THE PROBLEM An ultra-busy couple hadn't had time to turn their beige, boring bedroom into an elegant retreat for quality time together.

THE SOLUTION Drew inspiration for detail from the couple's home country of France.

HOW IT HAPPENED • Added architectural interest with a mix of panel and crown molding. • Installed prefinished, wide plank wood flooring for an antique, Old World look. • Enriched the color palette with warm taupe, cocoa and glacier blue.

• Upholstered a headboard for a luxe look.

• Installed a cast-stone gas fireplace that looks like hand-carved limestone.

• Designed an elegant, large-scale chandelier with antique gold and crystals.

• Chose two cocoa chairs and a small table for morning coffee, croissants.

• Accessorized with artwork, the owner's perfume bottle collection and silk pillows piped in chocolate.

BEST TRICK Disguised a TV, which one owner didn't want in the bedroom. A specially commissioned portrait of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, to which the owners have a personal connection, hangs above the fireplace and opens to reveal the screen.

Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service. Interior decorator Candice Olson hosts "Divine Design," which appears Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 p.m.