Michael Holigan: We have a four-poster king size bed and two small night stands; a dresser that's also serving as an entertainment center for the moment; a taller chest-of-drawers and a large, expansive of windows at one end covered with wooden blinds and accented with a drape swag. To get our makeover underway, we've recruited the help of designer John Meaney.

John Meaney: Well, the first thing we're going to look at that you'll notice is the scale of the room. The ceilings are very high. The molding is very wide, so we want to bring in some furniture pieces that will play that up.

MH: Get rid of the small furniture.

JM: Get rid of the small furniture. Bring in some bigger scale pieces that will fit the size and the proportions of the room. And that will also tie in to how the family uses the room. An entertainment center for the TV, a table to read the paper or do laundry, a desk to have a temporary office and then for the bed have some dressers on the side of it for extra storage space as well. The swag that we see is probably a little too formal for the feel and for the way the family lives. So we'll bring in some simple panels that are easy care, nice texture, light diffusing.

MH: What are we going to do to the bed to change the look?

JM: Well, the wrought-iron four-poster is a very dramatic piece. What we want to do is soften it up as we are doing with the rest of the room. So using the window panels, using a natural bedding and throwing in some color with the toss pillows will help. Using this natural pallet, you can change your color tones from season to season.

MH: The result we have achieved is a softer look as well as a more functional room. And with a little attention to how the owners live in the room, we've taken the potential of the space and created a true master makeover that's warmer, cozier and more versatile.