captioning sponsored by cbs and johnson & johnson, where quality products for the american family have been a tradition for generations. >> osgood: good morning. i'm charles osgood and this is a special edition of sunday morning. by design. we're in ashville, north carolina at the built more estate, a stew pennedous monument to late 19th century design. which makes it the perfect spot to survey all that is new in 21st century design. in ways large and small, more and more of us are custom designing all aspects of our lives, as mar that teichner will show us in our cover story. >> reporter: retirees have concluded that the vanderbilts were on to something. but mountain air is not enough for a generation determined to ban boredom. >> today i want to start with the meditation. >> reporter: it's no accident that the area has its very own center for creative retirement. later this sunday morning, diy, design it yourself retirement in ashville, north carolina. >> osgood: commissioned by george vanderbilt more than a century ago. biltmore house was and remains america's largest residence, not that you would need a huge house of stone and brick to feel at home. of that.ckstone has the proof >> reporter: these homes are not just fanciful. they're floating. on the west coast, water-born dwellings reflect a lifestyle that goes with the flow. >> there were no codes. so whatever a person could dream they made. >> reporter: we'll examine the joys of real waterfront living, later on sunday morning. >> osgood: the biltmore house opened on christmas eve 1895 with a fabulous party full of guests all dressed to the nines. fashion has changed a lot since then. this morning rita braver visits one of the best known designers of our time. >> reporter: with a huge international following and more than 900 boutiques, tommy hilfiger has never doubted his own fashion sense. with no formal training in design.... >> no formal training. >> reporter: you just looked at clothes and figured i could understand this. >> no, i looked at clothes and figured i could do better. >> reporter: later on sunday morning, the many worlds of tommy hilfiger. >> osgood: once you have the look just right, you need the perfect pair of glasses. that is where mo rocca comes in. >> reporter: when you put on eye glasses, you're doing much more than seeing 20/20. you're changing how the world sees you. >> if you're a person who wears glasses and you elect to wear glasses you should have say-something glasses. >> reporter: what other people see through your glasses later on sunday morning. >> osgood: that's just for starters. barry petersen shows us designers in japan working wonders with bamboo. richard schlesinger walks us through the home that has nothing. david turecamo looks up to the eiffel tower. serena altschul admires well crafted household basics and more. but now back to new york for the headlines. >> good morning, everyone. it is sunday, august 30. senator edward kennedy was laid to rest last night in arlington national cemetery. earlier in the day hundreds attended a funeral mass in massachusetts to celebrate his life. here's our white house eirrndpoipcht rei rd who is traveling with president obama on martha's vineyard. >> reporter: it was a gray, drizzly morning in boston when the casket of senator edward kennedy arrived at the basilica of our lady of perpetual help in the working class section of rocks bury. for almost 50 years, kennedy funerals have been a part of the nation's history. and at each the youngest brother, ted, helped keep the family together. in time he became the family patriarch. yesterday the patriarch himself was laid to rest. >> my dear friends in the spirit of this historic church so close to the hopes and aspirations of the city, we welcome the body of our friend and brother senator ted kennedy. >> reporter: president obama and three former presidents attended along with scores of current and former members of the house and senate from both parties. but in a real sense this was a family service. senator kennedy's widow vicki, sister jeanne, and bobby's widow ethel placed a white cloth on the casket. then led by caroline kennedy, the family guided it down the center aisle. several generations of kennedy children turned the senator's own words into a prayer. granddaughter kiley kennedy. >> that the poor may be out of political fashion but they are never without human need. that circumstances may change but the work of compassion must continue. >> reporter: grandson ted kennedy iii. >> for my grandfather's brave promise last summer that the work begins anew, the hope rises again and the dream lives on, we pray to the lord. >> lord, hear our prayer. >> reporter: ted kennedy jr. who lost his leg to cancer when he was just 12 recalled how on a cold, snowy day, his father took him sledding. even while he was adjusting to his new artificial limb. >> i slipped and i fell on the ice. i started to cry. and i said, "i can't do this." i said, "i'll never be able to climb up that hill." and he lifted me up in his strong, gentle arms, and said something i will never forget. he said, "i know you can do it. there is nothing that you can't do. we're going to climb that hill together even if it takes us all day." >> reporter: the senator's son patrick, a rhode island congressman, remembered how during his father's run for the presidency in 1980 he would often quote the words of the poet robert frost, words that his son said defined his father's life. >> the woods are lovely, dark and deep. and i have promises to keep. and miles to go before i sleep. and miles to go before i sleep. well, dad, you've kept that promise both literally and figuratively to be your brother's keeper. now it's time for you to rest in peace. >> reporter: in his eulogy president obama praised senator kennedy's legislative accomplishments and the lasting friendships he's made. >> given the gift of time that his brothers were not. we weep because we loved this kind and tender hero who persevered through pain and tragedy not for the sake of ambition or vanity, not for wealth nor power, but only for the people and the country that he loved. ♪ america, america ♪ god shed his grace on thee ♪ >> reporter: later in washington, the hearse bearing the senator drove slowly in front of the u.s. capitol stopping in front of the senate. there members of congress had assembled including senator robert byrd, one of senator kennedy's dearest friends. ( applause ) mrs. kennedy and the family greeted former and current members of senator kennedy's staff before heading to arlington national cemetery. (taps) ted kennedy had an affection for arlington cemetery. he had accompanied his slain brothers there, jack in 1963 and bobby in 1968. (taps) senator kennedy's final wish: to be buryed on the same hillside where his brothers lie. ♪ davehat was correspondent chip hwee an update this morning on ourll hgu coeae cbs radio rrenespondt tammy mccormick who was seriously wounded by a roadside bomb in afghanistan on friday. she is in stable condition after multiple surgeries and has now been transported topo germany for further treatment. in california several wild fireareow n burning with the largest threatening some 10,000 homes north of los angeles. overnight the flames continued to advance toward residential areas bordering a national park. alre ty remohan 20,000 acres have burned. three boaters missing for more than a week have been rescued.re last night they were fodund sitting on top of their catamars from land. celebrations the world over marked what would have been michael jackson's 51st birthday yesterday. perhaps the biggest was in mexico city where nearly 13,000 people there took part in a re-enactment of the late singer's thriller dance. out in the pacific hurricane jimena is is now a category 3 storm. it could continue to grow. forecasters believe it will remain off mexico's west coast though. which brings us to today's weather. it will be hot in the southwest and wet in the south. but most other places can expect a mild late summer day. it will stay hot out west in the week ahead in the northeast expect a few nice days but more rain will fall in the south and midwest. >> osgood: next, life's perfect second chapter by design. and later, homes ahoy. >> this is the ita an garden at the biltmore estate. part of the beautiful grounds designed by the noted landscape architect frederick law olmstead. george washington vanderbilt planned every personal detail of the life he wanted to lead here. on a more modest scale that's happening today as well. our cover story is reported by mar that teichner. >> i always maintained there was no such thing as a sdum question. even though that's not true i still maintain it. >> reporter: john bauer was a high school teacher in michigan before retiring to ashville and getting a part-time job as a tour guide at the biltmore estate. >> photography is allowed anywhere on the estate except in the house. why do i want to keep on teaching when i can retire financially and i can try something completely different? >> reporter: americans just aren't retiring the way they used to. >> we don't want to just sit down and vegetate. >> reporter: and you don't have to go very far from the biltmore estate to see how they're redesigning the whole notion. >> i see a two in there. >> reporter: nancy long spent her career writing for newspapers and magazines. now she's a volunteer at the ashville art museum. >> there are many kinds of art. you can work in many different things. >> it just looks like small town usa. i mean look at the architecture. >> reporter: long and her husband were attracted to ashville because for a small city it has a lot going on culturally. >> the first theater director up here was charlton heston. >> reporter: but the big selling point was the fact that they could live right downtown and walk everywhere, a growing trend among retirees. >> that will be 5 to 7. then there's the party after that. >> reporter: the longs live in a compact loft in an old commercial building. but here's the kicker. when they retired they actually lived in florida. and moved away. why? >> well, we thought it would be boring. >> it was boring. >> people are saying well maybe florida isn't the place to go. >> reporter: until his own retirement this summer, ron headed the center for creative retirement at the university of north carolina ashville. >> what i see is very high expectations but something special should happen in and around this time of life. i think i see people searching for what that would be. >> reporter: ashville has been a beneficiary. nestled in the blue ridge mountains it is on just about every top ten list of the best places to retire in the united states. it says something about ashville that it's got a center for creative retirement where $115 a semester will buy you an "all you can eat" menu of classes taught by retirees themselves. >> you would say.... >> reporter: a cross-section. latin. >> (speaking french) >> reporter: french. bookmaking not much talking in that one. >> you're not talking that medicare is picking up the full tab. >> reporter: unlike this how-to class on navigating senior benefits. >> get in touch with your breathing. >> reporter: then there's deepening inner stillness. >> a gentle sensation. the rhythm of your breath. >> look right down and there's about 10 acres right there that we have set aside of wild flowers and trail systems because that's what people are looking for. >> reporter: ashville property developer jim anthony thinks they're looking for a healthy outdoory left style he calls wellness. anthony is 65 but has no intention of retiring himself. he loves to fly prospective buyers over what will be the first golf course in the united states, designed by tiger woods. >> i think the... that it will attract more people for this whole setting, this mountain top set ing with the spa and wellness center. >> reporter: anthony is marketing a kind of blue ridge mountain high to aging baby boomers with money whose retirement may turn out to be a third of their lives. >> welcome to ashville. i loved the '60s. >> reporter: the spirit of the '60s is alive and well in ashville including the need to do good, listen to this. >> the feeling.... >>li ethbeza ian elizabeth had all the retirement money can buy. he had been in finance. she was in fashion. >> this railing is a grapevine. >> reporter: they built the house of their dreams at the top of a mountain outside ashville. and then reality intervened. elizabeth wasn't satisfied with the care available for her daughter who has had bouts of mental illness. she suggested to don starting their own mental health care facility. >> what did you say? >> no way jose. >> reporter: famous last words. together, they raised $10 million and built the not-for- profit cooper-reese center which seems more like a working farm than a hospital. >> we're making a wonderful improvement in many people's lives its been very, very rewarding. >> reporter: and they're still at it. >> right now i'm working about 80 hours a week because we're opening another center in ashville. >> reporter: was this your idea of your retirement? >> no. i had no clue. >> he used to tell me he was bored. he's not bored anyway. >> reporter: no indeed. gone are the days when retirement meant the end. in ashville it's clear retirement is the beginning. ah sg oood: ahead, design that's truly ship shape. introducing the all new chevy equinox. with an epa estimated 32 miles per gallon. it's the most fuel efficient crossover on the highway. b etter than honda cr-v, toyota rav4 and even the ford escape hybrid. the all new chevy equinox. s and my dog bailey and i love to hang out in the kitchen... so she can watch me cook. you just love the aromas of beef tenderloin... and, ooh, rotisserie chicken. yes, you do. [ barks ] yeah. you're so special, you deserve a very special dog food. [ woman ] introducing chef michael's canine creations. the deliciously different way to serve up your love at mealtime. chef-inspired. dog-desired. chef michael's canine creations. what makes a hershey's bar with almonds pure? pure happiness. ♪ i'll stop the world and melt with you... ♪ pure delight. pure delicious chocolate with almonds. pure hershey's. 250 rooms. 65 fireplaces. dinner for 60 anyone? the history of biltmore is quite a tale. it all started with cornelius vanderbilt, the legendary steamship and railroad tycoon who left his family an enormous fortune when he died in 1877. 12 years later, his grandson george washington vanderbilt who was only 27, began construction of the biltmore house. built in the family's hometown in holland, moore is the old english word for open, rolling land. his building architect was richard morris hunt who had designed the pedestal for the statue of liberty. his landscape arc tech was the designer of new york's central park. inspired by the chateau and other great french estates, the biltmore house took six years to complete. traditional on the outside, the house was thoroughly modern on the inside complete with that brand new convenience called electricity. indoor plumbing. plus amenities including a bowling alley, a gym, and a huge indoor pool. opened on christmas eve 1895, the biltmore estate was more than just the country's largest residence, it was also a thriving business with working farms and a dairy. george vanderbilt died in 1914 and the estate eventually passed to his own child who married into britain's aristocratic cecil family in 1924. today the vand vachbder built- cecil family still owns the biltmore named a national historic loond mark in 1963. no longer a private residence it remains the self-sustaining business as well as a tourist destination attracting more than a million visitors a year. according to president and ceo bill cecil jr.. >> we really want to make sure that we keep this oasis and a special place so speak can come and relax with their friends and family and drift off to a time that maybe seems a little more simple than the time we live in. >> reporter: an oasis by design. this winter garden is the center piece of the built more house. and a beautiful designed one it is. of course, you can find extraordinary residences all over the world. and not just on land. the crews of nautical homes now from january blackstone. ♪ sitting in the morning sun ♪ i'll be sitting in the evening sun ♪ >> reporter: in the morning sun on san francisco bay, the dock that inspired otis redding in the 1960s. >> this is the bay. this is the dock. he was sitting here. iding inspiration to allll the others who have made these house boat docks their homes. ♪ sitting on the dock of the bay ♪ >> reporter: stan and his wife sonia have been living here more than 20 years. >> it changes your view of where you live and how you live your life because you're surrounded by the natural world. >> reporter: but in these natural surroundings, the architecture is often anything but natural. there's one called the owl. and one fashioned as the taj mahal. another seemingly designed for a princess. there are tug boats and ferries converted into homes. this water-born community in the town of sausalito across the bay from san francisco has long been known as a home to free spirits. >> any time someone could make a floatable base or find one and then they just built whatever they wanted. there were no codes. so whatever a person could dream they made. ♪ living on a house boat out on the bay ♪ and the waves roll in ♪ > the first homes here in the 1800s were floating summer cottages they called arcs. after the 1906 earthquake destroyed much of san francisco, many arcs became permanent homes. when shipyards here closed after world war ii, former workers and war vets moved in to discarded boats. in the '60s covered... discovered by dreamers, nar-do- wells and some did very well. ♪ i feel it in my fingers ♪ i feel it in my toes . >> people like jeanne varda, allen ginsburg, shel silverstein, all of these guys were here. it was part of the 1960s summer of love phenomenon that went on for a lot more than a summer. >> reporter: two 20-year residents say while there are rules here now, living on the water means going with the flow. >> like living in a piece of ken it i can sculpture. just coming out. everything is moving. it lookings different every day. that's fun. >> there's a sense of community too. i mean the fact that you are here with other people, we're all kind of in a same boat, no pun intended, and you do look out for each other. >> reporter: while the house boats of san francisco bay are perhaps the most celebrated, there are others in portland, seattle, and vancouver. >> wonderful, wonderful eclectic homes up and down the coast. >> reporter: dan wittenberg designs floating homes in vancouver. >> how would you like to live on an island? a totally different thing than living on land where you are fences and that kind of thing. you've got your own island. >> reporter: some of those islands are grand. this house boat in portland features a copper exterior and a shape inspired by rolling waves. >> people that are going to live to river, they want something a little bit crazier than they've been used to. they don't want a normal house. they want something that really stands out. >> reporter: mark's port lafernd company built that one. and this multimillion dollar home for oilman ted bentley and his family. it has a library, dumb waiter, full bar, and a sauna. all designed around a spiral staircase. >> we saw this staircase in an architectural book. just something that we thought would be an essential design element to the house. >> reporter: the almost 4,000 square foot home was floated 30 miles down river to its slip. this is your front yard. >> front yard, backyard, side yard. all the good stuff. treasure island, alcatraz and the city, of course, san francisco. >> reporter: and for long-time residents like cornell ross and pam, they're eclectic sausalito community is a setting like no other. >> there is something just special about the lighting in the lagoon here. when the sun goes down or just before it goes down, everything turns golden. then you've got a layer of lavender and pinks. it just sparkles. >> reporter: maybe that's why otis redding sat here so long. ♪ sitting in the morning sun ♪ l ♪'l ibe sitting when the evening comes ♪ >> osgood: coming up, would yobe ilieve'lt's bamboo? tonight's dinner specials: teamwork... time together... real conversations... and memories. all for under $2 a serving. stouffer's. let's fix dinner. more than a flameless candle, the shades are infused with a fresh scent just place the shade on the wooden base to turn on the light and fill your room with a light, fresh scent and with shades you can change to suit your mood and complement your style each shade safely brightens any room with a soft flickering light and a stylish design new febreze flameless luminaries part of the new febreze home collection >> osgood: the walled garden here at biltmore is designed to make the most of a kaleidoscope of colorful flowers. the way that the japanese designers make the most of the simple bamboo plant. barry petersen shows us how. >> reporter: bamboo is the culinary delight of pandas and the shoots are palate pleasers for humans. bamboo can be sliced and molded so we can plank our floors with it or make fabrics ready to wear. or just make soothing music. all this from something that is really a big weed once growing wild across asia. trust the japanese to make something ordinary into something extraordinary. taking the design of everyday bamboo items and turning it into an art form that is evolving still. designs so intricate they have no beginning or end. this one by a japanese man. >> the challenge is keeping traditional methods while making something that develops bamboo art for a new generation. >> reporter: his story begins centuries ago in japanese history and his family's heritage. the chinese broad bamboo to japan and craftsmen here shaped vases and carrying cases and baskets. it was all very practical. his great grandfather, born in the late 1800s, took traditional chinese design to its peak by creating a weave so intricate it was prized then and treasured now. but his grandfather went his own way wanting to capture japan's passion for delicacy. so began a family tradition of breaking with tradition. at a recent exhibition the man's father shows off his work. it is called relationship to the future, he explains. it broke tradition because it was done just to please the eye. and after an older generation abandoned the practical for the pretty, it encouraged the next generation to experiment with shapes and sizes. bamboo today is no longer about baskets. his father was not exactly surprised when his son went his own way. they still work together every day. "what my son designs is more like sculpture," he says. his son was playing with bamboo at age 3. now he cuts and trims each piece of bamboo. why did you decide to be different? >> if bamboo artists keep making the same thing, people will feel bored. bamboo art will die out. but if i create something new, the world will realize bamboo can be used for different things. >> reporter: but there can still be homage to the old. around the top is the family's well known weave. then he added strips of different colors, some natural, and some dyed. and a few of his works are big. >> this is one of your larger pieces. what does it represent? >> this represents connection. this is the image of my father and my mother. they were connected with their love, energy and power so i could be a bamboo artist. >> reporter: and now there is a connection to the next generation, his daughter. is is she interested in bamboo yet? >> (laughing) she's only nine months old. if she enjoyed living with bamboo around her, as i did, she will like bamboo. >> reporter: her name is sarara. if she wants to join the family business, her father will teach her to shape what is hers and hers alone. with new images still to come from artists still to be trained, they and others who love bamboo believe it is an art that will continue to survive and to surprise. >> osgood: next, frankly, frank lloyd wright. >> i've been accused of saying i was the greatest architect in the world. if i had said so, i don't think it would be very arrogant. >> osgood: and later,'seiffel's towering achievement. r42rpp >> by design, a special edition of sunday morning. here again from biltmore in north carolina is charles osgood. >> osgood: you get a great view from this window at biltmore. and the view inside this newly restored guest bedroom isn't so bad either. but to find out what it's really like to live on an architectural landmark you'd have to ask somebody who has been doing it for a while which is just what erin moriarty of "48 hours" has done. >> reporter: what was it to convince you that you to have this house? >> i think it's because when you come into this grand room you're just enchanted. >> reporter: the writer t.c.boyle fell under frank lloyd wright's spell 16 years ago. >> walking in the door, that was it. that's all it took. >> reporter: that's when boyle and his family moved in to the first home architect wright constructed in california and the only one in his famous prairie style. >> this is organic architecture. it's made of natural materials. this is all redwood. it blends in with the environment. everywhere you look you're looking outdoors. nature is the painting. >> reporter: 80 miles north of los angeles, the home is called the george c. stewart house after the man who commissioned it in 1909. would you have written about frank lloyd wright if you didn't live in one of his homes? >> i don't think so, erin, i really don't. we bought this house 16 years ago and began to restore it. at that point i felt, yes, i should find out about him. >> reporter: and what a story he found. wright's personal life reads like a soap opera. there were numerous wives and miss stresses. one who was murdered. in short, wright's life is the stuff novels are made of. boyle called his "the women." it was published earlier this year. >> i think there are unlikable things about him in here. but i admire him greatly. i love his art. it's a moral valance. it doesn't matter who made the work of art whether they're a good or bad person as long as the work of art itself is great. i don't think it really matters. >> reporter: wrigts's clean linear designs, such a contrast to the ornate victorian styles of the 19th century, were often controversial. and so was he. >> i've been accused of saying ways the greatest architect in the world. if i had said so, i don't think it would be very arrogant. >> reporter: wright, who needed his clients' money to build his art, was often insulting to them. he wasn't there to please the client, was he? >> oh, no, no. he's so wonderfully prickly and famous for bursting into any house he built unannounced to come in with people and show them the house. and rearrange the furniture. he would even sneak in to the houses and rearrange the furniture when owners were away. >> reporter: wright still managed to design nearly 800 buildings including the guggenheim museum in new york and falling water in pennsylvania. could you have done your work and lived the way frank lloyd wright did? >> absolutely not. he seemed to need trouble in his life in order to get to work. i need the opposite. i need absolute peace and turang quilt. >> reporter: he finds it here. >> this is my office. >> reporter: in his airy open office on the second floor of his home. now 60 and a usc professor, tom boyle has written 20 books of fiction. it's a prolific output for a man who once hoped to be a rock'n'roll star and still thinks of himself as an entertainer. >> that's at the very root all art is entertainment. that is fun. i'm just writing literature. literature is an entertainment at any level. that's what it is for. >> reporter: is there a side of frank lloyd wright that you see in your is self? >> of course. i mean the obsessive-compulsive behavior, the exclusion. everything in the devotion to your work. but i try to be a little more human, you know. and a little bit of a nicer guy. as you may know, i'm the only american writer in history only to have one wife. >> reporter: (laughing) boyle is only the fourth owner of the home. he's restored to the vision wright had 100 years ago. if frank lloyd wright walked in right now, do you think he would be pleased to what you've done. >> i'd like to think he would be but it's of course a matter of gradations. i'm sure he would find a lot of fault with everything and would rearrange everything immediately because that's who he is. >> reporter: do you have any idea how much you have paid out to get the house in this shape? >> it's a considerable amount. >> reporter: but there's no guarantee the house will be around for another century. last november the fire in the santa barbara hills came within a half mile of his home. and then in may.... >> i was up on the roof for three hours cutting back branches. then another two hours with the hose spraying. everything. i was soaking it down. it was terrifying and exhausting. but really short of taking down this 100-year-old woods here entirely, there's not much i can do except hope and >> hello. >> osgood: alchulin makg altschul making sense of scents. ♪ it's bliss ♪ only one word describes chocolate this creamy, this rich, this indulgent. bliss. hershey's bliss chocolate. it's not just chocolate. it's bliss. special interest groups are trying to block progress on health care reform, derailing the debate with myths and scare tactics. desperately trying to stop you from discovering that reform won't ration care. you and your doctor will always decide the best treatment for you. tell congress not to let myths get in the way of fixing what's broken with health care. learn the facts at healthactionnow.org. that they have cervical cancer. that's why i chose to get my daughter vaccinated. i chose to get my daughter vaccinated when her doctor and i agreed that the right time to protect her is now. because it's about prevention. (nice) gardasil is the only cervical cancer vaccine that helps protect against four types of hpv. two types that cause seventy percent of cervical cancer and two more types that cause other hpv diseases. i chose to get my daughter vaccinated because the cdc recommends that girls her age get vaccinated. gardasil does not treat cervical cancer or other hpv diseases. side effects include: pain, swelling, itching, bruising, and redness at the injection site, headache, fever, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and fainting. gardasil is not for women who are pregnant. gardasil may not fully protect everyone and does not prevent all kinds of cervical cancer, so it's important to continue routine cervical cancer screenings. i chose to get my daughter vaccinated because i want her to be one less woman affected by cervical cancer. one less. gardasil. ask your daughter's doctor about gardasil. of the outdoors for your indoor cat. specially formulated to promote hairball control and healthy weight. friskies indoor wet cat food. feed the senses. >> reporter: if your fantasy is to be pretty or sensuous or maybe even unforgiveable, then this is designed to get you there. >> every year there are new scents that we never had before. that's what is astonishing about perfume. >> reporter: the perfume critic for the "new york times" writes about the $22 billion fine fragrance industry and rates perfumes. we met at macy's in new york. perfume fragrance does what for you? >> it gives you a scent identity that is similar to your clothes, your hair, your personality, your character, the words that you choose, the way you express yourself. all of these things. >> but it's silent. >> it's silent and it's stronger maybe than any other aspect of yourself. it can be astonishing. i actually sort of like that. >> reporter: perfume. insiders call it the juice. >> juice is what is in the bottle. when you buy it off the shelf. but we prefer to call it a perfume because it's a very special thing, very precious to us. >> reporter: steven nelson is a perfumer. also dubbed a nose. for givaudan. it's the largest fragrance house in the world and it's behind obsession and angel. >> for a vapor something you can't see. it's intans i believe. it has the power to change your mood. >> reporter: kate green is the vice president of marketing. she gave us a crash course in how per tomb is designed and why it can pack such a punch. the idea is to put personality and emotion in a bottle. on this day, it was to create a scent just for me. >> as you start to smell more, steven is understanding more about you and you become revealed. we'll get there together. >> reporter: i'm going to get psychoanalyzed in a bottle. >> a little bit. >> this is the heart of the organization. this is where it all happens. this is where they're made and mixed. >> reporter: perfume is made up of fragrance building blocks. natural and synthetic. they can be floral, spicy, fruity or even woody. they're called notes. it can take a thousand notes to make one perfume. >> the first thing you smell is the flirtatious win being. the heart where the floral notes come after an hour or so maybe that's going out on a date. what lingers on the skin after a few hours like a romantic embrace. >> reporter: this is a really nice one. some notes are unexpected. chocolate. oh, i love that. oh, hello! that note, believe it or not, is designed to smell like a wild cat in heat. >> it makes something much more sensual. if you put peach and vanilla you get a peach melba. if you take peach and civet, you get something much more carnal and animalistic. >> reporter: it's key to classics like chanel 5. >> great perfumes are shocking and innovative. >> we do a first screening on a blotter. >> reporter: what will it be for me? shocking? tame? or just different? oh, i like it. i really like it. i don't even smell those individual ♪s anymore. there's just this blend. not a classic perhaps. but the perfume they created smelled pretty good.cb >> it's yumy on you. >> moderately nearsighted. >> osgood: aheoc g in iokoodalgoca looking good is all in the frames. s >> osgood: biltmore has 1,388 windows, some of them elaborately impressive. when you're working with glass, design is always important whether it's a big window or a pair of eye glassfa.la here's mo rocca.. >> do you recognize this man? it's woodyimut h?ll what about him? that's malcolm x. and this guy? okay. you knew that was leon trotski but the hair gave it away. when you put on eye glasses you're doing much more than seeing 20/20. >> i mean people, we define them by their glasses, andy war hole, tina fay. >> reporter: brothers kenny and dr. harvey's family has been selling 94 years. they've seen glasses come into style, go out, and come back in. in a big way. >> are they sometimes excited when it turns out they need glasss? >> iferts it's amazing. i would say 15 years ago they weren't. today they're like great. >> reporter: not that poor eyesight is a requirement for glasses. there are people that come in for glasses, not sunglasses, regular glasses that don't need them. >> absolutely. again it's a fashion accessory. they might need it for they want to increase their i.q., or the perception that they're a little more intelligent. or they want something that is very bold. i think it leads you towards a certain behavior. it's almost like a name. you grow into your name. eye wear is similar in the fact that you put it on and you take on that personality of the frame. >> reporter: i have ten pairs. each change is like a slight personality rewoot. these make me feel like a 1950s gum shoe. tennis anyone? in these, i'm an orirbngea overg german architect. whatever the style of frame, psychologist roger cary warns against the stigma attached to the astigmatic. >> we have in our society, unfortunately, the stereotype of the nerd. the spec... spectacled, passive, somewhat introverted book wormish kind of person who has terrible vision. >> reporter: in clinical studies the doctor determined that these stereotypes can have far-reaching consequences. so if a glasses wearer is seen as more passive he's likely to internalize that and actually maybe become more passive. >> that's a real possibility. >> reporter: i think that's a lot of balogne. i'm trying to not be passive. i'm going to show that i can be aggressive. >> (laughing) >> reporter: butin this era of high-fashion eye wear surely there exists reception to these rules. in the case of a librarian or a cbs news correspondent who is seen as more sexy because he or she wears glasses, what is going on there? >> there may be a fantasy element. the removal of clothes, the removal of glassesin. >> reporter: now i understand. so how much do glasses affect the personality... the perception of personality? back at the store we experimented. this man had never worn glasses before. would you ever consider wearing glasses as a fashion statement, non-prescription glasses. >> probably not but i might do it to pick up the librarian. >> reporter: this gentleman wanted to look more corporate. >> feeling a little bit like a banker. >> reporter: being a banker isn't that hot right now. for this young saleswoman, she's glasses didn't quite fit. >> oh, wow. these are large. >> reporter: she is the next mrs. madoff. if you're a person who wears glasses and you elect to wear glasses you should have say eseyhing glasss. ieyes t don't have it. >> reporter: coming up esli óç george w vanderbilt was an avid reader and collector of books. he kept 10,000 volumes in this library room alone along with this chess set that once belonged to napoleon bonaparte. for some people though less is more. here's richard schlesinger. >> reporter: i hope these are organized right. if you ever visit klaus biesenbach at home, don't bring him anything. wow. this is something. his new york apartment is an homage to minimalism. >> i think i'm not into decoration. i think i take objects very serious. >> reporter: there are no objects here. look around. one bedroom. one bath. three chairs and a bed. oh, and a tv. that's it. and that's fine with biesenbach. >> an object has its time, has its place, has to be perfectly place and perfectly chosen. >> reporter: he gets his fill of objects, putting them in their perfectly chosen places during the workday. >> here's another one you see. >> reporter: he's a curator at the museum of modern art. he could teach a thing or two about contrast. his apartment is almost all black-and-white. except for the occasional unwelcome bouquet. look at those flowers. i look at them and i think splash of color. >> how could i provoke klaus? you successfully did that. >> reporter: did it provoke you?& >> a little bit, yeah. >> reporter: are the flowers in the right place now? >> i actually don't care. >> reporter: you don't care at all? >> i'm provoking you now. >> reporter: but there is life and color and movement just outside this place. through the windows. where the daily chaos of new york plays 24/7. so who needs art on the wall? >> i think the windows are basically the pictures. i also coming home at night and i don't switch on the lights because the view outside the city, i think you can't compete with that anyway. >> reporter: and if biesenbach wants clutter, he has his patio. relatively crowded with a table and chairs, even some plants and a bed. you sleep on this? >> sure. >> reporter: he sleeps out here when he can. on his porch. his perch where he can be a part of the city while still being apart from it. >> i gave up compete ing with the city. what shall i do inside could be more entertaining more spectacular than what you see outside? >> reporter: this emptiness, this lack of design didn't happen by design. it was an accident. klaus biesenbach is a very busy man, too busy to do much with this place when he moved in two years ago. >> and i realized, wow, i actually like that. so now i'm a little hesitant to inset, perhaps the ideal situation for me. i really like it. i'm just delaying ending that situation. >> reporter: credit delay or credit design. butbien celyas recently in a magazine spread. he's apparently never been a fan of furniture or decoration. before he was a curator he visited britain and stayed in a guest house which he remembers paring down a bit. >> i think i was 18 or 19. i took all the curtains off. it was a very small room. they were like really upset about it. >> reporter: did you understand them being upset? >> yeah. i also apologized. i didn't mean to say i don't like you. i didn't mean to say i don't like your flowers. i didn't mean to say i don't like your curtains. >> reporter: the flowers were a foe pa, exactly the wrong thing to give the manothg. >> osgood: ahead the sights from the heights. >> these are best sellers. >> osgood: but up next, designer tom hilfiger, the man and the brand. the great taste of cranberries, naturally energizing green tea, and b vitamins. it's a "good for you" kind of energy that helps you get stuff done. and when your days look like this... you need all the help you can... get. hey, your wednesday just opened up. now 40% more cranergy for your money. look for our bigger bottle in the juice aisle. in 25 years, global energy consumption will increase by 50%. to meet demand, we'll need to harness the power of sun... wind... waves... and atoms. but that's not enough. today, we need oil. which means before we drill for oil, we drill for data. we can create 3d models of hidden reserves. find new oil in old wells. extend the life of a field. reduce the need for new drilling. smarter resources... to fuel the smarter planet. that's what i'm working on. i'm an ibmer. let's build a smarter planet. new pencils, new books... new backpack... looks good. just trying to look our best. eh, gonna take more than looks. from what i hear, ms. haskins is a toughy. oh, we had a good breakfast so we're ready. gonna be another great year, huh guys?! you bet your 8 layers! yeah! long-distance high 5! oh, careful! hey, watch it. start the school year with an excellent source of fiber. a clinical study showed kids who had a filling breakfast... of kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® cereal... had 11% better attentiveness... compared to kids who missed out on breakfast. ( shouts ) keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. >> it's a special edition of sunday morning, by design. and here again is charles osgood. >> osgood: it's vintage vanderbilt. for the past 25 years now& built more has been a brand of wine. when it comes to branding, rita braver tells us nobody does it like tommy hilfiger. >> i have white afternoon i have white and i have white and i have blue. there are many different types. >> reporter: if clothes make the man, tommy hilfiger is quite a guy. i'm getting dizzy. >> a little of this and a little of that. >> reporter: but it's not just the thousands of items in his own closet. whether it's on the runway or behind the scenes in his new york headquarters... these are colors for women's clothes. >> these are colors for women's clothes. dresses, blouses, we print on this. we print on woven fabric. >> reporter: tommy hilfiger has been a force in fashion design for almost 25 years. >> these inside are much better. and then i think this going across here. >> reporter: but his story will surprise you. when did you start getting interested in clothing design? >> i really wasn't interested in clothing design. i had no idea what a fashion designer was. >> reporter: growing up, however, one of nine children of a jeweler, he did want to dress like the rock musicians he idolized. in 1969 still in high school he and two friends each put up $150. >> we bought 20 pairs of bell bottom jeannes, sowed them to our friends, opened a shop called people's place in my hometown of elmira, new york, painted it black. blasted rock music. >> reporter: soon there was a chain of people's places. >> we were making all this money, going to new york every weekend, hanging out in the clubs. and one day the accountant called and said by the way you guys owe a lot of money. you have to either write a check or do something. so we went chapter 11. i was.... >> reporter: bankruptcy. >> i was 24 years old. >> reporter: hooked on fashion he moved to new york with a dream of starting his own line. by 1985, he had a backer who bank roll an ad campaign taughting the vird ally unknown hilfiger as an equal to some of the greatest designers in america. ralph lauren, perry ellis and calvin klein. >> it was one of the most embarrassing and upsetting and frightening times of my life because all of a sudden the fashion world and the media thought that this tommy hilfiger was totally out of his league, comparing himself to the other great names. >> reporter: what happened once people said, okay, well, let's see your stuff? >> i decided to roll up my sleeves and work. >> reporter: with no formal training in design. >> no formal training. >> reporter: you just looked at clothes and figured i could understand this. >> i looked at clothes and figured i could do better. >> reporter: fashion fans seem to agree. so how many people does your company employ both here and overseas? >> probably 4,000, 5,000, something like that. >> reporter: with a combination of talent and salesmanship.... >> these are best sellers. these shirts, 24/7 worldwide. >> reporter:... he has built an affordably priced international brand with more than 900 boutiques around the world. how do you describe this tommy hilfiger look? >> it is cool american classic. it is classic american cool. >> reporter: the same look you see at stone hill, his 20,000 square foot home in greenwich, connecticut. what's your description of a mood that you want this house to convey? >> casual modern elegance and luxury. >> reporter: there's the living room with an andy war hole print of mick jagger. both men friends of his. >> these are unique because they're signed by mick and andy. >> reporter: hilfiger who has four children from his first marriage and a new son with his current wife, a former fashion model has indulged all his favorite pastimes. there's the basketball court, the massage room complete with waterfall. it's a home hilfiger says he values because no one gave him any of it. >> i appreciate it even more because i did work for it. i enjoyed every minute of it. >> reporter: and at 58, hilfiger is still hands on. even though his company is now owned by a big conglomerate. he's even supervising the construction of a new store on fifth avenue. >> this is a work of art actually, floating steps. >> reporter: it will be the company's flagship. isn't it kind of a gamble to be opening a store on some of the most expensive real estate in the world at a time like this? >> i'm confident that if people aren't buying homes or vacations or automobiles, they're buying maybe an outfit to make themselves feel good. >> reporter: with any luck, an outfit designed by tommy hilfiger. , a knotty.... situation. you've wanted to quit smoking so many times, but tse days came and went, and the cigarettes remained. but today's a new day. and a few simple eps can make a real difference in your next quit... thingsik lstarting with a plan to quit smoking... getting support... tad anlking to your doctor about how prescription trecames lpnthe.n ou y talk to your doctor about prescription treatment options. ane dak t misthime, your time. tend to get better grades. stouffer's easy express is ready from the microwave in under 20 minutes, so you can make something that's good in so many ways. stouffer's. let's fix dinner. >> did you pass through last night? >> no. >> it depends on whether you bring it under or over itself. the next time you can take those out. you're right. >> reporter: on a spring afternoon in notingham england appropriately enough, members of the international guild of knot-tiers shared knot knowledge and tying techniques, showing sea cadets the ropes. >> i make a loop and another loop. and very quickly it goes. >> reporter: dan mahowski is guild president. >> not have to be one of the first and basic tools that man used. that's what knots are. a knot is a tool. these fingers take that. grab that with these fingers. there you go. bingo. that's tom fool's knot. >> reporter: sailors, rock climbers, arborists, knit ters, even hangmen depend on knots. knots are designed for a purpose. or not. some are just for decoration. >> you can cover almost anything, any shape, with knoting. >> reporter: phoebe ashley carries on the legacy of her father clifford ashley who wrote and illustrated the ashley book of knots in 1944. it is still revered as the encyclopedia of knoting. >> he'd have a knot table about this big that had lots and lots and of little nails in it. he'd work out all the mathematical possibilities. in other words, all the possible ways the knot could be tied. >> reporter: 3900 different knots in ashley's book alone including some here that his daughter has invented. ashley's knot collection is a family treasure. >> i have a bag right here of button knots. what he did when he tied them is tagged them and, in fact, i probably have all hundred here. >> the thing i love most about tying knots is it's an art that not many people know. >> reporter: at a sea scout meeting in connecticut, scouts practiced their loops, hitches and bends. >> i like the square knot. >> reporter: a square knot is a bend, a knot that joins two lines together. the scouts tried to teach me a loop knot. >> this is how you do it. scratch the belly. you go around the tree. >> reporter: go under the tree. >> around the tree. and then through your wrist. >> reporter: see, i have two loops here. why do you have only one? some people weren't meant to tie knots. >> i always train people that there's no right way and wrong way. there's just whatever the captain tells you. you use that way on that ship when that captain is on. but when another captain come on, you do it his way. >> reporter: that's a great tip in life as well. be adjustable. mary kay edwards has sailed 58,000 miles. now she teaches at mystic seaport in connecticut. on fishing schooners like the l.a. dunton there are several miles of line. >> the only way to make lines work is to use knots so there were knots everywhere on the ship. >> reporter: it looks like a hammock. that is my kind of knot. >> i don't know if it's got a name. it's just one that works for me. >> reporter: back at the notingham knot convention, the knoters live by clifford ashley's words. ties a knot is an adventure in unlimited space, he wrote. what can be more wonderful than that? >> there's your finished knot. >> it doesn't look as good as yours but it's a start. >> it's a start. you always have to have a start. >> osgood: our serena altschul on knots. now to borb schieffer in washington for a look at what's ahead on "face the nation." >> schieffer: the legacy of senator kennedy. we'll talk about that with some of his closest friends. >> osgood: bob schieffer in washington. ahead now on sunday morning.... >> i'm terrified of heights. not kidding. >> osgood: our man in paris looking up. >> you have to go all the way there. all the way to the top. cranberries -- they're tart. these are craisins, sweetened dried cranberries -- they're sweet. that's why bees like 'em. and this is the 100-calorie pack craisins. perfect for when you're on the go. they're really loud. maybelline's new pulse perfection vibrating mascara with our exclusive motor inside (whisper) works like no hand can! 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(announcer) only from maybelline new york. experience the power of vibration ...go to maybelline.com for $3 off now! experience the power of vibration has progress taken us to a better place? i'd say it's taken us for a ride. honestly, what thanks do we owe progress? we're up to our necks in landfill, and down to the wire in resources and climate change is out to get us. that's why progress plays no role inside post shredded wheat. here, we put the "no" in innovation. post original shredded wheat is still just the one simple, honest ingredient which naturally comes with vitamins, minerals and fiber. all we did was make it spoon size. did we go too far? >> osgood: looking up or down? built more's grand staircase may be a bit dizzying. consider the 120-year-old landmark that has been long intimidated david turecamo, our man in paris. >> reporter: look at it. the eiffel tower. you know, i've seen it in every kind of light, season, and mood. but i've never seen it from the top. that's because i'm terrified of heights. not kidding. but today i'm going all the way up. the tower was actually built for the world's fair of 1889 in paris. the plan was it would be torn down 20 years later. actually it wouldn't have been built in the first place if it hadn't been for the courage of its architect, gustav eiffel. >> i see you're terrified by heights. you'll be all right. >> reporter: her is our guide, photographer, ticket taker, and that day he was my personal escort to the top. >> off we go. i love it. >> reporter: at 1,000 feet, it's not only the tallest& building of its day but a dazzling architectural achievement. down below, a 19th century erector set. cogs and counter weights. the head of the engineering crew was my guide down here. jules verne was still writing novels when these were installed. so little has changed in 120 years that eric still uses the original blueprints for routine maintenance. and as they have for decades, he lubricates the pistons with oxen grease. that's right. grease from an ox. only because.... >> >> reporter: ah, the french. it's basically a hydraulic system, water-filled counterweights, 200 tons each pull the elevators to the top. though a century ago many people hoped it would never get off the ground. >> we're going to go outside. >> reporter: when plans for the tower were announced, the french hated it. editorials said it looked like a nail and would destroy the landscape. one neighbor filed a lawsuit and delayed construction. they even spread rumors and tried to discredit him personally. instead he saw the possibilities of using his tower for weather forecasting, radio antenna and military communication. after building bridges and train terminals across europe, he knew how to turn wrought iron into this gracefully sloping silhouette. >> are you still terrified? we have to go all the way there. all the way to the top. >> okay. the last part of the tower, the most narrow part of it. >> reporter: the elevators have to be different sizes which means you make the assent in three stages until finally this is is the top. >> the best view from the top of the eiffel tower. to me, you have to do this. >> reporter: what? wait a second. oh, the french. i'll tell you. i did learn something up there that day which is to reach the pinnacle of great design requires some courage. yeah, a lot of courage. >> osgood: coming up, the gardens of built more. what makes a hershey's bar with almonds pure? pure happiness. ♪ i'll stop the world and melt with you... ♪ pure delight. pure delicious chocolate with almonds. pure hershey's. damage is most obvious at the tips. watch what happens when severely damaged hair... is repaired with dove therapy conditioner. convincing, isn't it? and research proves dove even repairs... damage at the tips better than the leading pantene conditioner. the proof-- beautifully smooth hair... strengthened against damage from root to tip. next generation dove therapy conditioners. expertise for damaged hair. all free clear 2x concentrated detergent. all free clear's powerful clean is free of the ingredients you'll find in most detergents: no perfumes... no dyes... no preservatives... free clear is specially designed for people with sensitive skin and has powerful stainlifters, so you can trust it to get the job done right. free clear is the number-one detergent recommended by dermatologists... so, for a pure clean, all free clear is all you need. recommended by dermatologists... come on. good girl.] mollie's never looked better. i really was amazed to see the change in her coat. people stop us when we're walking, and they'll say, "did you shine up her spots?" [ woman announcing ] just another way purina one... unlocks the brilliance of nature... to transform the life of your dog. for us to see the difference in mollie-- we were really excited about it. it just makes you feel wonderful. [ announcer ] it's amazing what one can do. >> osgood: we leave you this sunday morning with one last look at the gardens of biltmore. >> osgood: this is charles osgood. we want to thank everyone here for all their assistance and thank you for watching. we hope you'll join us again next sunday morning. until then, i'll see you on the radio. captioning sponsored by cbs and johnson & johnson, where quality products for the american family have been a tradition for generations. captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org