BY SANDRA BARRERA >STAFF WRITER

Anyone who watched Kim Myles triumph on season two of HGTV's "Design Star" knows that this former New York City hairdresser has the style savvy to transform any space from lackluster to chic.

A splash of island color here, some bold Hawaiian florals there.

Add in a floating room divider fashioned out of wood molding and chain, and Myles' winning makeover of a hotel suite on Waikiki Beach is the impetus for her own HGTV show.

Called "Myles of Style," the weekly half-hour series (which sneak peeks at 7 p.m. Sunday and will air regularly at 8:30 p.m. Thursdays, beginning March 20) follows the affable 34-year-old around greater Los Angeles as she tackles one design-challenged space after another like the Design Star she is.

"She's there to help people unlock their creativity ... and she does that," says James Bolosh, vice president of HGTV event programming. "She's a joy to watch."

From Craftsman cottages lacking in character to dog-friendly offices that just aren't, Myles confidently approaches each of her projects this season armed with bags full of goodies and loads of ideas for making the space pop.

Clean lines, fresh color palettes and a touch of glamour are her M.O.

In episode No. 1, she paints silver cabana stripes on the coved ceiling of a cottage-style living room for a watermark effect. And without revealing too much about the townhouse master suite she recently renovated, Myles says she reimagined an all-beige space as a "Zen retreat" by covering the walls in gray.

"Gray is tricky, you know? If you go too dark, suddenly it feels like a cave, and if you go too light, you don't get that calming effect that you want," she says. "So, we went with a really beautiful stone gray and then I brought in natural elements. I wanted to bring in stone and wood and water."

Granted, this isn't "Design on a Dime"-style $1,000 room makeovers.

But Myles is cognizant of the budget-minded viewer by peppering each episode with inexpensive do-it-yourself projects.

Think: a chandelier made of Christmas ball ornaments; gold-leafing a wall with tin foil; and using chopsticks to create an upscale-looking frame for a mirror.

"She can take the simplest object and turn it into something so beautiful and decorative, and that's really her genius as a designer," Bolosh says. "She's so full of great ideas."

Myles dubs her style "global-urban elegance," a sophisticated medley of modern meets Bohemian inspired by 11 years of big-city living.

A decade of that time was spent behind the chair as well as doing the occasional print ad, commercial or album cover. She did Deborah Harry's makeup for the cover of the Blondie album "No Exit" in 1999.

"I've always had a very strong sense of style and color, and I've always known what I liked, but I would definitely say yes, the development of my own aesthetic, which is very personal and specific, I attribute to living in New York because you're steeped," Myles says. "There are so many visual options, you know, from window displays to architecture ... to just looking at stylish New Yorkers on the street.

"Hey, it's the center of the universe for me," she says.

But before becoming a stylish New Yorker herself, Myles was discovering her love of hair and interior design in the suburban sprawl of Bakersfield. (She was born in Whittier.)

Somewhere in her family photo albums there are pictures of her 8-year-old self styling her "auntie's" hair. At 12, she would rearrange her bedroom for the first time and even create original wall treatments out of construction paper.

"As far back as I can remember, this is just what I do," she says. "I am the house guest that comes in and, if there is going to be a party, I am in charge of lighting. So, really, if I can look at it, I want to touch it, make my mark on it, shift it, change it."

But not without first consulting her client, as any good hairdresser or interior designer should.

"The client is so important," she says. "Listening to them, figuring out their lifestyle, knowing that I need to bring my artistry and my craftsmanship and my vision to their table ... it has to be something they feel invested in and love."

Sandra Barerra (818) 713-3728 sandra.barrera@dailynews.com

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MYLES OF STYLE

>What: Season two "Design Star" winner Kim Myles gets her own series, in which she shows viewers how to transform lackluster spaces into beautiful rooms with her unique spin on design and decor.

>Where: HGTV.

>When: 8:30 p.m. Thursdays, starting March 20, although you can catch the sneak-peek episode at 7 p.m. Sunday.

>Information: Go to http://hgtv.com/mylesofstyle to experience "Myles of Style" online extras, including a podcast, a weekly video blog in which Myles answers viewers' design questions, as well as lots of great decorating tips and ideas.