Wow Home Idea

When A-listers need to get away from it all, they head to the world's most luxurious places. Getty St. Barts Who You'll See: Martha Stewart, Ellen DeGeneres, Leonardo DiCaprio, Beyoncé and Jay-Z Where to Stay: Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France; chevalblanc.com Getty Lake Como, Italy Who You'll See: George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Donatello Versace Where to Stay: Villa d'Este Hotel; villadeste.com Getty Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Who You'll See: Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cindy Crawford Where to Stay: Esperanza, An Auberge Resort; aubergeresorts.com Getty Tuscany Who You'll See: Sting, George Clooney, and Colin Firth Where to Stay: Il Palagio, Sting's personal villa Getty The French Riviera Who You'll See: Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Elton John, and Johnny Depp Where to Stay: Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc; hotel-du-cap-eden-roc.com Getty Maui, Hawaii Who You'll See: Oprah, Bill Clinton, Woody Harrelson, and Owen Wilson Where ...

Lara Robby/Studio D I grew up observing a mother who was always improving things. Whether she was wallpapering a bathroom, embroidering hand towels, or weeding the garden, I could detect the resulting differences — and feel her joyfulness and exhilaration in the results. When you're brought up in a home where beautiful things are appreciated, it encourages your own lifelong pursuit. One of the most compelling reasons for surrounding children with beauty is from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass : "There was a child went forth every day / And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became." Our experiences at home make an indelible mark on our memory — what you see, you become. Given a choice of waking up to bedside flowers or not, or of surrounding ourselves with a happy color or not, we would choose the former. As grown-ups, we can make these decisions on our own, but children need options presented to them. When I was a child, I remember my moth...

Since Christmas Eve 1895, George Vanderbilt's Biltmore mansion has been a classic locale for Christmas cheer and celebration. Located in Asheville, North Carolina, Christmas at Biltmore features America's largest home, meticulously decorated with dozens of fir trees, thousands of lavish holiday accents, and endless miles of brightly lit evergreen garlands. Here's proof that the annual holiday spectacle, which [link href='https://shop.omniticket.com/BME/index.cfm?type=daytime' target='_blank' link_updater_label='external']continues through January 10, 2016, totally wins at Christmas. 1 The annual tree raising ceremony. Courtesy of Citizen-Times To match the massive size of the mansion, a 35-foot Fraser fir is erected. This year, 2,400 people gathered at the Biltmore estate to watch as the crews heaved the tree upright. 2 The candlelit Christmas evenings. Courtesy of the Biltmore Magnificent rooms are lit by candlelight, casting just the right amount...

Courtesy of Estately If you came across a castle — even one in suburban Philadelphia, like this stunning $$.5 million estate — you'd probably make some snap judgements about its interior design. Impressive stonework, heavy drapery, and ornate molding are typical castle fare, and this place has all of that. But it also has oh so much more. In addition to stately, traditional living rooms, the eight-bedroom home embraces a wealth of other unexpected styles, too. Guests eat in a decidedly country-chic dining room, but their food is prepared in a ultra-modern curvy kitchen. A neon sitting room seems to take cues from cubist art, as does a kids' room with a colorblock pastel ceiling. And marble-covered bathrooms range from sleek and spa-like to opulent and gilded. But even though this place's style is a bit chaotic, there's one room we can all agree is fantastic: A walk-in closet that would make Carrie Bradshaw squeal with delight. Take the full tour: Courtesy of Estatel...

Dee Williams/Penguin After a heart attack at the age of 40, Dee Williams was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and given just a few years to live. At the time, Williams, who is now 52, lived in a big three-bedroom house in Portland, Oregon, The New York Times reports. The diagnosis made her reevaluate: Williams decided to majorly downsize and move to Olympia, Washington, where she's lived in an 84-square foot cottage for the past 11 years. "I started seeing 'congestive heart failure' in my health records," Williams told The New York Times . "If you look it up online, your life expectancy is typically one to five years. The notion of paying a 30-year mortgage didn't make sense." Living in a little house though "made sense for me, it clicked. It gave me a chance to live close to my friends and be happy with the time that I have." Living in her tiny house stripped her of the stresses and possessions that she had as a regular homeowner. To this...

Photos via Franklin Ruttan The 1,500 acre property in the Adirondacks that once belonged to J.P Morgan himself just hit the market with an asking price of $$$$ million — which seems relatively modest for the sizable and storied estate. The compound, known as Camp Uncas, was built in 1895 and became Morgan's property just two years later in 1897, according to 6sqft.com. The Morgan family retained ownership for the next 50 years and utilized the property as their vacation home, but after Morgan's son died Camp Uncas switched hands several times. And now, the property, which was designated National Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior in 2010, is back on the market for anyone looking for a refined, yet rustic, home to call their own. The compound includes a five-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath main lodge, two cabins, and a boathouse, and the property itself is surrounded by hiking trails and Mohegan Lake. Take a closer at the main lodge, and the property's impressi...