Michael Smith News>House And Garden

After completing a large addition to their house, the Grazers turned to Michael S. Smith, and interior designer as attuned as Neff (Wallace) to a notion of luxury that is lush and low-key, striking yet inviting. "I don't know whether it's cause or effect -- because I work with so many clients in films, or the reason I have so many clients in films," says Smith, "but I have a cinematic feel for the interiors." What Smith means, in one sense, is that he wants the spaces he designs to be -- just as they are in the movies -- a reflection of character. In the Grazer house, Smith says, he "built on Brian and Gigi's tastes, and tried to create rooms that are an organic extension of who they are."While most people wouldn't have the nerve to bring together so many styles, to Smith the look is totally in tune with his clients. "Apartments where everything is perfectly Louis XVI always feel so impersonal to me," he says. "Brian and Gigi not only love the solidity of the furniture, they also appreciate the tension between the ideas. It's taking the complexity of a personality and tailoring itto an interior."Costly as the art collection (not to mention the furnishings) is, there is nothing precious about these spaces. "The Grazers' son can play anywhere -- the house looks great with his toys scattered around," says Smith. "In every room you can drink a cup of coffee and read the paper. The houses people remember are the ones that have a soul." For a designer who touts his cinematic sensibilities, and clients who ply their trade in a world built on illusion, Smith and the Grazers have made something quite real: a place that embodies that elusive quality called home.