When interior designer Linda Woodrum set about designing the guest bedroom for HGTV Dream Home 2009, she envisioned a cozy, lived-in space with walls painted a peaceful shade of buttercream and a bed blanketed in heirloom-style fabrics like the kind you'd find in your grandmother's linen closet. To balance the old-fashioned feel, Linda ramped up the energy with jolts of color, interesting texture combinations and bold patterns, including paisley and check.

A happy tablescape greets guests who enter the bedroom. A platinum emulsion entitled "Birds on Wire," by famed photographer Jock McDonald, serves as the focal point of this foyer space. "It was perfect for us as we had the long view coming down the hall from the master and we needed something strong enough to grab your eye," explains Linda. "This photograph is just great since you keep seeing more and more as you approach. It really pulls you into the picture."

On the bottom shelf of the foyer table rests a black wicker basket filled with blankets and extra sheets and French-style flower buckets, the perfect catchall for bedroom clutter.

An iron bed wins out over more decadent four-poster or sleigh styles. The antique look and rustic pewter finish befit the room’s heirloom theme.

Plaid is one of Linda's preferred patterns for the cozy guest room. "The smaller checks in the duvet cover and the big ones in the rug might have been a happy accident if someone had just thrown together the fabrics," she adds. "It’s a very casual collection of happy fabrics."

Pillows encased in soft cotton fabrics are piled high at the head of the bed to ensure a dreamy night's sleep.

A reading chair in a bold damask print is positioned to take advantage of the room's breathtaking view of Sonoma's rolling hills. A piping-trimmed ottoman is close at hand should an afternoon of reading segue into a mid-day snooze. A country-style china cabinet displays favorite books, woven storage boxes and framed family photos. "In this room, everything — including art, amateur photography and even iPhone pictures — is framed in black frames," adds Linda, "and it is cohesive and successful."