Home Design with Kevin Sharkey

1 Oliver Messel was one of the most prominent stage designers of the 20th Century.

2 The open central loggia at Cockade shows Messel's sensitivity to harmonized indoor and outdoor living.

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5 The breathtaking view from the dining room at Nadiaville; the island of St. Vincent can be seen on the horizon. Messel's use of color in composition is bold and impressive.

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7 This Turkish-style great house is Messel's tour-de-force, built in 1986.

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1 Cecil Beaton was a legendary, London-based photographer, who brought his intriguing and theatrical eye to New York from the late '20s to the early '70s.

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1 English Country House Interiors, by historian Jeremy Musson.

2 This state music room boasts ceiling paintings by Cerrio and lavish wall decorations.

3 Stone Hall, with its incredible ceiling stuccowork by Giuseppe Artari, would have served as a banqueting hall. Imagine having a dinner party here!

4 The Green Velvet Bedchamber at Houghton Hall. This bed was designed by William Kent with an enormous shell inspired by Venus' chariot.

5 Inspired by the Temple of Fortuna Virilis in Rome, these columns and ionic capitals epitomize high Neoclassical style.

6 I love the teal and gold combination in this room; the state bed and mirror were both designed by Thomas Chippendale.

7 Another image from the Harewood House, this entrance hall's engaged brown columns bring contrast and stateliness to the room.

8 The Syon House in Middlesex was transformed by Robert Adam during in the 1960's; Adam was one of the most influential architects of that decade.

9 This image captures the other view of the Great Hall that Adam designed, inspired by the work of Piranesi.

10 This incredible sculpture gallery is filled with neoclassical by sculptors like Casanova.

11 I love an elegant table setting. These folded napkins are so incredible.

12 A display of Sèvres porcelain to make any collector swoon.

13 The decoration of this billiard room at Waddeson Manor is lavish; the vaulted ceiling is stamped with gilded leather between the ribs.

1 Clarence House has long been considered the leading style-setter in the textile industry; this book chronicles their inventive and inspired designs over the past 50 years.

2 Creative director Stephen Doyle came on the scene in 2003, concocting whimsical covers like these.

3 Textiles inspired by the eighteenth century were taken to the photographer Francois Halard's house in Arles, so that they could be seen in all the glory of French light and decoration.

4 This stunning black and white cut velvet called "Couvert de Feuilles" was inspired by a sixteenth century Italian design of interlaced branches.

5 The color in this image is incredible; the multicolored lampas complements the bedding in Clarence House stripes.

6 Modern stripes woven using traditional methods, on the highest-quality silk satin available.

7 This linen velvet was inspired by a Tibetan rug.

8 These whimsical portraits are based on classical portraits; I love the material framed in this way.

9 This pattern, called "Mougins," is named for the medieval French village in Cannes where Picasso spent the last days of his life.

10 The artist Kazumi's living room, with Art Deco furniture, a Declercq tapestry on the floor, and one of his sculptures above the fireplace.

11 This cut-and-loop velvet is at once exotic and modern. The accordion-folded panels are decorated with Kazume's mother's calligraphy.