The concept of the Tranquil Montecito House was to create a high-ceiling, light-filled Parisian apartment in an old European barn that felt spacious but at the same time manageable. Inspired by the humble forms and rugged elegance of old World barns, the Roman and Williams team's design subtly links the classical with the modern. A long, lean structure, mostly laid out on the ground floor, with shingled roofs and stone walls, is similar to the irregular rhythm and antiquated structure of a dry-chimney building. The property is solar-powered and has a grey water system, reflecting Paltrow's commitment to environmentalism, a must for any residential construction project.

A home should reflect its owner's materiality and spiritual temperament, and the house sublimates and draws inspiration from Gwyneth's height, beauty and concentration. You can see it in its tall structure, its reduced proportions, its radiating edges and elongated lines. The house is built around extremely precise, deliberate Spaces that the design studio has perfected again and again over the years.

Standefer stressed the importance of craftsmanship and materials to establish the soul of the house and its unique sense of place. Luxury home spa is like Caracalla's bath meets Aman's luxury -- making Roman and Williams' clever treatment of form, flow, proportion, materials, colour and texture a particularly compelling aspect of the case.

When it came time to furnish the house, Paltrow, who describes himself as a "furniture obsessive," initially planned to do it himself. She thought she would have some nice clothes and everything would be all right. But as time went on, she realized there were so many layers, so many things to focus on that she couldn't do it alone, and she chose to bring in designer Brigette Romanek.

Gwyneth knows exactly what she wants. She knows the feeling, the drive, the narrative. Romanek feels that work is about being able to express those ideas in a way that brings joy and beauty. Like architecture, decor eschews outdated definitions of traditional and modern, finding harmony in understatement colors, organic textures, and strong, simple forms. The balance between old and new, soft and hard, refined and rough is revealed in the elegant dining room, where romantic hand-painted landscape wallpaper is wrapped in simple modern lighting and furniture.