From soaps to home decorating

Janine Marnien

GLENDALE -- A Hollywood film crew descended on a quiet, tree-lined

neighborhood street Wednesday to film a segment of “Famous Homes and

Hideaways” in actress Heather Tom’s house.

Tom plays Victoria Newman on CBS’s “The Young and the Restless.” She

didn’t mind playing host to the show -- especially since she’ll get the

help of an Ethan Allen interior designer to tackle one of the rooms in

her relatively new home.

“Basically, this is the room where we put things that didn’t really

have any other place to go,” Tom said.

“Famous Homes and Hideaways” is a cross between “Lifestyles of the

Rich and Famous” and MTV’s “Cribs.” Some segments feature tours of

celebrity homes, and others -- like the one being filmed Wednesday --

feature room make-overs with the help of sponsor Ethan Allen.

Celebrities with a room in their house they’d like to see change are

invited on to the show to meet with an interior designer and choose a new

look.

Tom wasn’t sure exactly what look she wanted for the room in question

-- a downstairs recreation room -- but she did have some basic guidelines

in mind.

The decor had to match the new floors and freshly painted yellow

walls. It also had to work with the other occupants of the house.

“It has to be doggy proof,” said Tom, the owner of four dogs.

Tom and Ethan Allen designer Diane Kolesar will meet today to pick out

furniture, and the film crew will return to film an after segment of the

room sometime in June once the furniture has been delivered.

The show is filming its third season, and has already featured

celebrities such as Bo Derek, Barbara Eden and Alan Thicke.

“We try to get a variety of different celebrities and rooms” said

Elayne Laxer, a researcher for the show.

“Famous Homes and Hideaways” airs at 4 p.m. Sundays on KNBC. Ethan

Allen offers the same interior design advice seen on the show to the

public free of charge. For more information, contact your nearest store.