Orlando, Fla.— With floor plans to guide her, Martha Vaughan helped customers furnish their new house half a world away.

Vaughan, a salesperson at Furnitureland South in High Point, won the Capturing the Vision category in the America the Beautiful Contest sponsored by Furniture/Today to identify the "unsung heroes and heroines of retail."

She and three other sales associates were named as winners at the newspaper's Leadership Conference here. Graham won for her work to help customers from Kuwait furnish their house, which became a $144,000 sale.

The contest honored retail salespeople who helped their customers create a room of his or her dreams. Other winners were:

• Deannie McHale, a home furnishings consultant with Ikea in East Palo Alto, Calif., who won in the Best Bedroom Category by helping a husband surprise his wife with a quick makeover for $1,210.

• Nanette Hurley of Furnitureland South, who won in Best Living Room for helping a create a living room/music room incorporating some of a customer's favorite things, including a baby grand piano, in a $5,888 sale.

• Carl Ramon of Gabberts in Minneapolis, who won for Most Dramatic Makeover by helping a customer turn a living room with a college dorm look into something far more classic and tailored, at a cost of $13,000.

In addition to a framed certificate of merit, each of the winners received a year's subscription to Furniture/Today.

"Furniture/Today was thrilled to spotlight the outstanding efforts of these creative and dedicated people," said Ray Allegrezza, editor-in-chief. "Based on the interest this contest generated, we plan to make this an annual event."