Michael Smith News>Elle Decor

Scene Stealer

The inviting interiors - a soft, restrained palette and historic charm coupled with 21st century comfort - were designed by Los Angeles based Michael S. Smith. "I wanted it to have a sense of being a real country home," the decorator explains. "It's a horse farm, not a gentleman's suburban mansion." This is the fifth house Smith has done for the couple. "At this point, he knows exactly what we like, which makes it so easy to work with him," Debbie says. Their longtime professional relationship - and friendship - began after Jim fell for and promptly snapped up an L.A. abode that Smith had decorated for Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford. "Michael's a genius," the director says. "He's got an eye like an artist." On their antiquing trips together, he notes, Smith consistently uncovers objects perfect for the house. Such is the designer's commitment that after one successful outing he sat in the back of a truck in the rain protecting a newly purchased side table. "I just wanted to make sure it didn't fall out," Smith says.