At Home With Courtney Thorne-Smith

"My home looks like a three-story treehouse. You just look out any window and see the tops of eucalyptus trees. You always feel like you're outdoors even when you're inside.
     I put my pictures of my niece, Cassidy, and photos of my dog, Ed, all around the house for personal touches. I used to have another dog, George, but he died a few months ago. Now poor Ed has to process all the love in the house—which means he's constantly exhausted.
     The house is actually designed around my dogs. I wanted a beautiful, elegant abode where they could sit on every single piece of furniture. Ed's a couch dog; he owns the house. So my decorating style could be called 'Early Ed.' Actually it's fairly traditional with a lot of wood—hardwood floors, wood tables—and comfy fabrics. The predominant color scheme is muted green, gray, and yellow, but there's also a lot of moss green and beige throughout. I also have a couple of watercolor paintings that my sister and my dad made. And Cassidy made me a tray and salt and pepper shakers which I just treasure.
     When I bought the house five years ago, the people who owned it were using it as office space. It didn't even have a kitchen, master bath, master closet—we had to create these spaces. I had a wonderful decorator who had a clear sense of what worked for me and what didn't. In my first house, I would just buy things. With this place, it was much less about 'I think other people would like this' and more of what I like. For example, I knew I wanted a breakfast nook and a kitchen big enough so people could gather in it. If it's just me and my fiancé [Dr. Robert Andrews], or just four people, we eat in there. If there's more people, we'll eat in the dining room. I entertain all the time. I just had the cast of According to Jim over a short while ago and made a yummy dinner. I also have an extensive gym here on the main floor—with a treadmill and a new elliptical trainer.
     I'm a voracious reader and have bookshelves in every room—there's the book I read in the mornings with my tea, the book I read before I go to sleep, and the book I read when I'm working out. But I'd have to say my favorite room is the living room, where most of the hanging-out happens. It's just a really warm room with a big, deep, comfy couch and chairs all around. The back of the living room is broken down into a sitting area with a chaise and a couple of chairs that nobody uses-except my niece who sometimes does somersaults on the chaise.