In the cliffhanger to the first season of  "Hot in Cleveland," the TV Land sitcom beginning its second season Tuesday, the three L.A. transplants -- played by Wendie Malick (above, in blue), Valerie Bertinelli (in black) and Jane Leeves (in the tiara) -- take refuge from a tornado in a storm cellar with Elka (Betty White), the caretaker of their rented property. It turns out to be furnished with fine antiques and jewelry purloined by Elka's deceased husband. (Spoiler alert: Elka's next residence is the pokey.)

The three friends live more modestly in a late 19th century Queen Anne with a wide front porch and stained glass windows. It's based on an actual house in Cleveland and appears in the opening segment of each episode. In the pilot, the house was empty, but in Episode 2 furniture and decor were found in the basement and garage. "From this stash, our ladies decorated the house virtually overnight," production designer Michael Hynes said by e-mail.

In the second season, the characters have settled in Cleveland. The mandate was to update the interiors as a nod to all of their tastes, Hynes said, "while staying mindful of the fact that they are in Cleveland, not Hollywood." 

The pretty and feminine furnishings were chosen to reflect "women who want to celebrate their new life in a traditional city, but whose ideas about style have been shaped by a half a lifetime spent in a very design- and trend-conscious metropolis," set decorator Maralee Zediker said by e-mail.

The result, as shown in the dining room, right, is a nice illustration of how contemporary Hollywood glamour pieces -- the round mirror, a chandelier from H.D. Buttercup and two turquoise lamps with matching shades found at Marshalls -- can liven up a more traditional home.

As is so often the case in domestic sitcoms, much of the action takes place in the kitchen, below. Hynes explained the back story: The Victorian-era original had been updated with new appliances including an enameled Magic Chef oven in the 1930s, and then it got its Dishmaster sink faucet and a GE combination icebox in the 1950s. With its swing-out lazy Susan shelving, the GE was "referred to as the Cadillac of refrigerators," Zediker said.

Hynes said he looked at photos of old linoleum and composition tile and came up with a design in red, white and blue "to subtly suggest the a feeling of 'Americana' that people tend to associate with the Midwest." To make camera movements easier, however, the design is actually painted on the studio's concrete floor.

Keep reading to see more of the "Hot in Cleveland" house ...

From the Los Angeles Times archives: West magazine, March 26, 1972

It wasn't 3D-ready. It wasn't even cable-ready. It wasn't Energy Star-qualified. No USB or HDMI connections. No six-color processor — no color at all (unless you were counting on buying the orange model). But this portable JVC Videosphere had one thing going for it in the '70s that none of the giant flat screens had last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas: It was cute as a bug.

And what might you be watching on that TV in 1972, back when most TV was free? "The Odd Couple," "Hawaii Five-0," "The Carol Burnett Show," "Gunsmoke," "The Bold Ones," "Mission: Impossible" and "The Mod Squad."

-- Joan Fantazia

Photo credit: Joan Fantazia. Archive source: Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens

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HGTV's New Year's Day programming lineup ramps up with a commercial-free broadcast of the 122nd Tournament of Roses Parade, and for the first time, the home-and-garden network is sponsoring a float -- a replica of its 2011 Dream Home.

Designed and built by Pasadena-based Phoenix Decorating, the float emulates the modern mountain lodge in Stowe, Vt., that the network is giving away in mid-February as the grand prize in a $2-million sweepstakes.

Phoenix Decorating designer Dave Pittman has been creating the float for months, using as inspiration the architectural blueprints from Dream Home planner Jack Thomasson. Pittman estimates that the floral-covered house is one-tenth the size of the actual 3,400-square-foot Vermont ski getaway. Complete with posts, beams, gables and a chimney clad in copper (bronze-colored strawflower, ground lentil seed and cinnamon, actually), the miniature lodge rests on a 17-by-55-foot platform decorated with iconic Vermont scenery.

"If you were to go inside, there's no question it's built like a prop, but we did use some traditional construction methods, like you would a house," Pittman said.

The structure was ready for dry decorating in early December. That's when Phoenix Decorating floral director Lyn Lofthouse had staff and volunteers covering the siding with a mix of cocoa powder and farina, a cereal grain -- "to get that light tan look," she said. Redwood bark and flax seeds outline the window frames, and finely-cut blue and lavender statice and ground white rice are fashioning the panes. Tiny lettuce seeds texture the rock foundation, and dark poppy seeds suggest grout.

These materials are applied by hand, section by section, with sponges and glue. "You wouldn't want to use flower petals on the house itself because then it would look fluffy," Lofthouse said.

Fresh-cut flowers and petals were added this week. The rooftop is covered with snowy white and lavender chrysanthemums. Roses, carnations, daisies, cattleya orchids, eucalyptus, iris, gladiolas and Spanish moss appear in the garden around the house, forming a landscape of forests, streams and mountains.

The HGTV Dream Home float is one of 22 Rose Parade floats created this year by Phoenix Decorating. Lofthouse sourced thousands of botanical ingredients from around the globe, although she says she tries to order domestically. "The straw flowers are from San Diego, and the mums are from a grower in Northern California," she said. Keep reading for details on the New Year's Day programming, photos of the actual HGTV Dream Home and information on seeing the parade floats in person ...

When he landed his own daytime TV show, decorator Nate Berkus talked interiors with production designer Jeff Hall, who has created sets for "Top Chef" and "The Dr. Oz Show."

"Considering how many living rooms I'm in each day, I like thinking my set is a room addition for all those homes across America," said Berkus, above with actress Ellen Pompeo. "I wanted it to feel like a real space, not like a fake living room. Then I did what I do best -- helped to make it pretty." (On Tuesday's episode, tastemaker Berkus features the work of Los Angeles print maker David Weidman, subject of an L.A. Times' Home section cover story back in July.)

Working within a smaller-than-usual New York City television studio, Hall had an additional challenge: designing a set for an interior decorator.

"Whatever we did, the set is going to be conceived of as Nate's look," Hall said. "So nothing was going to be typical."

Indeed not. The floor was covered in a mix of wood, tiled marble and sisal carpeting. In a library-like area below, bookshelves flank a fireplace hearth that was clad in indigo slate.

Hall even dispensed with what he calls "clunky" audience seats in the front rows, opting for gently curved benches upholstered in linen. To create a sense of gardens beyond two picture windows, the production designer commissioned enormous living walls filled mostly with succulents from the New York and Los Angeles floral designer Trish O'Sullivan. 

"Every space needs to have something living in it," Berkus said. "That wall brings with it rich colors and a bit of the outdoors amongst all the lights, camera and action."

Keep reading to see more of the set and to find out where the design team went shopping ...

She's a renowned forensic anthropologist. He's an FBI agent.

Her loft is uptown international chic. His apartment is downtown Americana cool.

On "Bones," Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) have been a good match -- successful enough to spark recent rumors that this Fox show has a spinoff in the works. For the "Bones" design team, the key to success has been depicting two very different homes for two very different people.

"They're character-driven," set decorator Kim Wannop said. "We have great characters and a lot of back story to work with.  That's reflected in their homes."

For the story behind Brennan's loft, top, and Booth's apartment, above, keep reading ...

One has a tattoo as his hairstyle and problem perspiration. The other looks like the helpful Honda guy on TV commercials but knows how to drive a hard bargain. Meet Clinton "Ton" Jones and Allen Haff, above, of "Auction Hunters." This not-so-odd couple make a living -- and a TV show -- looking for treasures amid the trash of storage units whose contents are being auctioned off because of unpaid rent. The show premieres at 10 p.m. Tuesday on Spike TV.

By the looks of the unscripted series, the recession certainly isn't receding.  Following the success of the History Channel's "Pawn Stars," currently in its third season, and "American Pickers," currently in its second, junking and auction shows are beginning to clog up programming schedules like something out of an episode of "Hoarders."

In October, TLC launched "Auctioneer$," which followed the action at Auction Systems Auctioneers & Appraisers in Phoenix. According to the auction house's website, the series has already been pulled from its time slot. Going, going, gone. The Discovery Channel's "Auction Kings" bowed on Oct. 26. The eight-episode series follows the Atlanta auction house Gallery 63 and runs as two half-hour episodes, back to back, every Tuesday through Nov. 16.

"Auction Hunters," broadcast on the man-centric Spike, bridges the gap between salvaging and sold-to-the-highest-bidder events. In each episode, Jones and Haff bid on the contents of lockers after just a few minutes of peeking from the doorway. In the first installment, they prowl downtown Los Angeles and purchase the contents of two units.

The likeable duo exude the enthusiasm of boys on a scavenger hunt. In a genre filled with hard-luckers and hucksters, "Auction Hunters" is refreshing, a no-nonsense, no-drama half-hour that should satisfy fans of "The Antiques Roadshow."

Our "Set Pieces" post last month on the family houses in NBC's "Parenthood" triggered reader questions about artwork in the home of Julia (played by Erika Christensen). "Obsessed" seemed to be the key word, as in: "I too am obsessed with the painting in Julia’s home above the fireplace."

Fans, writer David A. Keeps has come to your rescue. He got back in touch with "Parenthood" set decorator Julieann Getman, who reports that the artist is Brian Bonner. We were told the best way to learn more about Bonner and see more of his work is to e-mail Marty Perrell at marty@perrellfineart.com.

The rest of the room, as previously reported, was pulled off on a tight budget. Getman found a coffee table and chairs that looked similar to Mies van der Rohe’s classic 1929 Barcelona design at Blueprint in Los Angeles. Tables came from Crate & Barrel, rugs and pillows are from West Elm, and lighting is from Ikea and Lamps Plus (popping up with increased frequency in our reporting these days).

We're making "Set Pieces" a regular part of the L.A. at Home lineup. Look for new posts on Tuesdays, starting next week. And if you're a dog lover or Ikea shopper, check out Keeps' latest post, which tells the story behind the furniture in another amusing OK Go video.

-- Craig Nakano

Photo credit: NBC

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OK, so his tie appears to be an Hermès scarf. Carleton Varney, you're forgiven. The cuckoo-for-color interior designer and president of Dorothy Draper & Co. is one of several key players giving the 33-year-old Home Shopping Network a fresh identity as HSN.

On Monday and Tuesday, Varney will be a part of HSN's first Home Design Event. His Live Vividly collection is "inspired by the classics with an added punch," he says.

The programming also include presentations of kitchenware and accessories from chef Wolfgang Puck and entertaining guru Colin Cowie, as well as rugs by Andrea Starck. 

Recently minted talk show host Nate Berkus will be on hand with new products he has designed. Among them: an intriguing knit-cotton pillow, right, trimmed with the kind of toggle closures found on stadium coats. It's 18 inches square, and with a poly-fill insert it costs $34.95.

Designer Hutton Wilkinson,the president of Tony Duquette Inc., will premiere new luxury linens. He has two faux-fur throws, including the 50-by-70-inch ruched throw, below right, $59.95.

An exclusive-for-HSN line called Happy Chic by Jonathan Adler also will make its debut.

"Not everyone is an expert in design, but they know what they like," says Lynne Ronon, HSN executive vice president for merchandising and planning. "They need help to put it together, and our designers will talk about their inspiration and how to put the look together. It's all presented in a lifestyle environment so the customer can see the entire vision. And it's live TV, so anything can happen."

HSN designers will contribute blogs to the website.

"There are certainly some antiquated stereotypes about HSN," says Bill Brand, executive vice president of programming, marketing and business development. "We've put a stake in the ground in terms of bringing in the right designers."

The  channel once known for glitzy gifts could not have found a more enthusiastic participant than Adler. "Wake up an smell the Sanka," he says. "Anyone who thinks HSN is just boxed jewelry and bedazzled muumuus is playing old tapes from the last century. HSN is groovy."

Keep reading to see what Adler is bringing to the party ...

At 11 p.m. Monday, World of Wonder and Logo TV -- the production company and cable outlet that bring you RuPaul's "Drag Race" and "Drag U" -- launch a new reality competition that aims to do for florists what "Project Runway" has done for fashionistas. 

"The Arrangement" offers a bouquet of garden-variety reality-show characters that audiences love to love/hate: a punk-rock chick, a muscle-bound Harley rider, a small-town kid with big skills, neurotics, control freaks, sassy ladies and catty queens. Seven of the 10 contestants are from L.A. and the O.C. The host is Gigi Levangie Grazer, author of "The Starter Wife." Head judge duties belong to Eric Buterbaugh, the Beverly Hills Four Seasons florist whose clients include Demi Moore, Paul McCartney and Madonna. (That's Buterbaugh at far left, with Levangie Grazer next to him.)

In the first of eight episodes, contestants Jenny Barker from Redondo Beach and Guillermo Del Pero of Pasadena (also pictured above) have the somewhat unappetizing task of using live models as a serving platter for flowers and sushi. Later, there is a three-minute flower-arranging elimination duel.

"There are naked bodies, chainsaws, rock 'n' roll and hazmat suits," World of Wonder co-owner Randy Barbato said. "It's not your mother's floral arranging show, unless she is a real mutha."

Co-executive producer Scott Shatsky, a veteran of "Top Chef," added that the show is more real than most. "This is a real working flower shop, and the contestants already have solid careers and expertise in floral design as opposed to people who are trying to make their mark." 

Still, there will be scars -- and not just from designing arrangements for a funeral and being guest-judged by "The Apprentice" star Omarosa.

"Every episode will have an oh-no-he-didn't moment," Shatsky said. "Sabotage, crocodile tears and spitting venom, you will see it all." 

Other guest judges include Antonio Sabato Jr., former Miss USA Shanna Moakler and, of course, RuPaul. After one episode, it's hard to say who's going to be "weeded out," as Levangie Grazer says. 

Nevertheless, I am already rooting for Derek Woodruff, right, the 25-year-old nice guy from Traverse City, Mich.

If his signature arrangement -- a group of orange tulips in glass tubes wired at off-kilter angles to a boxy black frame -- is anything to go by, he is the one to beat. I've never seen anything quite like it, and I hope to see a lot more. 

-- David A. Keeps

Photo credits: Gabe Ayala for Logo

Poor Peggy Olson. The "Mad Men" copywriter (played by Elisabeth Moss, above) has to fight for respect from her male colleagues (and office queen bee Joan), she frequently commits fashion don'ts, and she has an uncanny knack for choosing the wrong men. 

Happily, her taste in art is unimpeachable. In a recent episode, I spotted what appeared to be two prints by Los Angeles artist David Weidman, whom I recently profiled. A quick call to his daughter, Lenna, confirmed that the 1960s works were, in fact, Weidman's and are available for purchase through the website Weidman's Art. 

"The Girls," near right, measures 11 by 30.5 inches and sells for $575. "Flowers II," far right, is 15 by 29 inches and priced at $550. (A version in blue is $450.)

"The style is very distinctive and indicative of that era and the popularity of Danish modern," set decorator Claudette Didul says of Weidman's work. "They remind me of pictures I saw growing up and seemed in keeping with Peggy's sensibilities and reflect her younger and somewhat more cheerful outlook."

The offices of Peggy's agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, offer a stark contrast to the somewhat gloomy homes of the characters. Don Draper's bachelor pad is downright dreary, but he works in an environment bursting with color, one that reflects the bright optimism of mid-1960s design. To see more of it, keep reading....

Jonathan Togo, the 33-year-old actor who returns to "CSI: Miami" when the new season premieres Monday, gave us a tour of his Hollywood Hills post-and-beam house, complete with garage converted into boxing gym. We've got the story behind the house as well as a photo gallery.

A bonus: Togo and his designer, Lory Johansson, shared their sources for furniture, art and accessories here:

Swivel desk, above: Togo's desk, made from part of a bowling lane, can swivel to face the window (for a view) or the wall (for more space when the room is to be used as guest quarters). Components to create the desk came from Norton Sales in North Hollywood, (818) 765-1087, and Apex Electronics in Sun Valley, (818) 767-7202 or (323) 875-1308.

Dining table: The wood tabletop and custom fabricated base are from Urban Hardwoods in West Hollywood, (424) 204-9802.

Dining light: The salvaged fixture is from Olde Good Things in Los Angeles, (213) 746-8600. The piping for the fixture is from Apex Electronics.

Fabrics: The living room wall covering, upholstered cushion and furniture fabric is all by Knoll and Thomas Lavin.

Midcentury furniture: EBay, of course.

Art framing: McConnell's Handcrafted Custom Frames in Los  Angeles, (323) 653-3372.

Interior design: Lory Johansson, Just Joh, (323) 292-0900.

-- Debra Prinzing

Photo credits: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

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When “No Ordinary Family” premieres Tuesday on ABC, design fans may fall in love with the Powell family home. The story revolves around a typical California family that survives a plane crash and emerges with superpowers, but the show's sets have their own back story: The pilot was filmed in a classic Hollywood Hills midcentury post-and-beam, which was since replaced with a fictional house influenced by what production designer Maria Caso called “Bay Area modernism.”

Here in the living room, minimalist Italian-style furniture includes apple-green leather chairs from Crate & Barrel. A side table made from reclaimed wood was purchased at Fusion Home in Ventura. To the right, an Asian-style armchair and carnival horse sit underneath the winding staircase that Caso says threads its way through the center of the fictional house, envisioned as a 2,600-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom home whose "openness and flow scream 2010."

“As far as the look being sleeker and more modern, that’s simply evolution,” show co-creator Jon Feldman said. “People want to see new and comfortable, sure, but they also want to see identifiable. We find looks that satisfy wish fulfillment while still creating a relatable environment for viewers.”

Rooms in the Powell home are painted in a rich, warm palette of persimmon, apple green, goldenrod and cranberry. Exposed beams and windows in unusual places set the tone in the family room, right.

The dining room, meanwhile, floats in the open plan. In the photo below, mom Stephanie (Julie Benz) sits in an X-back bistro chair, and dad Jim (Michael Chiklis) occupies one of the  upholstered chairs with nailhead trim -- $129 at Urban Home -- at the ends of the table.

The children sit on an armless banquette, $750, from Rapport International.

“I don’t think I’ve seen that on TV before. There were a few raised eyebrows about having a sofa at the dining table," production designer Caso said, "but it's a great way to keep the kids at the table, and I think that might catch on."

The dining table was $735 at Restoration Hardware; the light fixture above it was less than $200 at the Great Indoors.

Caso incorporated another design trend — using recycled and salvaged materials in décor. She also used a banquette detached from a wall as dinner-table seating.

You can click through a photo gallery on the sets of "No Ordinary Family," "Modern Family" and "Parenthood" and learn where designers shopped and how they got the looks.

-- David A. Keeps

Photos: ABC

Note: An earlier version of this story had the show's premiere date wrong. The show premieres Tuesday, September 28.

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