror nature. The chenille upholstery on the sofa and chairs matches the washed-out white of the sky on a hazy day; the green throw pillows and blanket are the color of moss and leaves, while the brown rug is reminiscent of the forest floor.

The room is also deeply reflective of its place in a North Carolina mountain home. Woodrum relied on what she'd learned about Lake Lure and the surrounding mountains in choosing accessories for the room. The coffee table is an old apple crate, cut down by 8 inches, turned upside down and covered with a sheet of glass; an appropriate centerpiece for a home in an area known for its sweet local apples. The paintings on one wall of a fox and a bear are by Brevard artist Ann Dergara, and portray animals that Dergara has seen often in the yard of her own North Carolina mountain home (www.dergara.com).

Almost everything in the room serves as a reminder that this home has grown on a mountain in a forest. Two faux bois end tables on either side of the sofa are sculpted to resemble tree branches. The mantel holds wire baskets filled with pinecones, and a green wooden bucket on one table holds sprays of branches dripping with leaves and small green apples.

"The house starts telling you what works in the house," Woodrum says.