How To Turn Your Apt Into A Palladian Villa (Hint: Grab Your Checkbook)

We're always on the lookout for some solid decor inspo and make-your-heart-race interior snaps. So we couldn't resist the thought of having a sliver of Michael S. Smith's design genius enter our humble homes. In addition to his all-star list of cients – George Clooney, Steven Speilberg, Cindy Crawford, and more – Smith is perhaps best known for his work on the Obama White House and appointment to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House. Certainly no small feat.

In anticipation of his upcoming book, Building Beauty: The Alchemy of Design, Christie's will be hosting a two-day auction including over 500 items from the Palladian Villa in Malibu that Building Beauty features. With everything from Persian carpets to $900,000 contemporary art – Sean Scully's Dead Sea, pictured below, for example – the sale is sure to draw an excited crowd similarly eager to get a taste of Smith's curatorial undertaking.