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"In the living room, the Liz O&amp;#039;Brien Editions club chairs, A. Rudin sofa, and Kravet Palmetto bench are upholstered in Jim Thompson silk, Larsen silk velvet, and Nancy Corzine  Ultrasuede, respectively; the ceramic diamond-pattern stool is from Maison K, the collage is by Donald Baechler, the rug is by Kerry Joyce for Mansour Modern, and the silk curtains are by Silk Trading Co.   Any bride who has worn a Monique Lhuillier gown knows that this fashion-world favorite is a master when it comes to details. A silken sash here, a silhouette refinement there\u2014the designer has reinvented this once-in-a-lifetime staple time and again, coming up with glamorous permutations for A-list brides. (Her 11-year-old fashion house now also offers a wide range of day and evening designs favored by Katie Holmes, Reese Witherspoon, and America Ferrera.) Lhuillier&amp;#039;s meticulous sense of style works just as well off the runway, as proven by the Bel Air house she shares with her husband and chief executive officer, Tom Bugbee, and their young son, Jack Nicholas. Not only does the Philippines-born designer know how to handle white, she has a firm grip on the inherent beauties of gray too. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s very tonal, but I am really into textures,&amp;quot; Lhuillier says of her house, a rambling French-manor-style structure whose muted interior finishes run the gamut from fog to stingray. Like many couturiers who spend their working hours dealing with brilliant brocades and dazzling silks, the designer explains, &amp;quot;We wanted an escape from color when we come home from the office.&amp;quot;  What the Lhuillier-Bugbee homestead lacks in bold hues it more than makes up in elegance. Wall coverings mimic ostrich and lizard skin, and the mix of modern and vintage furniture from the 1930s through the &amp;#039;70s is upholstered in rich velvets and suedes, tactile materials with black-tie allure. As for the cool wood floors, they were bleached twice before being washed with successive layers of white and dove-gray stains. &amp;quot;If it hadn&amp;#039;t been for the floors, we could have moved in sooner,&amp;quot; Bugbee says. The monastic color palette, relieved here and there by dashes of chocolate and black, allows the couple&amp;#039;s modern art to pop: a Donald Baechler spray of black tulips in the living room, a wall-size splash of sapphire blue by James Nares in the master bedroom, a Twombly-esque painting by fellow designer Ralph Rucci in the entrance hall. Admirers who visit Lhuillier&amp;#039;s brand-new boutique on Melrose Place will notice similar wall coverings and gray shades. And among her five new china patterns for Royal Doulton is one that mimics a lizard-skin print in her home. Lhuillier&amp;#039;s interiors may seem effortless, but don&amp;#039;t let the peaceful results fool you. Though the designer thought the house was almost flawless initially, she embarked on 18 months of renovations, including the addition of skylights. &amp;quot;I feel creative when there are lots of windows and sky,&amp;quot; she says. Lhuilllier recast the landscape too, formalizing it with symmetrical plantings, clipped box hedges, and a giant bronze pear by artist Robert Kuo. &amp;quot;She told me all the house needed was a coat of paint,&amp;quot; Bugbee says good-naturedly. But as the project grew, he couldn&amp;#039;t let his wife have all the fun. The sweeping staircase in the modernist entrance hall, for example, was rebuilt to his preferences with cleaner, sleeker lines to reduce its bulk, but Lhuillier drew the line at letting him renovate the pool. &amp;quot;After a year and a half of construction, I&amp;#039;d had enough,&amp;quot; she says. Still, Bugbee did get to install a high-tech audio/visual system that is controlled from a portable computer screen\u2014though it is used most often for private screenings of Happy Feet for the couple&amp;#039;s son.  &amp;quot;Tom is in love with that touch pad,&amp;quot; says Lhuillier, who describes her taste as classic with a modern twist rather than gadget-driven. Tub chairs dating from the &amp;#039;30s, a 13-foot crystal chandelier that looks like an upside-down wedding cake, and antique silver candelabra are more her speed. Interior designer Jennie Abbott &amp;quot;introduced me to a lot of midcentury works I wouldn&amp;#039;t have known about,&amp;quot; Lhuillier says. With Abbott&amp;#039;s help, the fashion designer and her husband were able to combine their individual viewpoints without much apparent fuss. The trick was careful deliberations. Lhuillier compares buying furniture to the task of choosing a wedding dress: &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;re committing to this for life, so it better be perfect.&amp;quot; Exacting standards and a careful manipulation of details aside, the family\u2014which includes Wolfie, an elderly Yorkshire terrier\u2014lives a comfortable, relaxed life in this gently hued series of spaces. Lhuillier and Bugbee share equal billing in the success story of their business and in the design of their family home, and that teamwork seems to suit them well\u2014except in one area. &amp;quot;Having separate bathrooms is the secret behind a happy marriage,&amp;quot; the designer says of the divisions made in the master suite. Listen up, brides and grooms. If this picture of domestic bliss is any indication, Lhuillier is not only an authority on the &amp;quot;I do&amp;quot; part of the nuptial process\u2014but also the happily ever after. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elledecor.com/celebrity-style/celebrity-homes/news/a3796/monique-lhuillier-home/>