The Simple Life: Eileen Fisher's Home Tour

Always in the habit of touching things and experimenting with different textures, Eileen Fisher is keenly sensitive to how people feel when they wear her clothes or walk through her home. One of her main goals, she says, is "to have a relaxed environment, because that's what's needed to be creative." That strategy certainly works for her: She recently held a staff meeting while floating in this indoor pool off the entrance foyer.

And there isn't a tub in the master bathroom. "I like to take showers," the designer confides, "and I swim in the indoor pool. Not putting in a tub was about being honest with what I really needed."