"The Devil is in the details"

There is a bit of cautionary advice that Barbra Streisand offers readers at the beginning of her new book, "My Passion for Design":

With all due respect to the author, do read every word. In fact, examine each word carefully or you'll miss a very important aspect of the book: the intimate and introspective portrait Barbra paints of herself.

For a woman who has excelled in every facet of the entertainment industry, one might wonder why Barbra chose design as the subject of her first book. The reader soon realizes that, to understand Barbra's passion for design is to understand Barbra, not just as an artist but as a person. It's amazing how much you can learn about someone when they talk about peripheral things in their life. By way of this book, Barbra offers us a unique profile of her life, the life that exists outside the movie house and the concert hall. What Barbra has actually done with "My Passion for Design" is to offer up an excellent precursor to an eventual autobiography.

As for the book itself, Barbra surpassed my expectations. Yes, there is quite a bit of detail about 18th century furniture, woodworking, fabric and furniture integration, wainscoting and crown moldings. Somehow, Barbra's colorful and conversational narrative makes these esoteric topics compelling. Her writing is so good that you'll never visit a Home Depot the same way again.

But it's the privileged peek inside her homes that is the real attention grabber here. Barbra took most of the book's pictures herself and they are truly stunning to look at. She manages to capture perfect images of nearly everything she writes about. She invites us in and gives us the grand tour, all through her discerning eyes.

The houses Barbra writes about - The Mill House, The Barn, Grandma's House and her main residence - are all master achievements. She worked tirelessly with an endless number of contractors to create perfection in each of the buildings. It boggles the mind to think about anyone's ability to fulfill a complex architectural vision with so many variables in play at the same time. Somehow, Barbra did it. It took years, but the result is literally a series of museum quality residences.

Some of the more interesting aspects of the book surface when Barbra draws parallels between building a house and making a film. She frequently cites "Yentl" and how she applied what she learned (while crafting the film's overall color pallet and look) to the design of her homes. Similar connections are drawn between "The Prince of Tides" and some of the specific architectural features she was striving to achieve in The Barn.

Barbra incorporates elements from some of her other films throughout her houses as well. There are those "Meet the Fockers" doors she rescued from the set that are now a part of her basement shopping street in The Barn. "Funny Girl" inspired decor can be found in some of the rooms upstairs. Over at Grandma's House, Daisy Gamble's "Clear Day" club chairs have been reincarnated (and, we think, reupholstered) as focal points in the living room while Rose Morgan's "Mirror Has Two Faces" lace curtains grace the bedroom windows.

The final chapter of the book is devoted to a brief look at Barbra's main residence. This was the one home on the property that did not require much remodeling. Barbra fell in love with the house several years before she actually had an opportunity to purchase it. When she finally did acquire it, it was in move-in condition. As Barbra says, "I love this house dearly. I love it, I love it."   It's decorated with comfort and warmth in mind. And we get to see how Barbra enjoys contemporary furnishings, too. After all, as she explains, "It's very difficult to lie down on an antique sofa."

If you've ever wondered how Barbra's artistic instincts impact her in private life, read "My Passion for Design." It's all there. And if you appreciate architecture, enjoy fine art, or have a keen eye for precision, you'll relate to "My Passion for Design" all the more. As Barbra says in the book, "The devil is in the details."