How Michael S. Smith brought the English countryside to Beverly Hills

For more than 30 years, designer Michael S. Smith has singlehandedly redefined the look of American interiors. Born and based in California, Smith has cultivated a signature style of injecting traditional homes with his globetrotting sensibility, which has garnered him a spot on nearly every coveted top-designer list. His notable clients include Shonda Rhimes, Jane Fonda, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart as well as the Obamas, for whom he reconceived the White House’s residential quarters and Oval Office.

This spring Christie’s will present American Manor House: a Beverly Hills Estate by Michael S. Smith, an online auction from 14-27 March. The sale represents the third in a series of auctions of decorative objects from residences designed by Smith, beginning in 2013 with A Palladian Villa and later Rooms as Portraits in 2018.

‘With this Beverly Hills family home, the clients wanted to give the house a real sense of history and collect items of the highest quality,’ says Smith, who describes the property’s overarching aesthetic as ‘an American interpretation of an English country house.’ Originally built in 1932, the Tudor-style ‘aspirational manor’ is situated on sprawling grounds and gardens, while offering distinctively American amenities, namely, ‘a beautiful kitchen, tennis court, pool and pavilion.’

Smith began working with the clients around 2000, and over the next decade they’d embark on a ‘labour of love’ and ‘treasure hunt,’ acquiring hundreds of artworks and objects from around the globe. The goal, however, was to make it seem as if these pieces had been there for generations, much like a grand European manor’s layered look.

‘People like the English country house style because it’s very much about comfort and inclusion,’ says Smith, a master of giving American interiors a ‘crafted history’, in which a wide array of references are seamlessly integrated. ‘It’s like making a quilt — you have squares of different things that you love, but it all holds together as a cohesive vision.’

All the hallmarks of a great manor home are featured — think Delft vases, silver flatware and porcelain services — while walnut and mahogany furnishings span four British monarchs (King George I through George IV), alongside with other decorative styles like Regency and Gothic. An appreciation for Asian and Middle Eastern craftsmanship comes through vividly in Japanese lacquer pieces and panelled screens; Chinese porcelain, figures, and reverse mirror paintings; and Turkish rugs and textiles. Views of Italy, Spain and France feature heavily in the artwork, as do depictions of classical ruins.

‘The clients and I shared a diverse sense of interests and love of architecture and design. When we found something we loved, we made room for it, or even started a collection within the greater interior,’ says Smith. One prevalent theme, for example, is paintings of Vesuvius erupting. ‘There’s something magical and instinctive about being attracted to a fire or volcano. Nothing in this collection is flat or static. It all fits together because each piece was selected for its visual impact and eccentricity.’

The collection of Old Master drawings are among Smith’s favourite works, especially an early 19th-century picture of a camel. ‘These drawings are classical, but they’re super charming and whimsical. They almost have a wit to them, which I really love,’ says Smith, who also is drawn to Dog with Hay, an oil that hung in the home’s entrance hall. ‘I always felt like it was looking right at me — it has such a human face,’ says Smith, adding he ‘may have to buy it’ himself.

Juxtaposing these playful pieces are powerful furniture statements, such as a George II mahogany breakfront bookcase, purchased from Christie’s London in 2006. ‘We wanted a bookcase that was in itself a piece of architecture to house the clients’ collection of architecture books,’ describes Smith. The ‘extraordinary find’ includes a Greek-key frieze, glazed glass doors, and intricate carvings throughout. ‘It made the whole space and immediately gave the room a sense of architecture.’

With a distinct trove of objects reflecting the collectors’ passions, this Beverly Hills home is a masterclass in buying what you love. Whether it’s chairs fit for British royalty or pictures of pups, the most unexpected combinations are often the most inspiring.