Thomas O'Brien: Library House

"Surrounded by formal English gardens, the Library House combines Continental flourishes (a Dutch door here; a set of hand-painted Italian ceramics there) with a decorative approach reminiscent of an English country pile's (that is, comprising a spirited mix of colors, textures, and bric-a-brac like a "bronze Grand Tour classical rabbit," or a pair of "Victorian, very special botanical herbarium fans with ferns"); radiating Old-World charm from every surface. O'Brien's book, written in collaboration with Lisa Light, explains how he and Fink, also a designer, pulled it all together." Vogue