It required extensive renovation to make a comfortable modern home of an old Upper East Side townhouse. An extraordinary Tibetan art collection, a passion of the clients needed a sophisticated and comfortable setting. Entertaining is a regular event in this house so the rooms had to speak not just to comfort but to pleasure derived from surprising and beautiful spaces. I drew a spontaneous design for a mantle to replace the existing one on a napkin in a restaurant while lunching with the client. She and her husband loved it. Gregory Muller of Muller Brothers realized it in brilliant white marble. Aubergine glazed walls in the living room achieve a rich background for art work and furniture. The white marble mantle glows. Antique pieces from Portugal, Egypt and Italy balance the rich Tibetan pieces. My design for the stair runner represents the Phoenix and the Dragon, a Tibetan iconography for male and female, created by La Montage. All metal gates, fire screens, etc. were designed for the house by Clare Yellin, granddaughter of legendary metal artist Samuel Yellin. The powerful cocktail table in the living room is by Israeli artist Ilana Goor. Antique Tibetan pieces, rare pre-Columbian and African sculpture and of course the beautiful Tibetan Tanka throughout reflect the cosmopolitan interests of this very unique couple. There is nothing like working with the best.