Cindy Crawford has graced the catwalks of international runways and the covers of popular magazines over the last two decades.

For the past three years, though, Crawford has turned her attention away from the glaring spotlights and into the comfortable atmosphere of home.

Her home furnishings collection, Cindy Crawford Home, was unveiled for the first time last week in Indiana and Illinois. The RoomPlace is the exclusive retailer for the line, which includes living room, bedroom and dining room collections with various accessories. (The collection has been available previously in other areas of the United States).

Crawford, a DeKalb, Ill., native said she was thrilled to debut the line in Illinois and Indiana.

"It's great to be back in the Midwest, because these are my people," Crawford said during a recent appearance at The RoomPlace in Chicago. (The RoomPlace also has locations in Merrillville, Glenwood, Orland Park and other Chicago-area suburbs.)

Crawford said what inspired her interest in furniture was life in general.

"In the last 20 years of my being in the fashion business, I've traveled so much. I've been in lots of different hotels, beautiful homes and have worked with great designers. But also because I've traveled so much, having a home to come home to that was mine where I could express my personality and could be myself, was always very important to me," she said.

She said it's become much more important to her now as a wife and mother.

"I want my family to have that same comforting feeling," she said.

Crawford said when she was approached to get involved in a furniture project four years ago by the owner of the furniture retailer Rooms to Go, in the Southeast, she thought it was a good idea.

"I got excited, because I thought it was a great way to combine my love of fashion and style with my love of decorating," she said.

Crawford sees a correlation between the creativity in clothing and furniture.

"I think fashion generally starts with clothing fashion. Fabrics, colors and textures trickle down into home furnishings," she said.

In her collection, consumers will find what Crawford describes as a "fresh, updated look at traditional."

She said the styles of the contemporary pieces are definitely grounded in tradition, "but, it's really a fresh look as opposed to something that looks like what your grandmother might have had."

Among pieces in the collection are the The Hudson Living Room, with a soft sueded microfiber covering and finished wood base; the Expresso Living Room, featuring a leather couch and love seat and high wooden legs; The Savannah Bedroom, featuring upholstered bi-cast leather; and the New York Dining Room with contoured slat-back chairs and a glass pedestal table.

(Sample prices are about $499 for a three-piece queen bed in the New York Bedroom collection to $1,699 for sofa and loveseat in the Hudson Living Room set and $2,199 for the Savannah Bedroom with queen bed, dresser and mirror. There are also various individual pieces that sell for less than $1,000).

Crawford wants to offer "style, quality and value" with her line.

"I'm from the Midwest and didn't grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. So, when I do a product with my name on it, I always keep in mind 'Can my sisters and mom afford this, and would they like it?' " she said.

Crawford said she's aware, especially in this economy, that furniture is an investment for people. They want to know what they're buying will last for a while.

"When I've talked to the salespeople, price is not the biggest thing for people. It's quality and value that are bigger than that. I'm not looking to be the cheapest, because there still is that idea that you get what you pay for," she said.

Although she doesn't get in to the factory and make the pieces, Crawford is hands-on in other ways.

"I start out meeting with all the designers, and I'm like the inspiration. I sit with them and talk about direction. I might show them a picture of something I saw in Thailand or wherever. Then all the designers do their sketches, send them back to me and at that point, I'm an editor," she said.

The model then lets them know what she does and doesn't like.

"I literally see every fabric swatch, every wood sample and every piece of hardware for finishes, for stitching and for color, and then I see a finished product. At that point, I can still make changes if I want."

Crawford said it's been "cool" watching the furniture take shape.

"There are so many people involved in bringing Cindy Crawford Home to life. It's a big responsibility but it's also really fun," she said.

According to Crawford, her favorite room in her family's house as she was growing up was what could be called their basic living room.

"We didn't really have a family room and a living room. We had one room that I guess would be considered the living room. That's where we spent time with the family watching "The Waltons" and eating popcorn and playing games."

She was especially proud of her high school bedroom, which was the first room she got to decorate with her own money.

"My older sister and I shared a room, and after she moved out I got to choose the wallpaper and I went out and bought curtains. It was very peach, but it was me getting to express myself," she said.

Cindy Crawford Home is available at The RoomPlace. The Merrillville address is 2881 E. Lincoln Highway, at Route 30 and Colorado Street. (219) 947-8250. The Glenwood location is at 18325 S. Halsted St. (708) 755-2211. FYI: theroomplace.com

About Cindy Crawford

Crawford, who lives in Malibu, Calif., with husband Rande Gerber and children Presley and Kaia, started her modeling career when she was discovered by a DeKalb area photographer at age 17.

She was married to actor Richard Gere for four years during the early 1990s and was the host of MTV's "House of Style." She starred in exercise videos with personal trainer Radu and partnered with cosmetic surgeon Jean-Louis Sebagh to create the skincare line Meaningful Beauty. Crawford also has been involved in various other projects in the fashion and beauty industry.

Crawford said the modeling industry has changed since she first became involved. She mentioned it's unfortunate now that people just interested in modeling as a career may have a harder time pursuing it in this day of "celebrities" saturating the business.

"If you're just a model and that's what you love to do, you don't have the same opportunity now, because many of the jobs are going to actresses and singers," she said.

If there's a certain "look" today, Crawford sees it as "very skinny."

"I'm so happy I'm not modeling now as much as I was. When I was modeling, you were allowed to have a healthy body and not be a size 2," she said.