‘Dime’ follows a winning design

In the past, they were intimidated, frustrated and maybe even frightened by the sheer ugliness that surrounded them. But homeowners today can rest a little easier knowing that a trio of style-driven superheroes has arrived on the scene prepared to take on the vilest home-decorating challenge, one room at a time. And on a budget to boot.

HGTV’s “Design on a Dime,” hosted by interior designer Sam Kivett and colleagues Summer Baltzer and Charles Burbridge, rocketed out of the gate with record ratings (by HGTV standards) in its debut after the channel’s Rose Parade coverage last month, and it has continued to do well in its regular time slot Mondays at 7 p.m. Tonight the program gets a two-hour showcase of four repeat episodes beginning at 6 p.m., with the programming block repeating at 9.

Kivett, who bears a passing resemblance to “American Idol’s” Ryan Seacrest if the latter was ever introduced to a comb, opens the show by interviewing the subjects about their design dilemmas. Tonight, the problems include an achingly bland living room, a mismatched bedroom, a multipurpose area that screams out for cohesiveness, and a couple looking to incorporate their dreamy European honeymoon into their bedroom design.

Then the team gets to work, and on a budget of just $1,000 per case. Kivett calls in Baltzer, a crack decorator with cover-girl looks, and Burbridge, a teddy-bear of a man who’s a master of design solutions. The three huddle, come up with a game plan, and presto, everyone lives happily ever after.

In the glut of make-over shows now on the air, “Design on a Dime” stands out for the amiable efficiency of its team and its eye on pleasing the homeowners, not surprising them.