ALBERTA FERRETTI

Of all the homes Alberta Ferretti owns in her native Italy, the country house snuggled into the hills above Cattolica, a coastal town just three hours from Milan, is the one closest to this fashion designer's heart. "It was my very first house, and it really tells my story," says Ferretti, who bought the property in 1983, just three years after she founded her fashion label. Ferretti remembers playing in the nearby fields and river as a child, vowing one day to own the home in the distance. "When I finally got it, it was abandoned," she recalls. "I paid very little because no one wanted it."

After meticulous restoration of the 19th-century structure and its expansive property, Ferretti can now call the plush estate "my own little island"--a refuge of sorts from her frenetic lifestyle that sees her jumping from work events in New York and Los Angeles to her homes in Milan, Cortina, and Cattolica with frisky joie de vivre.

"I always say that a house is like a dress," says Ferretti, settling into a plate of pasta prepared by her private chef. "It needs to fit you well. Twenty-five years ago, I wasn't the same person that I am today, so this house has changed to reflect that."

Back then, as the mother of two young boys, Ferretti had überclassic taste. But she moved beyond the bourgeois boundaries of traditional 19th-century antiques and began giving her interiors a kick with pieces culled from Bombay's flea market, while a flirtation with contemporary art has now mushroomed into a serious collection including pieces by Julian Schnabel, Vanessa Beecroft, and Kris Ruhs.

And just to make sure she gets full exposure to this hydrangea-filled heaven, the designer built both indoor and outdoor pools and terraces to enjoy the outdoors all year. The indoor pool is small but no less effective than its big sister, thanks to a built-in current machine that essentially gives this sporty designer her own swimming treadmill. "In small pools, what else can you do?" she queries. "Back and forth would be very boring."

Indeed, Ferretti doesn't do boring. She may rely on black pants and a crisp white shirt for the office ("I'm working around so much print and color that I need to be neutral"), but come sundown, she slips into something long and chiffon. Jeans are out--not because they lack in style, just substance. "For my own body, I would never wear a pair of jeans," she says.

When shuttling among her many homes, Ferretti travels with only her "jolly pieces." "You know, the outfit that always, no matter how tired or stressed you are, makes you feel better." After all, both her designs and her home fit like a glove.