A Bountiful home takes a turn on hit 'Extreme Makover' show

Michael Moloney, the lead interior designer on the ABC Sunday prime-time hit "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," recently made a trip to Utah to, as might be expected, give a home an "extreme makeover."

Maloney and crew descended on the Bountiful home of the Harrison family, which had been nominated by neighbors.

Gordon Harrison and his wife, Lisa, are the parents of three children. Harrison, a carpenter by trade, had started his own carpentry business when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

"The Harrison family is so amazing," said Moloney. "They are a living example of the 'pay it forward concept,' maybe not at the level or the scale of what we do on the show, but anyone can go next door and help a neighbor — it's an awesome thing."

Volunteers from the community came together helping construction workers and the Home Edition team to construct, decorate and landscape a new home for the Harrison's in seven days.

"We love Utah, it's been fantastic, everyone's so nice," said Moloney. "In a lot of the communities we go to we have to build the spirit. We have to bring people together. It's not like that here. There's already that spirit of cooperation and people want to help."

The Harrison family episode aired Oct. 9 on ABC. The interior design has been kept secret, but Moloney said, "The inside is very clean and contemporary."

Moloney is known for his warm designs and friendly nature. He works very hard to make sure the families will enjoy their new home and preserve their memories and display photos and such throughout the home. Maloney's signature style of vintage treasures mixed with cutting edge technology is apparent in his work.

Twelve years ago, Moloney, a California native, set out to combine his love of shopping and knowledge of design to open a "new" type of antique store. The result was the opening of Le Garag.' He combined vintage treasures found at flea markets all over the country, new accessories and giftware.

Moloney's eclectic, fresh approach to decorating took off, and a few years later, he opened Maison Luxe' in California.

A few design principles that Moloney refers to as "Elements of Style" are:

• Edit, edit, edit (less is more!)

• Invest money in lighting

• Decorate for you and how you live

• Equal parts of comfort and function

• Maximize all of your space

Prior to his interior design career, Moloney spent 10 years in the fashion industry. He turned his design concepts to homes in 1993. Blending the new and the practical with the timeworn charm of things "not exactly perfect" has been Moloney's look from the beginning of his design career.

Audiences especially enjoy Maloney's humor and energetic personality when they listen to him talk about interior design, answer questions and discover how they really get everything done is seven days.

Maloney will appear on Sunday at 1 and 4 p.m.