Porch of the Oprah Winfrey's Hawaiian Farmhouse

Ellie and Oprah flew to Hawaii a few months later. "I saw a small porch, a kitchen that needed work, a master bedroom that did not face the view and had a low ceiling, and no connection between inside and outside," Ellie says. "The original plan was to do a quick job on the house then think about building the ultimate Hawaii homestead."

What started as a small renovation soon turned into a major project. Architectural designer Jeff Wooley, of John B. Murray Architect, rejiggered the quirky floor plan to create less-angular rooms and then, with the help of T.M.C. General Contracting Inc. and a team of craftsmen, stripped the house to its basic structure, moved the staircase, raised the ceiling of the master bedroom, installed French doors throughout, and wrapped the whole with a wonderfully wide veranda—a great place to sit and soak up the sweeping view.

The generous wraparound porch looks as if it's been part of the house forever. The outdoor furniture from Weatherend matches the railing's simple lines.(oprah.com)

Photo by Michel Arnaud, styling by Carlos Mota

Living Room of Oprah Winfrey's Hawaiian Farmhouse in Maui

Figuring out how to furnish the rooms was not easy. At first, Ellie and her team researched Hawaiian fabrics and antiques, thinking that the rooms should reflect the locale. But that wasn't what Oprah had in mind. "They came with pineapple doodads and big flower things. They had everything but a hula skirt," she recalls. "I said, 'Whoa! If I want to see Hawaii, I'll just walk out my door.'"

The interior decorator went back to her drawing board, and by the next time they all met, Oprah knew Ellie was on the right track—especially when Ellie, a former folk-art curator, suggested they go shopping for the kind of extraordinary antiques that are part of the American heritage.

The horses on the hills surrounding the ranch provided Oprah and Ellie with a strong theme for the living room. On one of their shopping trips, a late-19th-century American weather vane in the shape of a galloping horse caught Oprah's eye, and Ellie made it the centerpiece of the room. The designer also transformed a reproduction tea canister into a lamp and placed it on a side table near one of the sofas, which were upholstered in a Boussac chenille. The curtains, elaborately embroidered in India, were also made just for this room. (oprah.com)

Photo by Michel Arnaud, styling by Carlos Mota

Dining Room of the Oprah Winfrey's Hawaiian Farmhouse in Maui, Hawaii

Things that have been in Oprah's life for years have also been put to fresh use, creating a collage of her personal history. A Shaker chest that sat in her Indiana kitchen for 10 years now stands in the front hall; a table from a former pool house fits right into the new dining room. Ellie added the chairs, covering them in a striped cotton that contrasts playfully with the checkerboard design of the wool rug from Beauvais Carpets.

"I grew up in a rural folk environment, and I'm still rooted in things that have brought me comfort over the years," Oprah says. (oprah.com)

Photo by Michel Arnaud, styling by Carlos Mota