A designing woman with international flair.

In a field where few women have risen to the top, Suellen DeFrancis stands out as a rare exception as a successful interior architect.

She has turned a talent for architecture and design, and a long-held interest in travel, into a blossoming business with an international reputation for elegance and style.

Her reach extends from Tarrytown to Tokyo, with projects as diverse as a Gothic castle in Westchester and an Italian Palazzo in Japan. She has also created impressive designs for medical laboratories, private clubs and corporate offices throughout New York City and its surrounding suburbs.

Many architects and designers strive for high style - and high gloss; DeFrancis has succeeded by focusing her efforts not only on style, but also on the substance that supports it. Instead of merely matching curtains to carpet to wallpaper, she fills spaces with objects of beauty and intrinsic value. They stand the test of time - to be passed from generation to generation.

DeFrancis believes that a client's home, and its furnishings, should reflect and reveal the clients personality, lifestyle and interests. Rather than seeking to impose her taste, she takes time to get to know her clients and take inventory of what they like and what they have. She delves into personal information, and asks unlikely questions - such as what kind of books they may read, to guide her in framing choices they make together. She aims to incorporate objects that her clients have accumulated that resonate in their memories or that they simply like and enjoy.

Her approach - and talent - are appreciated here and in Japan. She is a pioneer in that challenging environment - responding to the growing demand for Western-style buildings and interiors that, at the same time, are sensitive to Japanese needs and sensibilities.

While designing palatial Western style homes in Japan, DeFrancis incorporates Japanese features that challenge traditional design concepts. Her Center Hall Colonials, Italian Palazzos or Arts & Crafts houses include Genkan rooms, where shoes are removed, Japanese baths, where there are separate areas for cleaning and for bathing, and Tatami rooms, where the tea ceremony can be performed.

She spends a great deal of time with her clients and remains in Japan to attend to every detail while the project is being completed. In addition to avoiding costly mistakes, this cements a bond of trust with her clients. They come to rely on her judgment in choosing items such as carpet and artwork. She recommends building art collections rather than acquiring scattered pieces. She finds that certain American work - such as the Hudson River School, with its dramatic landscapes and subtle coloring - has particular appeal to Japanese sensibilities.

One challenge of working in Japan, according to DeFrancis, has been breaking down resistance to living with old things. For example, she has had to convince some clients not to replace time worn but charming things like antique wooden baskets with store-bought plastics.

She first moved to Japan in 1973 with her husband, three small children, and a Great Dane. They lived in a Japanese community, immersed in the Japanese culture. "We learned to speak Japanese, because no one spoke English," she says.

When she returned from Japan she chose to go to architecture school. It was the Seventies, and a challenge for a woman to enter the profession. She was admitted to school and then went on to graduate school on a scholarship and received her master's degree in urban design.

After five years as an associate with several firms, she embarked on her solo career in earnest when she returned to Japan. Her work reflects the Japanese expectation for superior craftsmanship and the philosophy of harmony with nature. Interestingly, most of the items she uses, from building materials down to the smallest accessories, are imported to Japan from the United States.

Her dazzling creations are not confined to Japan, however. In the United States, DeFrancis recently completed renovating The Castle at Tarrytown, NY. Her design reflects the history of the Gothic-style manor. Majestic stone-carved fireplaces, 17th Century French paneling and lush tapestries carry visitors back through time.

In the Great Hall, European craftsmen were brought in from the same firm that painted its panels nearly a century ago to restore them to their original beauty. The restoration, repairing the effects of years of leaking roofs and neglect, lasted several months.

In addition to creating beauty, though, there is a human quality to DeFrancis' designs. Even in the splendor of a Gothic castle, she makes sure people will feel comfortable, so they can enjoy their surroundings.

This theme carries through her new office - her third - recently opened on Park Avenue, which is decorated with some cherished possessions. A large table where her children ate their breakfast and did their homework when they were young serves as her desk. A dining table from her home in Japan is now her coffee table.

DeFrancis focuses on small, unique projects like The Castle because she feels her work has the most impact in this setting. She will be taking on new residential and corporate projects, as well as small hotels or restaurants that have special or enduring significance. She says, "I enjoy boutique projects in which I can create proportion, warmth and serenity."