As if they always had lived in castles, 300 pretenders took occupancy of one in Clifton at the Cincinnati Ballet's “Designer Showhouse 2001” opening gala Friday . The rooms of the castle acted as blank canvasses for local interior designers to showcase their work.

        Some guests considered which buildings they would choose to renovate. A sampling:

        • When Donna Wymore, Indian Hill, visited her son at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., she spoted an abandoned antebellum mansion she would like to rescue.

        • Barbara Kellar, Hyde Park, “would love to say, "Abracadabra,' and make the Piatt Garden House (her former residence) reappear.” The historic home on Grandin Road was torn down.

        • Event co-chairwoman Cynthia Muhlhauser, Indian Hill, would choose the Hearst Castle at San Simeon, Calif. “I would dig through the archives and display stuff the public has never seen.”

        • Event co-chairwoman Sherie Marek, Indian Hill, discovered an empty warehouse off I-71 near the William Howard Taft exit. She would love to create a loft on the top floor with a roof garden.

        • Showhouse co-chairwoman Danya Karram, Indian Hill, would choose the Palace of Versailles. “I'd try to bring it into the 21st century. It needs a modern kitchen and maybe a media center.”

        Designer Showhouse 2001 will run 10 a.m.-5 p.m daily (until 8 p.m. Thursdays) through May 27. Information: 947-8226.

        The showhouse is produced by BRAVO, the volunteer fund-raising committee of the Cincinnati Ballet.

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