Ever labored for an hour with multitudinous ablutions to make your hair look perfectly careless? Then you know something about Bunny Williams's design process. She admits her restrained yet slightly undisciplined look is the result of laser focus and meticulous planning to achieve balance among the big four: objects, patterns, textures, and colors. "Rooms should never be boring, " she advises on her website, "yet nothing should hit you over the head. I think a room comes alive when there is a spontaneous mix of different periods, raw materials, and high-quality design." She'd like her rooms to feel like people who improve with acquaintance: "I want a room to be more interesting the longer you remain in it."

From a New York apartment to a Texas ranch to a Provençal estate, she and her three design teams have achieved that goal. The Parish-Hadley alumna launched her own firm in 1988. Just last April she unveiled BeeLine Home, her first collection of furniture and accessories, which is now available in stores across the country. Each piece in the collection is based on something she owns-or something she covets. And this Bunny is no nemesis of the garden-she also co-owns Treillage Ltd., a garden furniture and ornament shop at two locations in Manhattan.--Rebecca Christian

Bunny Williams's website:
www.bunnywilliams.com