Westbury - From the beginning of man, where he lives and how he lives has been a primary interest. Archeologists have excavated where. Anthropologists have studied how. And sociologists have proposed why.

Michael Silvestri and Bradley Stephens.

Today, shelter publications like Traditional Home, Better Homes and Gardens, New York Spaces, Elle Décor and Architectural Digest are just a few of the many magazines to show and tell us where and how we live today. But if you really want a first hand look at how we live today, an extra holiday treat, get ideas or simply marvel at the creativity of interior designers, forget the magazines, get in your car and go to Old Westbury Gardens to see the Holiday Designers Show House. This marks the second year.

Twenty interior designers have collaborated to bring the best of what can be done, not only during the holidays but throughout the year. These talents have transformed Orchard Hill, the former home of Peggie Phipps Boegner, into the ultimate holiday home of the season. This is the second time in 150 years that the Quaker farm house has been opened to the public. The Charles II-style mansion is surrounded by 200 acres of tree-lined walks, lakes, statuary, grand allées and beautiful gardens. The Orchard Hill property was deemed an environmentally sensitive area in 2004.

Take a little notepad as you wander through and look and admire the creativity of the designers. This is first hand inspiration, and there is something for everyone. Each room features a different holiday motif from Chanukah to Swedish Christmas and the Nutcracker as well.

With such an abundance of beauty, it seems unfair to single out any designer, but one can't help marking the splendor of Bradley Stephens's Dining Room, the sideboard laden with enough cakes and pastries to fulfill any taste palette. The beautiful table set, covered with layers of fabric and hand embroidered napkins with china from Scully & Scully.

Mario Buatta and Duane Hampton.

Then there's the 18th century Screened Porch by Patrik Lönn Design reminiscent of the Swedish farm community from 1650 to the 1900s. Elsa R. Soyars Interiors Ltd. juxtaposes the Porch with a sophisticated, elegant Sitting Room.

On the second floor, providing a different environment is Scully & Scully's Bedroom II, a Preppy Christmas. With gifts partially wrapped on the Secretary to the canopied bed, Jonathan Tait and his assistant, Rebecca Nielsen have created a a cozy, large bedroom fit for everyone.

The Designer's Showhouse opened with a gala preview party with supporters from New York as well as Long Island. Barbara Bancroft is the Showhouse chairman. Mario Buatta and Mary Phillips are co-chairmen.

In addition to the designers and chairs other notable guests included Deborah Norville and Karl Wellner, Katherine Bryan, Kenny Lane, Duane Hampton, Howard Phipps, Barbara de Kwiatkowski and Jamie Figg.

The participating designers include Agus Interiors, Arden Interior Architecture & Design, Baltimore Design Group, Bradley Stephens, Christopher Maya, Inc., Boris Abramovich for Couture Interiors Corp., Danielle Roberts Interiors, DiSalvo Interiors, Dyfari Interiors, Elsa R. Soyars Interiors Ltd., Greg Lanzag Design, Lucille Khornak Photography, Patrik Lönn Design, Philip Colleck, Ltd., Rinfret Interiors, LLC, Scully & Scully Inc. and Swift-Morris Interiors

The Showhouse is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Sunday, December 19. Proceeds benefit Old Westbury Gardens. Children under 12 (other than babes in arms), strollers, and pets are not allowed. Admission is $25 ($20 in advance, $15 for Old Westbury Gardens' members) and that includes the Showhouse Journal as well as admission to Old Westbury Gardens. For more information, call 516-333-0048 or 212-980-1711.

Danielle Roberts.