There’s a lot of hanky-panky going on at 54 E. 64th St., a 1907 four-story, neo-Federal townhouse. The man of the house has retreated to the maid’s floor, not to spend time with the maid – the family had to let her go years ago – but to play cards. And you’d never guess what he drinks: Yoo-hoo! Meanwhile, the man’s lovely wife, quite youthful and exuberant, has started expressing her true colors all over the house: painting the dining room chartreuse green and putting bright coral carpet down in her study. Her latest obsession, though, is her poodle, for whom she commissioned a custom-made dog home.

Then there’s the little spoiled brat Mademoiselle Albermarle. She sleeps peacefully each night on an antique Italian bed, with a royal blue porcelain “Puppy” by Jeff Koons on the wall above her head, which is painted a Tiffany blue to match.

Those are the lives imagined by the top interior designers who have contributed rooms to the 2005 Kips Bay Decorator Show House. Thousands will tromp through and see it all, starting Tuesday and running through May 15.

The gold-standard socialites got the first peek Tuesday night at the first annual President’s Preview, whose chairwomen were Joanne de Guardiola, Charlotte Moss, and Adrienne Vittadini.

The party started with cocktails on the main floor of the house, decorated by Katherine Stephens. Their thirst-quenched guests headed up the staircase, whose walls are decorated with faux paintings – some original, some reproductions of famous ones – by Glenn and Austin Palmer-Smith. One could imagine a good night’s sleep in the mirrored four-poster bed, an afternoon of discovery in the specimen-filled library, and, of course, a long soak in the tub. But the fantasies couldn’t fully take flight, as dinner at the Union Club beckoned – on tablecloths by Brooks Brothers, a sponsor of the event.

“The show house is so elegant – and I felt the night was elegant too. That’s the message of where we are right now: a return to elegance,” Ms. Moss said.

“It was a fantastic party. A lot of energy. Everybody in the industry feels positive,” she said.

As for trends, Ms. Moss said the design philosophies represent a strong departure from last year.

“The look this year is layered, saturated,” she said. “Fabrics are richer, really textured. And there’s a really good mix – something for everybody.”

More than 20,000 visitors are expected to pass through the doors of the show house – some of them “peeping toms,” according to Ms. Moss, and some of them potential clients for the participating designers, who this year include David Barrett, Nina Campbell (who wears heart-shaped glasses), Martha Agnus, Beverly Balk, and Ann Getty. Proceeds from ticket sales go to Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, which runs social-service programs in the Bronx.