House and Garden's Best in Decorating

With the grace, warmth and cultural savvy that is their signature, the editors of House & Garden provide a sampling of the cream creations of international decorating masters, many of which appeared previously in the magazine. From the formal, Baroque grandeur of Geoffrey Bennison's Manhattan pied-a-terre for the Baron Guy de Rothschilds to the functional minimalism of Jack Ceglic's black-and-white East Hampton, N.Y., cottage for Joel Dean (of Dean & DeLuca), the breadth of styles reflected in this seductively photographed collection promises a richly satisfying perusal. Favoring the eclecticism of the 19th century, Mario Buatta transforms writer Taki Theodoracopulos's American brownstone into a chintz-saturated Victorian townhouse; Peter Marino returns Esquire magazine chairman Christopher Whittle's New York apartment in the Dakota to its original fin de siecle opulence with Sultanabad carpeting and jewel-colored silk damasks. Others focus on visualizing the essence of their inspiring clients. A section on the designers ""at home'' offers illuminating self-portraits that tend to be less ``done'' and more fantastical. (September 11)