2. Jayne's collection of American Revolution busts includes a likeness of Thomas Jefferson. Three of Jayne's busts are copies of works by Jean-Antoine Houdon, an 18 th -century French sculptor to the stars. A show of Houdon's busts and sculpture will be at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angles from Nov. 4 through Jan. 25; shown is a Houdon bust of Jefferson from the exhibition. Smaller copies of Houdon busts are available at the Monitcello museum store: go to www.shop.monticello.org . You can also commission a bust of your own at Portraits Inc. (212-879-5560) for between $10,000 and $20,000.

3. Even the floor lamps in Jayne's living room are decorated with a tiny bust. The quasi-neo-Classical “lady” lamps, which were designed in the early 1930's by the artist Alberto Giacometti and his brother, Diego, were given to Jayne by Kevin McNamara, a decorator, whose business partner, Christopher Norman, sells the lamps to the trade through his showroom; (212)-647-0303. The lamps have been widely copied, but Norman 's reproductions are made from a cast of a Giacometti original. In the 30's, one of the first decorators to appreciate the sculptural lamps was Jean-Michel Frank, who frequently bought them for his projects, one of which was the Manhattan apartment of Nelson Rockefeller.

4. The London house of the architect Sir John Soane inspired one of Jayne's boldest decorative moves. Jayne so loved the house's golden light, cast by yellow-tinted skylights, that he resolved to duplicate the effect in his apartment with sheets of mirrored plastic in the skylight. The first attempt using yellow and pink plastic resulted in a “tequila sunrise” effect, not the “Venetian sunset” Jayne was hoping for. When he took away the pink, voilà, a Soane-like light filled the loft. The mirrored plastic, which Jayne also uses on his walls and doors, is from Canal Plastics Center ; (212)-925-1032.

5. Yellow, it turns out, also has an important role in keeping Jayne's wood furniture aesthetically compatible. “There is a really old decorating tip that's pretty basic,” he says. “If all the wood is yellow in tone, you can mix different shades.” (as with skylights, red and yellows don't mix well.) Jayne chose the living room's antique Chinese root wood chairs for their dark amber wood, generous scale and organic lines. Though they look gnarled and lumpy, they are comfortable he says. “They have a message quality.” Far Eastern Antiques and Arts (212-460-5030) in New York sells antique root wood chairs and tables from $1,800.

6. Seating in the dining room, where Ellis and Jayne frequently have parties, demanded something functional and unimposing. So Jayne chose the sturdy steel and plywood Standard Chair designed by Jean Prouvé in 1934. “They have personality,” he says, “ but at the same time they fade into shadow so that my room doesn't get cluttered.” Jayne considered the design of Charles and Ray Eames, but opted for Prouvé because, he says, reproduction Eames desigsn are now so widely available. Incidentally, the Standard Chair, $495, which Jayne bought in New York at Vitra (212-929-3626), has recently become available through Design Within Reach; (800) 944-2233.

7. While his taste and knowledge run the historical gamut, it's the 18 th -century that Jayne loves. “That's when everything modern started,” he explains. One of the more affordable ways to bring Enlightenment-era decoration into a living room is with fabric. Cowtan & Tout's Sevigny damask (which Jayne uses on his sofa pillows) has the stylized flower pattern of a French textile from that period. To the trade; (212) 647-6900.