Unique in its architecture and status as a "house museum," the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum, 2220 N. Terrace Ave., provides enough eye candy to imbibe in for an hour or two.

The house itself is intricate enough for further inspection, and the furniture, paintings and elaborate cascades of water outside, along with the gardens, enhance the villa demand more than a lackadaisical overlook.

Only one family, the Lloyd R. Smith family, ever lived in the house. One room of the museum chronicles their lives, and explains how the children worked for two summers gathering specific colored stones from around Lake Michigan. This was so architect David Adler could use them in the mosaic pavement design in the front of the villa. In 1966, the city received the villa as a donation.

Besides the mosaic, the first thing visitors are confronted with is the stature of the house, and its stark whiteness. Since the house's architecture was based off the town Lombardy in Italy, the bricks were carved in and excavated from Italy.

Once inside, it is easy to forget that you are in Milwaukee if not for a view of the lake through the many windows in the house.

One can imagine how different life must have been for the Smith family in Milwaukee in the 1920s, when Milwaukee was mostly an industrial city, moving into the automobile age. Lloyd Smith was instrumental in this transition, as his company built the frames for Henry Ford's cars.

The quality of craftsmanship in the furniture also complements the house. Most of the decorative arts are from the 15th to 18th century. The bread cupboards from the 15th century are in impeccable condition. As such, it is overwhelming to think about how the works were constructed with such a deep level of intricacy without the use of modern machines.

These pieces are representative of the rest of the house, as nothing feels as if it was mass-produced. Perhaps the best example of this is the panoramic wallpaper in the ZA