to us by design. for our annual design issue we've come to the dream house of ledgeenary newspaper publisher william randolph hearst but he's hardly the only american to have followed his dream as john blackstone will report in our cover story. >> reporter: where is your dream house? is it a light house on the coast of maine, a silo by a trout stream in utah or an aerie made of steel and glass high above the pacific ocean in california's big sur? you can't get closer to the edge of the continent than this. >> no, you really can't. >> reporter: we'll follow some dreamers to their dream houses later on sunday morning. >> osgood: hearst castle was designed for entertaining the brightest lights of high society and hollywood. folks in the public eye sometimes need a little redesigning themselves. that's where the man our tracy smith visited comes in. >> reporter: after more than 20 years fixing the hair of the rich and famous, the only thing hair guru frederic fekkai can't seem to do now is stop. >> i can't help but looking at everyone. it jumps up to my eyes whether it's the color of the hair, whether it's the length, the layer wrong. >> reporter: you know of course i'm very self-conscious because you said you look at everybody. the beautiful world of frederic fekkai later on sunday morning. >> osgood: after a leisurely stroll around the hearst castle buildings and grounds you might fancy a rest in a simple and practical chair. perhaps one of the very same chairs richard roth went to see made. >> reporter: baked in steam and bent by hand, the world's best-selling chair has changed design a little since 1859 but then so have we. >> not necessarily fatter, just bigger. >> reporter: bigger? later this sunday morning, a story about six pieces of wood, a handful of screws and a design that's more than 150 years old. and absolutely timeless. i'll even save you a seat. >> osgood: hearst castle, as you can see, was designed on a gigantic scale which is not to say that the smaller items inside all our homes aren't carefully designed as well as we'll hear from martha teichner it's an open-and-shut case. >> the owner of a ge knows she can depend on it to depend on any occasion. >> reporter: it was considered big in the 1930s. state of the art. not anymore. what's cool about cold? refrigerators later this sunday morning. >> osgood: when you start talking about things that open and shut, you find yourself opening a pandora's box. for example, how many cuff links does a man need. >> reporter: have you ever figured out how many pairs you have? >> if i knew i wouldn't tell you because i wouldn't want my wife to know. >> osgood: rita braver will show us her husband's answer to that one. and richard schlesinger opens the lid on a rarely exploreded realm. >> reporter: lively design is not just for the living. one casket maker considers these metal boxes underground furniture so where would you like to spend eternity? >> this is an eco-pod. >> reporter: there are now more choices than ever. later on sunday morning, designing for the dearly departed. >> osgood: we'll have much more on this special edition of sunday morning. seth doane takes us on a guided tour of the taj mahal. bill whitaker gets a bird's eye view of the latest in aircraft design. and bill geist visits a las vegas home that's a real show stopper. but first let's go to russ mitchell in new york for the sunday morning headlines. >> reporter: good morning. it is august 22, 2010. iran has taken another step towards opening its first-ever nuclear reactor. workers have begun loading fuel lines into the plant. iran insists it only has peaceful goals for its nuclear program. more than half a billion eggs have been recalled after being linked to a salmonella outbreak. more than 1300 people have fallen ill. the bad eggs were traced to a pair of farms in iowa though the source of the bacteria has not been determined. we are sad to report this morning that cbs news correspondent harold dow died yesterday. >> is it tough being o.j. simpson today. >> reporter: he was one of the most senior and most talented of our cbs on-air family. >> behind me a relative trying to find out some kind of information about their loved ones. >> reporter: harold dow had been a correspondent for "48 hours" for the past two decades. in fact, he appeared at its first very broadcast, the critically acclaimed 196 documentary "48 hours on crack street." >> this suspect did not look like a drug dealer. you didn't get all the things.... >> reporter: but harold was no stranger to our sunday morning audience. >> what is your son's name, george? >> this is george right here. his name is george. >> yes, he did name all five of his sons george. >> did you at that time feel in your own mind that they would really let you go. >> reporter: and there's barely a broad after... broadcast here at cbs news that didn't benefit from harold's contributions. >> we came here to try to understand why so many people are being killed. >> reporter: harold won five emmy awards and a george foster peabody award. those of us who were lucky enough to know harold know that his most winning qualities were his warmth and his kindness. they graced his every story and his every encounter. harold dow was 62. and we also this weekend mourn the passing of long-time technical superviseor al spiney. he was a 40-year cbs news colleague. we will miss both of these respected friends. now a look at today's weather. showers in the east. warm weather across much of the rest of the country. expect more rain and heat in the days ahead with some cooling towards the end of the week. >> osgood: coming up, his dream home and their dream homes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >> osgood: it's called "the enchanted hill." enchantd and breath taking. perched high above the pacific coast line of san simeon california. this was the estate of william randolph hearst, newspaper tycoon, movie mogul, and one of the 20th centuries most influential men. hearst called san simeon his little hide-away. the hill top is filled with gardens, guest houses, and a magnificent neptune pool. its crowning glory is kass a grande, a castle in the spanish style. it was all designed by the architect julia morgan, the first female graduate of the prestigious school in paris. construction began in 1919 and continued non-stop for another 28 years. through it all, hearst's guests enjoyed a hospitality as immense as his wealth and power. san simeon was the place to be for hollywood's elite but there were some grumblings about mr. hearst's strict policy of only one cocktail before dinner. dazzling though the real hearst castle may be, it's had to compete for nearly 70 years now with the ultimate reality created by a legendary film director. orson welles' 1941 klatt i can "citizen kane" was a thinly veiled and damning caricature of hearst and of his classic lifestyle. >> 49,000 acres of nothing but scenery and statues. i'm lonesome. >> reporter: largely inaccurate one says castle director hoyt fields. >> this was a very bright, a very lively, a very open place for people to come. there are just no similarities as far as i feel between charles foster kane and william randolph hearst. >> osgood: it seems that the reality of life here at san simeon was truly more vivid than any tale spun from from fiction. the enchantment of this hill top retreat is still very much alive for those who come and visit this place. so high above the sea and so close to the sky. guests at hearst castle ranged from calvin coolidge to cary grant. even winston churchill and playwright george bernier bernard shaw spent time here. before dinner company would gather in the assembly room where william randolph hearst's guests carefully nursed that one allotted drink. of course, not everyone can afford to build a dream house like this. still john blackstone tells us that doesn't keep the dreamers from dreaming. ♪ when whippoorwills call > seldom is an american's home actually a castle. the american dream house can take many shapes. ♪ my blue heaven > it can be a dramatic statement in glass and steel perched above the pacific. >> people can't get this house out of their mind the moment they see it. >> reporter: or a dream house can be inspired by the simple structure of a corrugated metal grain silo ♪ you see a smiling face, the fireplace ♪ > even an old light house on the atlantic coast can have the makings of a dream house. >> this room is quite nice because it looks due south out the open ocean. >> reporter: wherever it is, the location is often the first ingredient for a dream house. and few places offer the spectacular settings of big sur on the california coast. you can't get closer to the edge of the continent than this. >> no, you really can't. >> reporter: john saar is a real estate agent who specializes in big sur's multimillion dollar properties. this dream, called terra mar can be yours for a mere $8.5 million. >> everything about this house is a kaleidoscope of views. up the coast, down the coast. redwoods in the back. >> reporter: it was designed by saar's favorite big sur architect. >> every house is totally different, but they all have the same theme of functional art. so you're living in a piece of art. >> reporter: you might call this dream house a piece of folk art which began life as a grain silo. its owner, earl stein admits he built the place to please just one person: himself. >> my concept was design a place for me. at this point in my life. the ultimate man cave. the men out there know a lazy boy, a remote control and a fridge, really the essentials of life. >> reporter: stein calls his house on the banks of the provo river in utah mone-silo. for this avid fisherman it's the perfect location for the house of his selfish dreams. >> it just has a great feeling to it. >> reporter: lloyd kahn admits he built his house in california just to please himself. a house he's been working on for 40 years. >> i chose everything. the wood. for the floor and for the walls. you know, the way things are arranged, we designed it according to the way we want to live. >> reporter: kahn built his house largely with his own hands. and in his books he's written since the 1970s he's encouraged others to do the same. to create a true home. >> there's some places that you walk into and they just, the feng sway is good. the dream part for me is the feeling, the inside. the basic parts of this house were recycled hum ber. >> reporter: most everything in his house including his front door is salvaged or recycled. >> i have six of those doors in a trash bin. like 1971. the ultimate low cost, simple exercise device, a piece of rope and a branch. >> reporter: he has a do it yourself workout room too. >> you can stretch backwards. >> reporter: his fitness at age 75 seems proof that a modestly equipped home can work just fine. >> building smaller doesn't have to be a lesser home. >> reporter: a message sarah susan ka, the author of the "not so big house" books says is particularly appealing in these tough economic times. >> it's so funny just how many people have realized they can't build that dream home that they thought they could. or at least they have to pare down that vision somewhat. >> we knew we weren't going to build a dream house actually because we weren't starting from scratch. >> reporter: the levy family's house is a case in point. they had outgrown their small ranch house in deer field illinois but weren't quite ready to leave. >> we loved our neighborhood. >> reporter: with the help of architect bud dietrich who mrs. levy found through susanka's website the family reimagineded their little ranch house. >> this was the old garage, did i hear? >> that's right. >> reporter: they opened up the living area, added a new master bedroom and plenty of light. the kitchen with windows looking out to the backyard garden is now the center of the house. >> we live in this room. this is basically our family room. my kids can sit in here while i'm cooking. as a family we generally eat in this room. >> reporter: many of these ideas, susanka says are not new or hers alone. >> like you're welcome to the brown house. >> oh, wow. >> reporter: in fact this small house on a quiet street in evanston, illinois, was designed by frank lloyd wright to be affordable and beautiful. cost $5,000 to build in 1905. >> it's about 1100 square feet. the main room is made to look bigger and it's divided into three areas. >> reporter: gordon gibson has been restoring wright's little master piece room by room for ten years. >> if mr. wright could be around he would be thrilled that somebody is taking as much good care of this house. >> i think he'd get more than $5,000 for it today. >> so true. >> reporter: the same respect for an old architectural gem is seen at hen... this is. >> this is the sun room on the water side. fabulous view. this originally led out to the bell tower. >> reporter: designer marty muir is helping ben and lou ann the owners of the old light house turn it into a home that shines. they've added a cottage of granite and brick while respecting the history here that goes back to the 1820s. >> we've located the stone cottage as far away as we could manage it so that the light house could be kept stark and respectful to it. >> reporter: from sea to shining sea, be it ever so grand.... >> it's just stunning, stunning place. >> reporter: or ever so humble >> it's really all a man needs. >> reporter:... home is where dreams live. ♪ my blue heaven >> osgood: ahead.... >> this is a very rare refrigerator called a v-handle. >> osgood: cool! no pills, no pain. how can you get pain relief without taking pills around the clock? try thermacare heatwraps, for all day relief without pills. i was surprised, thermacare worked all day. you feel the heat. and it relaxes and unlocks the muscle. you've got to try it. 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(harmonica playing). >> reporter: the harmonica, one of american music's most longest running hits. from the early cow boy movies through the birth of the blues when legends like sonny boy williamson and little walter jacobs real christened it the blues' harp. to high-profile gigs with bob dylan, bruce springsteen and stevie wonder. and yet the harmonica has always been, well, low profile. seen as a play thing that just anyone can pick up and blow. a harmonica is not just a souped-up kazoo. >> correct. it's a real musical instrument. people just don't know. >> reporter: in a reopen opened factory in rockford illinois, brad harrison is devoting his life to making the harmonica a major player. so this is the assembly line. >> yeah. >> reporter: harrison and his six-man band hand craft each b- rad as in brad harmonica, the only model made in america. harrison's harmonica shares the basic mechanics with its competitors, air passing back and forth over reads inside side makes the harmonica sing. you can play the harmonica blowing out.... >> and drawing in, both. which is the only musical instrument you're able to do that with. >> reporter: it seems very eco friendly. you're not wasting any breath. but the b-radical works and plays radically different. >> the design is very functional. >> reporter: the rounded body is more comfortable to hold he says and reinforced to keep from being crushed when the music moves you. you have to be bionic to crush that thing. most importantly, replaceable reads mean you don't have to throw away this harmonica after a good read goes bad. the high tech and hard work are paying off. there's a 26-week wait for the $180 b-rad. >> it has a nice tone. >> reporter: not that that is discouraging the die-hards like local retiree mr. french who wandered into harrison's shop looking for a birthday present. you've been playing the harmonica for how long? >> probably since i was 10 or 12 years old. >> reporter: and you are now? >> 95. so i thought it would be nice if i could get one before my 96th birthday. >> reporter: but it's not just for amateurs. 16-year-old harmonica phenom jay gaunt wails on a b-rad during a recent gig at a greenwich village blues club. >> this is like rockish or something. it's more responsive. you can unlock new techniques that you literally cannot do on a regular harmonica. >> reporter: the challenge, harrison says, is convincing people that the harmonica isn't just for the musically challenged. >> if it gets into the pop culture, we win. that's what it's all about. that means we increase the popularity of the instrument. that's my lifelong goal. >> osgood: next, up, up and away. progressive. today just seemed like a great day to save. oh, it's not just today. with our free loyalty program, you earn great stuff like accident forgiveness and bigger discounts just by staying with us. oh! ooh! so, what you're saying is, it gets even better with age. oh! tell me we're still talking about insurance. rewarding loyalty. now, that's progressive. call or click today. there's oil out there we've got to capture. my job is to hunt it down. i'm fred lemond, and i'm in charge of bp's efforts to remove oil from these waters. bp has taken full responsibility for the cleanup and that includes keeping you informed. you may have heard that oil is no longer flowing into the gulf, but our spotter planes and helicopters will keep searching for any oil. we use satellite images, infrared and thermal photography to map and target the oil. we're finding less oil every day, but we've still got thousands of vessels ready to clean it up. local shrimp and fishing boats, organized into task forces and strike teams. plus, specialized skimmers from around the world. we've skimmed over 35 million gallons of oil/water mixture and removed millions more with other methods. i grew up on the gulf coast and i love these waters. as long as there's oil out there that could make it ashore, i'm gonna do everything i can to stop it. bp's commitment is that we will see this through. and we'll be here as long as it takes to clean up the gulf. at pso, we set out tot your dog to discover the science inle. some of nature's best ingredients. we created purina one with smartblend. new, delicious shredded morsels and crunchy bites, with real meat, wholesome grains and antioxidants, for strong muscles, vital energy, a healthy immune system, and a real difference in your dog. purina one improved with smartblend. discover what one can do. >> osgood: can't top that view unless you're up in the air with our bill whitaker. ♪ come fly with me ♪ let's fly, let's fly away >> reporter: look, up in the air, it's a bird. no, it's a plane. like none you've ever seen. >> designed to do something very specific. that's be a very fun airplane to fly. >> reporter: it's the icon a-5. >> the aircraft is a ground-up first-ever consumer product. >> reporter: businessman and former fighter pilot kirk hawkins started icon aviation five years ago to get his idea for a sleek, sexy, sporty plane off the ground. today the test model is flying high over the mojave desert. production isn't scheduled until late next year but already there's a waiting list of nearly 500 eager customers. >> actually there's a lot of people look at it. spontaneous they'll go that's so bad-ass, right. >> reporter: sounds like fun is the operative word. >> i would argue that great cars are the ones that every time you get in them, you go, this is fun. that's the goal here. >> reporter: the a-5 doesn't just look different. it's a different kind of plane. a light sport aircraft, a new category created by the faa in 2004 along with a new sport pilot's license that's good for daylight flying in uncongested areas. >> it's just an exciting time to be in aviation. >> reporter: pete buntz of the general aviation manufacturers association says the new category has unleashed the industry. setting loose a creative response similar to the auto industry in the 1920s and '30s with sport planes that range from the traditional to even a flying car. >> it is just fantastic to see the number of ideas out there and the different types of designs that are proliferating. >> reporter: but none as versatile as the a-5. >> the wings actually fold up on the plane. you can actually put it on a trailer and take it on vacation with you. >> you can land on and play in the water. >> yes, fly it to a lake. and land it on a lake. it is fun in the air, on the ground, and on the water. >> reporter: you guys, it seems, made design central to the whole development of this plan. >> it really is. how do we create a product that every time you interact with it, you fall in love with it. >> reporter: the way hawkins did that was to tap designer and stanford classmate steve strand to help start up icon and fashion the plane. >> how cool is that going to feel when i'm driving it or flying it? a lot of emphasis in the design process is about making things look sleek and fast. >> reporter: with influences from cars, the pared down cockpit looks more like a car dashboard. from jet skis, from boats. >> there's a shark up there. >> because a shark is aggressive. >> because a shark is aggressive. it's fast. it's in the water. if you want to create excitement, there needs to be a little attitude there. >> reporter: for a mere? >> $139,000. not everyone can afford it. but the price point is such that we're talking about, you know, high-end automobiles. the a-5 is like having a great sports car. humans since they've been scratching on cave walls have been dreaming of flying. flying is almost the ultimate metaphor for human freedom. >> osgood: next,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >> osgood: this is the gothic study. it was from here that william randolph hearst-- they called him the chief-- ran his media empire. its ceiling is a spanish gothic residence. windows provide light. bookcases a sense of enclosure. open and closed. enclosure is what hearst and every other fashionable man has always valued in a dress shirt from the collar right down to the sleeves. rita braver shows you what we mean. >> reporter: there is something so elegant about a man in cufflinks. over the years they've been worn by movie stars, presidents, princes, prime ministers, and a certain washington lawyer. >> robert barnett, also known as mr. rita braver. >> reporter: that's right. all these belong to my hus band. and have you ever figured out how many pairs you have? >> if i knew, i wouldn't tell you because i wouldn't want my wife to know. >> reporter: well, guess what? there are hundreds. and i started the whole thing. >> christmas 1967. i said, well, i've got some of my dad's and i've got these. so i'll start collecting. >> reporter: his favorites are two sided art deco from the 1920s and '30s especially the enamel ones. >> every one of them has a little story. these are a pair that now secretary of state then first lady hillary clinton got me when she was in china. a client once had a big problem. i was able to solve it. so he gave me a pair of fire extinguishers for putting out the fire. >> reporter: some were even gifts from presidents. both clinton and george w. bush. but bob's prize pair came from our daughter. >> when she was about, what? seven or eight, she made me a pair. >> reporter: but some people prefer luxury links. these designed by alexander carter were auctioned for $33,000 at sotheby's. these once owned by casey spengal fetched $72,000. and these faberge cufflinks went for a record $200,000. >> do you prefer a round? >> reporter: but never fear. there's something for everyone at the missing link in manhattan. owner michael rodriguez says cufflinks were around in europe and england in the 1700s. but. >> but i think cufflinks as an ornamental object didn't become popular until the 1850s. >> reporter: so the cufflink craze began even coming to america where manufacturers offered a snap-on style. >> a lot easier than the chain link. >> reporter: by world war ii novelty links were in vogue. >> people just needed to lift their spirits and have fun with dress. >> reporter: and it wasn't just men. >> these were women's cufflinks from the '50s. i guess it was a cheaper way of.... >> reporter: having a mink. >> exactly. today the market for the best vintage links is is booming. >> certain designs you don't find anymore. i wind up going through my own collection to feed the store. >> reporter: i think i may know what's driving is shortage. i would say that anybody who had this many cufflinks could stop collecting. >> and i would say that anyone who would say that to me would be a mean and slewish person. i wouldn't imagine i would ever hear that. >> reporter: (laughing). >> osgood: the story of hearst castle is a love story. this is actress marion davies' room. william randolph hearst's quarters were across the hall. love affairs can indeed lead to great architecture. seth doane has an historic case in point. >> reporter: it's a marble monument to the power of love. a treasure that must be seen to be believed. >> a magical space each time you go. >> reporter: the taj mahal. it's considered one of the wonders of the world. >> it's got this illusion for miles around. you can suddenly see a little white minaret. and then suddenly as you enter the main gate it's there in all its glory. it's complete. >> reporter: this mausoleum of white marble sits against a back drop of clear sky basquing in the sun. the taj mahal took 20,000 laborers, roughly 22 years to complete. the project began in 1631 when the mughal emperor shaw jahan lost his favorite wife as she gave birth to their 14th child. the taj mahal was meant as a maasly up for her and a monument to their life. this woman is with the taj mahal conservation collaborative. >> it's as much a celebration of his... the love of his wife as it is maybe the min akal of mughal architecture. it was a statement of empire. >> reporter: the shaw ruled the mughal kingdom for 13 years beginning in 1628. at its peak this islamic imperial power controlled much of the indian sub continent with the city of agra as its capital. that's where the taj mahal stands. about 140 miles from new dehli. that's a three-hour journey by train. and then for the last half mile, if you're going to do this might as well really do it in style, right? the real reason vehicles are not allowed is to cut down on pollution. roughly 2.5 million indian visitors travel to see the taj mahal every year. another half million come from around the world. what do you think? >> i think it's amazing. i've seen it in textbooks but it's crazy. >> it's a master piece. it's gorgeous. >> it's like a feeling, you know. >> reporter: some visitors are more familiar than others. from princesss to queens to american royalty. what they find is a 20-story structure which is just as impressive up close. its white marble skin is embedded with gem stones which are all but irreplaceable. >> the luminescent of the stone is gradually going away as it's replaced because if you have one-and-a-half deep car nealian you get a luminescence. it would have glowed in its original. >> reporter: over time the taj mahal has worn different coats. a mud pack for cleansing. even a sort of war armor. scaffolding erected to try to hide its dome from aerial attack. absolutely everything is symmetrical right down to the casket. the only thing that is asymmetrical is the shah's casket which lies to the side of his beloved wife. their tombs comprise the contents of this huge building. that's right. not even a gift shop. still the real draw is outside. the taj mahal's minarets, common in islamic architecture angle slightly outward so they'll appear to rise straight up from ground level. remarkable optical sleight of hand. though this is the illusion that appears to be most popular among the tourists. the monument is placed on the banks of a river which offers its own vista. we're on the river which runs just behind the taj mahal. agra fort is just up the river a bit. that's where the shah spent the last eight years of his life in prison forced to watch his master piece from a jail cell. after his own son overthrew him. he was separated but never far from his final resting place, grandest legacy, and the love of his life. isn't it odd in some ways that this statement of love is a mausoleum? >> yeah. but then, you know, everything is finite including love. >> reporter: though 400 years later it still inspires. >> osgood: next, a designer who is really turning heads. >> these are coffins. >> osgood: and later, design to die for. ,,,,,,,,,,,, >> it's a special edition of sunday morning. here again from hearst castle in san simeon california is charles osgood. >> osgood: it took william randolph hearst three tries before perfecting the design for his neptune pool. one of the world's most famous swimming pools. you can almost imagine starlets preparing for a dip at dusk but wary of letting the water ruin their hair. hair styling is a design form best left to the masters as tracy smith demonstrates. >> reporter: if beauty was a religion-- and for some people it is-- then this man might be considered the patron saint. frederic fekkai has built a multimillion dollar empire based on a talent for knowing what beauty is and what people will pay to get it. >> my feeling is it's about helping my customer to understand that they have a natural beauty. all i want to do is enhance it. >> reporter: you truly believe that everybody is beautiful. >> totally. >> reporter: since he opened his first salon in 1989 frederic fekkai has become the stylist of choice for many celebrities from meryl streep for whom he created a dramatically different look to other a-listers who continue to line up at his chair. >> along the years sig northerny weaver, barbra streisand to scarlet johansson. >> reporter: and when sandra bullock walked the red carpet at the oscars her hair had help from team fekkai. his talent and charm have made him rich. i feel like you could do this all day. is this play for you? >> oh, yes. >> reporter: for frederic fekkai physical beauty is not so much a business as a consuming passion. when you walk down the street, you really do look at people's hair? >> i can't avoid it. i can't help it. simple. it jumps to my eyes whether it's the color, the length, the layered wrong. >> reporter: you know i'm very self-conscious because you said you look at everybody. but life hasn't always been so beautiful. boorn in the south of france, frederic fekkai showed an early interest in art and was accepted at a prestigious art academy to study sculpture. his father was not amused. >> my dad refused to let me go there. he said to me, "artists makes money when they die only." >> reporter: artists make money only when they die. >> that's right. >> reporter: instead fekkai went to law school and paid the bills by working part time in the fashion industry. first as a model. then as an assistant stylist on photo shoots. it quickly became clear that he had found his calling. you just knew? >> i just knew. >> reporter: when you told your dad? >> he and i didn't talk for three years. >> reporter: you didn't talk for three years. >> no, after that he hated the idea that i would quit law school to do hair. even today he doesn't understand. >> reporter: even today? >> no. >> reporter: with all the success you've had. >> yes. >> reporter: so against his father's wishes, frederic fekkai became the sculptor he always wanted to be, but his medium was hair. at one time fekkai invited comparison with warn baity's portrayal of a hair-cutting casanova in the movie shampoo. >> hey, how have you been? >> reporter: but today he's happily married with two children, a teen-aged son from a previous marriage and a 13 month old daughter. and in a manner befitting his high-flying style, fekkai commutes from new york city to his country home upstate in a helicopter he owns and flies himself. this is great. but you can't build an empire just cutting hair. when he saw his well heeled clients buying cheap shampoo, fekkai came up with his own line of very high-end hair care products. we want them to use them. a shampoo at $4.99. i said there's a big disconnect. >> reporter: what was yours priced at? >> we started with $17 or $18 then. nobody saves on pampering. you know, on yourself. you want to spend more if it's right. the first thing i would do now is angle this. this is too heavy. >> reporter: and if you have the money-- and he has the time-- you can still get an appointment with fekkai himself. of course mine was for demonstration only. what do you charge these days? >> $750. >> reporter: $750. >> $750. i put it through the hair. >> reporter: crazy? perhaps. but somehow when you put yourself in frederic fekkai's hands, it all seems to make sense. >> how much would it cost to have you do this every day? >> i told you it's priceless. >> osgood: ahead, a home that will ring your chimes. ♪ and i feel like... [ female announcer ] kellogg's® wants to make kids happy one tummy at a time. because 9 out of 10 kids don't get the fiber they need, that's why froot loops® and apple jacks® have 3 grams of fiber in every yummy bowl. they're the cereals your kids love and the fiber their tummies love... which makes for a whole lotta happy. froot loops® and apple jacks, an oh-so-good source of fiber. kellogg's® makes fiber fun. an oh-so-good source of fiber. >> osgood: this is one of the guest cottages at san simeon. with four full-size bedrooms, small it's not. small is the home our lucy craft has been to visit. ♪ little box on the hillside ♪ little boxes made of ticky tacky ♪ ♪ little boxs on the hillside ♪ ♪ little boxes all the same > shoe horned into suburbia a cube of krystal. across town a cantilevered wonder a lafrank lloyd wright. welcome to the wonderful world of microhouses, whacky small dwellings where life can be a small wire act and eccentrics can seem right at home. tokyo is one of the most crowded places on earth. here residents have figureded out a way to carve out their own little pieces of of heaven on tiny slivers of land. houses as compact as 400 square feet have gained traction over the last 15 years among younger individualistic japan he's. its single file on this aisle, yet the box is deceptively long enough for luxury like a pocket indoor garden. the shrubery is not just for looks. microhouses demand multiuse decore. here the homeowner says greenry doubles as camouflage. those potted plants make it so no one can see you while you're in the bathroom. it can be a tight fit sometimes. microhouse owners call it cozy. architects call it fun. a microhouse completely redefines the meaning of home, says this architect. >> it's probably utilitarianism taken to the extreme. >> reporter: author brent bull says microhouses literally offer refuge to non-conformists. >> typical housing in japan in tokyo is boxy, concrete, unattractive, bland. here's a chance to get creative, to allow people to experience something new. >> reporter: like a dream house of concrete. even the dining table is concrete. a legless slab that floats above the floor to save on space. strategically placed windows and plenty of natural light are the secrets for turning crawl spaces into comfort zones. this owner says there's no room for closets in a small house like this. so we decided to minimize our stuff. microhouses are, above all, about life reduced to its elegant essentials. >> osgood: this hearst castle cost millions and millions of dollars. it took years and years and hundreds and hundreds of people worked on it. of course as bill geist reminds us, every man's home is his castle. >> reporter: imagine if the palace of versailles was built in las vegas rather than the french countryside. and luis xiv had its own glue gun. larry hart has brought that unique design sensibility to his family home, hartland mansion not far from the las vegas strip. >> welcome to hartland. >> reporter: a humble home. aa bunk low built for three: himself, his mother tony and his brother gary. >> understatement has always been our motto. >> reporter: it's gargantuan. >> there's almost 31,000 square feet. 25,000 feet of actual living space. ad bet rooms, 13 baths. >> reporter: it didn't occur to you to make it smaller. >> no. >> reporter: more like a.... >> that would involve some logic. i ask you, look around. >> reporter: it certainly is glitzy thanks to larry and his trusty glue beguns. how many glue guns do you have? >> probably 30. i just love to glue stuff to other stuff. >> reporter: somewhere librace is smiling. >> there's 9,000 little mirrored squares. >> reporter: are you kind of obsess i have been when you get on one of these things? >> no. >> reporter: larry's design philosophy? well, that there's nothing that can't be improved with more glue, more rhinestones and more faux pearls. >> in this room alone just in the fringe on the bedding there's over 300,000 pearls. >> reporter: is this versailles meets las vegas. >> ver eye-a-go-go. >> reporter: what if luis had to do versailles on this budget? >> we're coming into what's called the elvis room. it could also be called the 70% off at macy's sale because this is all done with sheets that i found on closeout. >> reporter: larry uses a cake decorator for fancy plaster work. >> this is all done with the cake decorator. the leaf work and the ribbons and the fleur de lis. >> reporter: you never heard of anybody doing this before. do people think you're nuts? >> i'm sure of that. >> reporter: there's never a dull moment here at hartland. you might stumble upon a wedding. tony is an ordained minister. her son gary filled in as best man at this ceremony. >> forsaking all others in the past be faithful to her as long as you both shall live. >> i do. >> reporter: the harts themselves are as eccentric and flamboyant as the house they live in. (bells ringing). >> reporter: if you're lucky you might catch a matinee featuring larry and his mom. larry is, of course, after a grammy-winning singer and composer. ♪ get you closer to god >> my mom inspired me to write this country gospel song called "big hair gets you closer to god." >> everybody in nashville wore big hair. when larry was only hau he had we lived there for seven years. >> my name is now born. i'm horrified. >> reporter: the hears were on the road for years singing gospel numbers at outdoor revival meetings. it was on their tour bus that larry, who got his first glue gun when he was eight, found his true calling. >> i started gluing stuff to shoes and then costumes and bedazzling. it all kind of went downhill from there. >> reporter: tony thinks that sometimes larry does overdo it a tad. take, for instance, the bed spread he made for her. >> in order to get it in bed i can't take the bed spread off so i have to roll it back and it's heavy. i kind of quit sleeping here. >> reporter: how much does it weigh? >> 34 pounds. >> reporter: larry, do you ever stop yourself and just say, larry, you've gone so far. stop. no more pearls, no more rhinestones. >> no. more is more. >> reporter: more is more. the motto of the las vegas school of design. >> thank you. >> osgood: next, castle for two. when my doctor told me that my chronic bronchitis was copd... i started managing it every day. i like to volunteer... hit the courts... and explore new places. i'm breathing better with spiriva. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled maintenance treatment for both forms of copd... which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. i take it every day... it keeps my airways open to help me breathe better all day long. spiriva does not replace fast acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. stop taking spiriva and call your doctor right away if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, have vision changes or eye pain... or have problems passing urine. tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, problems passing urine or an enlarged prostate... as these may worsen with spiriva. also discuss the medicines you take... even eye drops. side effects include dry mouth, constipation and trouble passing urine. now, i'm managing my chronic bronchitis every day. ask your doctor if once-daily spiriva is right for you. [ male announcer ] there is nothing more profound than hope. it is the promise that compels us to make the journey from wonder to discovery. the science of chemistry, our guide. the human element, our conscience. and to make this journey, we have become the new order of hunters and gatherers. finding answers in the elements. and a way forward illuminated by hope. finding answers in the elements. here, take the card. you go to the shops... i'll meet you at the gate. thanks. please remove all metal objects out of your pockets. with chase freedom you can get a total of 5% cash back. fun money from freedom. that's 5% cash back in quarterly categories and an unlimited 1% cash back everywhere else. and this too. does your card do this? i'm going to need a supervisor over here at gate 4. sign up for this quarter's bonus today. chase what matters. go to chase.com/freedom. >> osgood: for all its grandeur, hearst castle was at its soul a love nest. a refuge for its owner and his mistress, the actress marion davies. while hearst's wife lived back in new york, he lived openly with davies for more than 30 years until his death in 1951. >> very scandalous. >> reporter: hearst castle director hoyt fields. >> you think about the time mrs. hearst was not unaware of what was going on. it worked for that situation. to be with someone for that period of time is a definite love story. >> osgood: a love that clearly went two ways. when hearst invited hollywood moguls to his castle, the screening of marion's latest film was often on the latest program. his way of promoting her movie career. when hearst's fortunes saged during the depression, it was marion who presented him with a check for a million dollars drawn from her own savings. their mutual love was perhaps the biggest reason why hearst tried so hard to kill orson welles' movie citizen kane. >> get out! >> he was not worried that much about how he was portrayed but he took great exception to the way marion had been portrayed. >> that is correct. in fact, in her biography is an apology from orson welles in regard to how she was portrayed. >> osgood: in the end the love between william randolph hearst and marion davies survived welles' film. though all of them are now long gone, the castle hearst built to love endures. from points west we head now to bob schieffer in washington for a look at what's ahead on "face the nation." >> schieffer: we'll be talking to greg mortenson author of three cups of tea. the man who has built 150 schools most of them for girls in afghanistan. >> osgood: ahead now on sunday morning, rest easy. host: could switching to geico really save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance? is having a snowball fight with pitching great randy johnson a bad idea? randy: sorry man, you all right? man: yeah, im good. yeah you just winged me. randy: think anybodys going to notice that? man: yeah, probably. maybe we should just go sledding... vo: geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. we are surrounded by information. human beings use their 5 senses to understand the world. on a smarter planet, organizations have their own set of senses to analyze data from multiple sources and make sense of it instantly. banks can anticipate credit fraud, trains can run with fewer delays. the more types of data we understand, the smarter we become. i help organizations sense the world around them. i'm an ibmer. let's build a smarter planet. i'm an ibmer. >> osgood: this garden sarcophagus is not the final resting place of william randolph hearst. on his death in 1951 as the age of 88 he was entered at the family mossly yum near san francisco. for designers, richard schlesinger tells us, death is pretty much the last frontier. >> reporter: outside dallas, they're welding, sanding, buffing and baking boxes designed to hold their contents for an eternity. caskets. it's a tried and true design of basic rectangular box with a few creature comforts inside which may explain why there have been almost no changes to the classic design over the years. almost no changes. but today if your loved one is a racing fan and crosses the finish line, there's a casket for that. specially designed and olympic as can dress up a casket commemorating sports or service, military or civilian. >> we have the firefighter. >> reporter: gail rust runs the casket factory. >> my son is a firefighter so i'm really proud of this one. >> reporter: there's a fire truck inside. >> yes. >> reporter: if the dearly departed enjoyed life a little too much, there are plus-size caskets. i hate to ask, is this for one person? >> yes, it is. the demand is great for oversized caskets. >> reporter: the metal casket is almost exclusively an american design. these days most caskets in this country are metal. >> the casket comes from the french word for jewel box. >> reporter: christopher layton is an historian at the national museum of funeral history in houston. they have replicas of papal caskets and a republical of lincoln's casket complete with a replica of lincoln himself. americans have always liked things a little bigger, a little fancyier. >> if you look at this one, for instance, i mean the detail is beautiful. the satin interior is beautiful. this is designed to never be seen again. >> pretty much. >> reporter: what's the logic in that? >> again, you know, we mark things that happen in our lives. you know, we have birth rituals and coming of age rituals. marriage rituals. i often liken a casket to a wedding dress. >> reporter: you do? >> a lot of people spend a lot of money on a wedding dress that they'll wear once. >> reporter: and caskets are a marriage of sorts in some cultures between folk art and the funeralial. what are these doing in a funeral museum? >> these are coffins. >> reporter: these master pieces might be more at home in an art gallery than a funeral museum. they are the products of a woodworker in gan a who designs them to commemorate the lives and loves of the local people. >> this was picked out by the children of a woman who supported her family by growing vegetables. so there's even a little replica of her working tending her vegetable gardens. >> reporter: yes, they're practical too. in she goes. the challenge can be to meet if design... the design limitations of a grave. what do you do with the wings in. >> they're hinged. when it comes time to bury.... >> reporter: somebody put a lot of thought in this. >> they did. these fold up. so it would fit into the hole, right into the ground. >> reporter: that's brilliant. but lately in this country, simpler caskets are getting more popular. ruth fos and sue cross of morning dove studio in sub urban boston want people to be buried in a way that leaves more impact on if family and less impact on the environment. >> this is an ec oflt-pod. environment. >> this is an ec oflt-pod. it's made out of recycled paper with a silk and mull berry paper overlay. >> reporter: they sell caskets that are not designd for all eternity. they're biodegradeable made of wicker, cardboard or pine which clients can personalize with a bit of paint. >> after i painted this casket, i realized that it was too beautiful to be buried. >> reporter: so sue cross put hrkac ket on display in her living room. >> it's always a great anchor and reminder of the fact that life is fragile and fleeting. and that it reminds me to live each day as if it were my last. >> reporter: we've all got to go sometime. and while we can't choose how we go or when we go, it turns out there are a few choices about how we get to where we're going next. 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[ female announcer ] new tide original with acti-lift. style is an option. clean is not. get acti-lift in these tide detergents. guys. can i help you? i'm sandy and i heard you've been struggling with the quilt. i'm here to take you through my 1-step program to break the quilted habit. but i've always used quilted towels. quilted is towel speak for air. but viva puts 35% more towel between you and the mess. wow, 35% more? are you ready to take that 1-step to see what an unquilted viva towel can do? yes, i'm ready. beautiful. [ cheers and applause ] [ sandy ] try viva® and quit the quilt. >> osgood: we leave you this sunday morning in the gardens that surround william randolph hearst's california castle. i'm charles osgood. our thanks to the people of hearst castle. we hope you've enjoyed our visit to san simeon and you'll join us again next sunday morning. until then i'll see you on the radio. ,,,,,,