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"For four years, Candice Olson has transformed rooms on her hit HGTV show Divine Design with Candice Olson. She asks each owner a simple question: &amp;quot;How do you want your home to work for you?&amp;quot; Keeping the answers\u2014and individual tastes\u2014in mind, she resolves widely varied decor dilemmas with panache. Here, a sampling of our favorite Olson makeovers, ranging in style from contemporary chic to French Country. Whether she&amp;#039;s turning an abandoned shed into a romantic retreat or transforming an underutilized basement into a bistro-inspired gathering space, Olson combines old and new to shape a fresh take on functionality.            brodie&amp;#039;s party space tova and daniel&amp;#039;s family room           toby&amp;#039;s basement julia and mark&amp;#039;s entertaining area    brodie&amp;#039;s party space    A SECRET RETREAT The best feature in Brodie&amp;#039;s home was the one she used the least: a 13-by-20-foot shedlike structure at the far end of her garden. &amp;quot;Brodie really missed the kind of relaxed outdoor entertaining she&amp;#039;d enjoyed while growing up in Australia,&amp;quot; says Olson, who turned the outbuilding into &amp;quot;an indoor-outdoor pavilion.&amp;quot;  First she added a focal point: a fireplace surrounded by 1-inch-square glass tiles, above. Ideal for rooms where venting isn&amp;#039;t an option, the unit is fueled by a gel made from sugar cane and corn that gives off only water vapor. Then she installed prefabricated &amp;quot;waterfalls&amp;quot; in which water cascades down mirrored surfaces on both sides of the fireplace via pumps hidden in the benches below. (The units can be piped to an existing water supply.) Playing up the alfresco scheme, Olson covered the ceiling with bamboo-look wallpaper.   FIRESIDE CHAT Outside, Olson installed a 16-by-20-foot deck made of pressure-treated wood. The centerpiece? A rustic gas fire pit, left, which she encircled with all-weather black wicker chairs. a divine tip from candice olson             In the center of the new wooden deck, electrician Chico Garcia, left, Olson, center, and carpenter Paul Daly installed a fire pit so that homeowner Brodie and her guests can enjoy the outdoors year-round. The gas burner is covered with river rocks, although ceramic logs and beach rocks would also conceal it. tova and daniel&amp;#039;s family room    COME TOGETHER &amp;quot;The type of renovation I do most often,&amp;quot; says Olson, &amp;quot;is opening a kitchen to the family room.&amp;quot; That was the plan for her redo of the suburban home of Tova, an accountant, and Daniel, a video-game developer. Olson started by removing a non\u2013load bearing wall between the two rooms to create a continuous 18-by-36-foot space, opposite. In the kitchen, she balanced the slick stainless steel appliances by installing dark maple cabinetry. The designer then put a pair of bar stools at one end of a 5-by-7-foot island so guests could visit with the cook. To unite the two areas, a blue-and-brown color palette is used throughout.  A striped rug delineates the main seating zone.   ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT Originally, a bulky TV belonging to Tova and Daniel separated the kitchen from the living area, but only those in the latter room could watch it. Now, a wooden cabinet on the living area wall abutting the fireplace wall houses a 36-inch flat-screen TV, right, that swivels out so it can be seen from all angles, and lies flat when not in use. Open shelves provide access to DVDs, components, and books. A stack of floor cushions rests atop durable, wood-look vinyl flooring. &amp;quot;To counterbalance the high-tech world in which Daniel works,&amp;quot; says Olson, &amp;quot;I kept the space warm and inviting.&amp;quot; a divine tip from candice olson             Tova and Daniel&amp;#039;s brick fireplace looked dated and worn. For an instant makeover, Olson and painter Andrew Downward covered it with white latex paint. They used a thick-nap roller and brush to fill in the crevices, and applied several coats (brick soaks up lots of paint). If you have a wood-burning fireplace, Olson recommends applying a stain-block primer first so old soot won&amp;#039;t show through. toby&amp;#039;s basement    BE HER GUEST Toby barely used her 21-by-15-foot basement, so Olson revamped the area to accommodate casual entertaining. &amp;quot;Toby possesses an unbelievable passion for anything French,&amp;quot; says Olson. &amp;quot;I was aiming to achieve a bistro feel.&amp;quot;  Creating space for food preparation was key. Against one wall, opposite, Olson put in dark wood cabinetry capped with a black, solid-surface countertop. Beneath that, she added stainless steel undercounter refrigerated drawers, offering easy access to beverages and snacks.  For Gallic flair, she covered the wall of the food-prep area in red-glazed wallpaper that resembles antique leather. A simple shelf affords ample space for white ceramic vessels and architectural renderings, while a framed chalkboard displays the menu. For over-the-table lighting, Olson installed a contemporary spin on a Baroque chandelier\u2014a Swarovski crystal fixture &amp;quot;that looks like my hair in the morning,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;Great French design is often about unexpected touches.&amp;quot;   SITTING PRETTY Olson dressed existing French doors, left, with black-and-white-striped cotton drapes to &amp;quot;soften their hard edges without obscuring the view.&amp;quot; A faux-cowhide rug mimics the palette of the window treatments and adds comfort underfoot while anchoring the conversation area. The red upholstered club chair can be pulled over to the dining table for additional seating. a divine tip from candice olson              Dark wood cabinets filled an empty wall to the right of the French doors. Then, for a farmhouse feel, Olson installed shelves below the food-prep counter and hung black-and-white toile fabric curtains to echo the colors of sofa, drapes, rug, and chairs\u2014which also softened the lines of the cabinetry for an informal, &amp;quot;undesigned&amp;quot; look. julia and mark&amp;#039;s entertaining area    IN NEED OF INTIMACY Julia and Mark&amp;#039;s combo living-and-dining room measured a vast 31 by 12 3/4 feet. The all-beige color scheme only served to underscore its size and lack of focus. To make the space feel warmer and cozier, Olson began by swapping the wall-to-wall carpet that &amp;quot;showed every footprint&amp;quot; with prefinished hardwood flooring in walnut and brought in a pair of 10-by-12-foot Persian rugs to delineate the two areas.  The designer added pizzazz to the walls by applying a base coat of slate-blue paint, then topping it with a subtle metallic bronze glaze. Bronze-colored floor-length silk drapes, with blue borders at the bottom, contributed drama, elegance, and shimmer.  A cast-stone fireplace surround anchors the main seating area, which includes a camelback sofa and two striped chairs. A lone pendant light, hung low from the ceiling, draws the eye in and bathes the oval-shaped mahogany coffee table in a soft glow.    GO-BETWEEN To ease the transition between the living and dining spaces and temper the color scheme, Olson topped a buffet table, above left, with a black-and-white print. Chrome floor lamps add another layer of shine. FINE DINING Lighting was key to defining the two spaces. In the dining area, left, Olson installed recessed ceiling fixtures along the room&amp;#039;s perimeter and introduced interior cabinet lighting, a mirrored chandelier above the mahogany table, and mirror-mounted wall sconces. Olson wanted to retain some of Julia and Mark&amp;#039;s furniture so she updated two Louis XIV-style armchairs by painting their frames a deep chocolate brown, adding a metallic bronze glaze, and replacing the pastel floral upholstery with blue silk. Cream-colored leather chairs complete the mix. a divine tip from candice olson              Mirror-mounted sconces on each side of the fireplace add sparkle and maximize light by reflecting it around the revamped room. Carpenter Paul Daly, Olson, and electrician Chico Garcia began by drilling a hole through the mirror and its fiberboard backing. Then they secured the sconce by bolting it to the mirror and simply running its wire down the back to a nearby outlet. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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