Daniela and David are weeks away from getting married and have purchased a small, downtown loft. David moved into the new digs, while Daniela stayed at home with her mom and dad.

David let the new place morph into a typical bachelor pad - with a ratty recliner, boom box and toy cars. His bride wanted something funkier, so the task fell upon me to convert the "living" area of this loft into a hip space.

The 800-square-foot room had to function on many levels - as a dining room, living room, storage area, office and multimedia zone.

I got rid of just about everything (except David's cars) and started from scratch. I mapped out two main multifunctional zones. I created one area with a huge sectional sofa that can function as a living room, entertainment area and TV-watching zone. I then created a small multimedia, home office and storage area under the stairs with a two piece nesting table that can double as a dining room table.

I painted the whole room from top to bottom, including the cabinetry, in a light steely blue so that everything flowed together. I chose accent colors to give things a young, urban look, including fabrics in neutral colors like soft brown gold. I kicked things up with faux animal prints.

The loft had 16-foot windows, so there was a lot of natural light. However, these big windows gave off a lot of heat and UV rays, so I put up a clear film over the windows and hung a two-tiered system of fabric blinds in a soft blue. I also installed a cool, stainless steel ceiling fan/light and added sleek pendant lights.

By adding some space-saving tricks, multifunctional furniture and jazzy accents, this loft now combines function and style.

Interior decorator Candice Olson is host of HGTV's "Divine Design." For more information visit www.HGTV. com or www.divinedesign.tv.