When Joan and Steve Delott told their family and friends they had bought a new home and were overhauling its design, they weren't quite prepared for the reaction. "People would look at our old house and say, 'Why are you moving?" They couldn't believe it," Joan recalls. The bewilderment wasn't exactly hard to fathom. After all, the pair had finished a total renovation of their previous home only a few years before, and the results were stunning. The contemporary, 1980s-era house had been transformed, with the help of Los Angeles-based designer Dann Foley, into a sophisticated yet inviting retreat filled with rare treasures and painstaking decorative detail.

Dann, whom Joan and Steve hurriedly flew into Chicago before they even signed the contract, knew right away he could make the newly built house in north suburban Long Grove just as memorable. For him, the defining moment came when a couple who heard that the Delotts had purchased the new house pondered why they would invest in this new abode when they had such a beautiful one already. "Since it's been finished, that same couple has been in to see the house, and you had to pick their jaws up oft the floor,'' Dann recalls with a laugh, adding that the friends couldn't believe the transformation from the home's original floor plan, which had become known in the neighborhood as nearly unmanageable.

Evoking such a dramatic response look about nine months of hard work and a collaborative effort between the Delolls and Dann, who had enjoyed a good relationship during their first project. Although the house was just constructed, they decided to alter the layout somewhat and removed several elements, such as cabinetry, flooring, and plumbing. "Over the next two months, we spent time gutting it, reorganizing the floor plan, and going through the design process," Dann explains. Recognizing that the couple wanted the amenities of new construction but haled to part with the character of their previous house, Dann sought a delicate balance for the design. "With this home, we gave them an updated look from what we did for them five years ago," he notes, citing the general palette and distinctive decorative elements.

According to Dann, the color choices for the room backdrops are evocative yet muted. "This house is definitely more colorful, and though it is still based in neutrals, it's just a different kind of neutral. As opposed to being off-white or cream, for example, the neutral in the dining room is a cinnamon brown," he explains.

Alter moving into the space last fall, Joan says she still finds walking through each of her new rooms an enchanting experience. "It's hard for me to say what my favorite room is because every room is so different," she remarks. "When you are in the kitchen, it feels like you are in Tuscany, with the dark woods and mosaic backsplash. And when you are in the living room, it feels like a Parisian hotel."

While each setting has its own Hair, the floors also have a natural flow. "Everyone today is all about eclectic interiors, but in truth it has to be a lot more subtle than that. It's about having a good blend, and it is part of living well," Dann observes, adding that a room's character essentially stems from both its function and its owners' taste. "It is a perfect reflection of their personalities."

When it is serenity she is looking for at the end of a long day at work or with the couple's two teenage children, Joan heads to the master bedroom suite. "It's cream and white, and it is the most tranquil room in the house," she explains. Located right outside the front foyer, the master bedroom was reconfigured to include a sitting area, spacious walk-in closets and storage areas, along with his-and-hers dressing areas, complete with custom-built cabinetry and imported sliding doors.

If the master suite is a peaceful haven, the main foyer just outside of it is a dramatic statement. The original balusters, banister, and stain were removed from the large curved staircase, and it was refinished in a custom dark walnut and ebony finish and embellished with new iron balusters and an antelope-patterned carpel runner. The hardwood floors, stained with the same "pepper" finish, are inlaid with limestone in the foyer area for a softer effect. Adding to the softness in the foyer and entryway are textured walls and a set of hanging portieres, or fabric drapes that act as space dividers, in an ice blue taffeta with hand-embroidered flowers.

For Joan, such beautiful fabrics are a key component of her home's allure. "I always wanted luscious, warm, and inviting fabrics—chenilles, velvets, silks, and taffetas," she admits.

Indeed, one only has to venture to the dining room to see just how sumptuous the fabrics are in the Delott home. The iridescent creamy silk taffeta window treatments have been hand-sewn with dozens of real seed pearls for a shimmering and truly priceless look. The dining room, where the couple frequently serves dinner parties at the custom mahogany table, also happens to be home to another one of Joan's most beloved pieces. "One of the things 1 just had to have in this house was the fixture in the dining room," she says of the hanging iron chandelier lined with several custom white pillar candles. In addition to the flickering candles, warmth in the dining room exudes from the walls: the surface was painted in a cinnamon color and overglazed in a shade of umber, while certain sections are covered with picture-frame molding that mimics European-style paneling.

A similarly formal yet accommodating feel is evident in the living room down the hall. It was not, however, always so inviting. "The living room was the biggest problem of all," Dann remembers. "It appeared to be a relatively small space, especially when you are talking about a 10,000 square loot home. It had 30-foot ceilings and felt like a narrow, high room." To bring the room back down to scale, Dann added detailed crown molding and baseboard trim, off-white silk curtains with a lace-up top trim, hand-made paper coverings for the walls, and furnishings, such as a custom-made sofa and chairs and a 15-foot breakfront that has been converted into a wet bar, complete with padded silk doors, interior lighting, and rows of crystal decanters and glasses. Now, the space is no longer cold in its mood or awkward in its layout, and Joan and Steve have found it the ideal spot to display their three original Rembrandt engravings.

While friends and family who visit the Delotts mingle in the dining room and living room, admiring the artwork or the custom handiwork, the kitchen has been designed for both everyday meals and for large-scale preparation of dinner parties. "Besides the decorative nature of it, we had to make sure that the kitchen was what we called a 'caterer's kitchen,'" remarks Dann. "We had to give them the space and appliances they could utilize to entertain on a grand scale, whether a small or large gathering." Joan, who is admittedly not an avid cook, did want top-of-the line appliances and storage space and an island eating area where she and Steve and their son and daughter could share meals.

The 11-foot island is at once simple and imposing, with a large marble slab on top and a finish made from a five-step process incorporating paint, stain, and glaze. The island, along with the perimeter cabinetry, appliance panels, and latticed range hood, was built by Dann's entrusted cabinetmaker, a craftsman from California who actually lived at the house for more than a week while building all of the home's cabinetry.

Such master carpentry is demonstrated in grand fashion in the family room adjacent to the kitchen, which features floor-to-ceiling bookcases, and in Steve's upstairs study. The study, which Dann and Joan have affectionately dubbed "Steve's World," is lined with custom millwork, such as Old World molding, and features a stately fireplace mantle carved with a street scene of early Roman life. The walls, painted in a French antique green with 24-carat gold leaf detailing, add subtle yet soothing color, while the custom-woven carpets provide luxury underfoot.

Such understated indulgence, from the antique English desk to the 13 framed engravings on the walls, was exactly the objective. "That is a totally unique space—what Steve wanted was the ultimate study," explains Dann. "As we termed it, 'Steve's World' is a man's retreat."

As it turns out, in fact, all of the Delotts have a personal space of sorts in the new home. "Everyone now has their own world—Steve has his study and I have the master bedroom, which has a sitting area. My son's favorite place is downstairs on the lower level with the pool table and the home theater, and my daughter loves her own room," Joan notes, adding with a smile, "It makes for a very happy family.