Architecture

Swell dwellings

An insider takes you on a tour of well-feathered celebrity nests.

By Dennis McCafferty

Few people have more first-hand knowledge of celebrities and their homes than "Architectural Digest's" editor in chief, Paige Rense. For more than three decades, she has been invited into countless stars' homes in Hollywood, New York and domestic getaways in between. With her new book, "Hollywood at Home" (Abrams, $40), now out, Rense chatted with USA WEEKEND recently about some of her most memorable visits with the famous at their domiciles:

Like a good script, a star's home needs a theme.
"Cher has shown me so many of her houses, and every one is decorated in a different, grand theme. She has done her homes in Italian Renaissance, Gothic and even an Egyptian style, with Cher as Queen Nefertiti. She's intelligent and funny."

Macho-man Hollywood rivalry over ... a doll collection? "John Wayne was a great host. He gave me a tour of his home in Newport Beach in California. He had a collection of kachina Indian dolls. I told him, 'Oh, Robert Redford has those, too.' And he immediately became very interested. He wanted to know how many Redford had and what kind. He was interested that another actor collected the same things."

Awards are sooo not a big deal.
"Many celebrities are very low-key about their awards. For instance, Bette Davis once used an Oscar as a doorstop."

If they gave Oscars for decorative touches ... "Diane Keaton would win. She could be a professional decorator. She can go to a flea market, see something that no one else can see and turn it into something that fits in perfectly with a roomful of exquisite furniture. She took these old, battered metal patio chairs and put them in her formal dining room with other costly furniture, and it worked. She simply has 'the eye.' "

Whimsy works. "Anjelica Huston showed us her ranch in Northern California. It's filled with wonderful items that make it work. She had American

Indian symbols stenciled on walls and showcased the boots of her famous director father, John. She hung a guitar on the wall and a chandelier from the ceiling that could have come from a flea market, with little angel figures hanging from it. There were lots of dog photos and Hollywood memorabilia. It was warm, casual and cozy, and it worked."

The home theater of the theater idols. "In the days of the Rat Pack, everybody had to have a button to press that would reveal the projector. Now, that's so passé. The projector must be out in the open. And, of course, they need to have big, plush, comfy chairs, with tiered seating for about 20 people."

Live your passion. "John Travolta and Kelly Preston's living room has a mural of an airport, and there are two huge jetliners parked in the backyard!"