My Passion for Design book cover

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It took Hollywood legend Barbra Streisand years to design and build the dream home she and husband James Brolin share with their dog, Samantha. From the moment she first saw the main house, Barbra knew she wanted it and had to wait 11 years to buy it. Barbra says her home, which is located on California's breathtaking coast, is an homage to craftsmanship (think: woodwork and old beams), great architects and furniture designers like Greene and Greene, Stickley and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. She chronicles this labor of love in her first book, My Passion for Design.

For Barbra, designing a dream home is as fulfilling as working on a movie. "You have something to really to show for it afterward," she says.