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In the master bath stands a custom-made Concept Studio limestone tub; the ceiling fixture and wall sconces are by Paul Ferrante, and the dressing-table lamps are by Formations.

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Growing out of a stone planter from La Maison Française Antiques, a large ficus tree gives the great room a forestlike air. -Looove the ficus. 

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Designed by architect Gil Schafer, decorated by John Cottrell, and landscaped by Deborah Nevins, a Connecticut poolhouse takes the shape of a sophisticated barn with stone walls and weathered plank shutters. The custom-made windows are by Reilly Windows & Doors.

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Victoria Hagan created an interior of “understated elegance” for Los Angeles clients who had asked simply for a “beautiful white house.” As a rule, Hagan’s master bedroom designs are “softer and more subtle” than the public rooms. “It’s nice to have a place to go where the volume is down a little,” she says. The rug is from Elizabeth Eakins. The pillow sham fabric is from Schumacher and the throw pillow fabric is from Clarence House. (November 2004) Photo: Scott Frances

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Inspired by the movie Something’s Gotta Give, a couple purchased a Shingle Style house in Southampton, New York, facing the sea, and they choose designer Thad Hayes to transform the home and make it their own. The wife wanted the palette to recall that of a beach before a storm, opting for colors that set a moody atmosphere; however, the master bedroom, pictured, features more neutral tones. (July 2009) Photo: Scott Frances

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Architect Allan Greenberg and interior designer Victoria Hagan designed a steel-and-glass addition—a modern interpretation of the original late-19th-century house—for a Greenwich, Connecticut, couple. “I love light, and I love white,” says the wife, and light and white are what they gave her, as evidenced by the skylit master bedroom. (July 2010) Photo: Michael Moran

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“I wanted to create a fresh, very bright beach home,” designer Charles Allem says of his pied-à-terre in Miami Beach, Florida. With its white-and-gray palette, his master bedroom is “a luxurious, spalike retreat.” The bed, which he made, has a custom tufted leather headboard, and the basket-weave leather ottoman at right is from Ralph Lauren Home. (September 2006) Photo: Durston Saylor

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Designer Jan McFarland Cox updated a 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival home in West Los Angeles for actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her husband, actor and director Christopher Guest. The once dark and crowded space was transformed into a light and airy house. “When Jamie and I were discussing what to do interiorwise, we stood in the master bedroom (pictured) and agreed it was a great room that barely needed any alterations,” says Cox. “It’s comfortable and pleasant, with views across the canyon to the sea.” (December 2002) Photo: Mary E. Nichols

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Architect Lee F. Mindel of Shelton, Mindel & Assoc. renovated a full-floor apartment in a modernist Richard Meier tower in Manhattan’s Far West Village for a San Francisco family. His aim was to respect the integrity of Meier’s glass curtain wall. Thus, the decor is minimalist so as to not distract from the extraordinary views of the Hudson River. Pictured: In the bedroom, Mindel created a floating wall (behind the bed) and designed the headboard, which is covered in a Holly Hunt Great Plains fabric. The bed linens are by Pratesi. (February 2011) Photo: Michael Moran

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Douglas House by Richard Meier & Partners Architects Harbor Springs, Michigan

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Jane Street by Steven Harris Architects and Rees Roberts + PartnersNew York City

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Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd WrightMill Run, Pennsylvania

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Bass Residence by Paul Rudolph ArchitectureFort Worth, Texas

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Curtains of a Création Baumann fabric filter the light in a bedroom. The headboard was designed by Hayes and is upholstered in a Twill Textiles linen. The vintage Pierre Guariche armchair is covered in fabric by Holly Hunt.

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The kitchen features an Eames table by Herman Miller, Just Scandinavian chairs, and custom-made glass pendant lights by Deborah Czeresko for Site Specific Art Management. The upper cabinets were crafted by MADE, the brushed-aluminum lower cabinets and island are by Bulthaup, and the counters are by Caesarstone; the sink fittings are by Dornbracht.