The Courtyard, the original Madison Avenue carriage entrance of The Villard Mansion, was redesigned during the restoration to incorporate motifs from the flooring of several 15th-century Italian cathedrals. The Renaissance designs were carried out in pink, rose, and black marble set into striated jade-green and rose granite.

Beyond The Courtyard and the graceful arches of the cloister facade is the two-story marble lobby. The bi-level lobby visually unites The Villard Mansion with the Tower in a manner so harmonious it is impossible to detect the point of fusion.

On the upper lobby level is the magnificent restored red Verona marble fireplace designed by Augustus Saint Gaudens. One of his best-known works, the fireplace is adorned with carved figures of Joy, Hospitality and Moderation above the mantel; working fountains with playful marble dolphins are set in niches at each side. Another famous Saint-Gaudens work is the rectangular, marble-faced zodiac clock.

Recognized by architectural historians as one of the most beautiful rooms to be preserved from the period, Stanford White’s Madison Room was originally designed as a triple drawing room in 1891. The room is notable for its light green marble walls and pillars, two huge fireplaces at each end of the room, and the romantic murals by P.V. Galland. Bronze doré moldings frame an ornately decorated coffered ceiling, while intricate mosaics, gilded capitals, and stained glass windows add to the opulence.

The dramatic two-story Renaissance-style Gold Room, the most famous of The Villard Mansion rooms, was not decorated when the Mansion was built. Instead it was completed at a later date by Stanford White. The room is almost entirely gold, with gilt ceilings, walls and wainscoting. Since the room was originally intended to serve as a music room, White designed an elaborate suspended balcony at the room’s north end to be used as a performance stage for musicians.

A narrow stairway hidden behind the wall paneling provides access to the balcony. Wall panels are richly adorned with images of musical instruments and garlands of foliage in low relief. High above the north and south arches are two John La Farge lunette paintings entitled “Art” and “Music” that serve as dramatic focal points in the elaborate space. A series of lovely leaded glass windows above the wainscot on the east side of the room, also credited to La Farge, permit natural light to enter.

The residence’s original dining room with carved walnut paneling is now Villard Restaurant. Sliding doors with nail-head arabesque patterns are interwoven in a floral motif, while white oak marquetry is inlaid in the walnut panels. Multi-lingual invocations of hospitality in the frieze encourage guests to “eat, drink and be merry.”

Stanford White also created the Drawing Room facing Madison Avenue in the residence’s south wing. Its elegant, old-world ambiance is reflected in coffered ceilings of carved walnut and walls accented with gold ormolu. Nineteenth-century oil portraits adorn the walls and Italian marble fireplaces flank both sides of the entrance. The original gilt chandeliers still add a sparkling accent to the room’s decor.

McKim, Mead & White created the cozy Library from two smaller rooms during extensive remodeling in 1910-11. The focal point of the book-lined, carved paneled room is the barrel-vaulted ceiling decorated with rosettes and shields bearing the colophons of famous publishers of the day.