More than Modern
By Candace Ord Manroe
This Colorado vacation house refuses to be squeezed into any generic box, just like its designer, Jan Showers.
Don’t even think about labeling Dallas designer Jan Showers. Even though eight years ago she introduced Texas to the now-scalding-hot 1930s and 40s French Moderne furniture that stars in her showroom, she shudders at being branded a French Modernist. “I’m not a purist. What I love best about this furniture is how easy it is to mix with other styles and periods.”
That mix snagged the eye of another Dallasite when she and her husband were ready to build their Colorado vacation house. Showers says the woman “had seen a ranch I had just completed outside of Dallas for her best friend. She wanted to look for their new house at Beaver Creek.”
Good thing, because Showers was quick to tell her prospective client that she was definitely “not in favor of doing anything typical of Colorado style, with antlers and horns.” The homeowner sighed in relief. However, with its stone exterior and fireplace and exposed beams on vaulted ceilings, the architecture does nod to the region’s ubiquitous Southwestern-Alpine style. But by getting involved before construction was finished, Showers was able to choose all the interior finishes and rein it in a bit.
“It’s definitely Colorado architecture,” she says, “but with a cleaner look. There are no mountainy gimmicks going on here.” For example, the wood beams and post simply look their age: new. They’re not architectural salvage, nor have they been distressed to look old. And shaved of its bark, the wood doesn’t look quite so woolly and Western. Not are the posts likely to leave splinters should anyone lean against one of them.
But even with a tamer version of mountain architecture to appease her, Showers continued to wriggle her farther out of the regional box. She crowned the chunky rock fireplace with a late-19th-century French mirror. “Its finish is dark, but the mirror is very simple,” says Showers. Not unlike the stone mantelshelf just below it, which is spare of line and uncluttered by any accessories or ornamentation.
“We chose pieces that would be comfortable and appropriate for Colorado, yet would still be unexpected there,” Showers explains. That entailed many 1930s and 40s French pieces, starting with the entry halls 1940s-vintage French commode and the 1930s-something, red-leather Jacques Adnet lamp that sits on top of it. An unexpected approach also meant sprinkling in other, earlier styles, such as the living room’s pair of tapestry-covered, turn-of-the-19th-century Art Nouveau chairs. “I’m not a special fan of Art Nouveau, but I liked these chairs,” Showers says of the sleek, rolled-neck furnishings. “It is always about a mix to me. I never do any room in all one thing.
In the dining room, the mix includes 1940s French chairs, still in their original leather, and a 19th-century, Regency-style English oak buffet. In the master bedroom, the blend includes ‘30s French chairs covered in camel mohair, ‘40s French iron cigarette tables, and a 19th-century faux-bamboo armoire. Late-19th-century framed herbiers (pressed herbs) flank the armoire.
Though she never does all-of-a-kind furniture, Showers does consistently wake up spaces with texture and shape. Covered in a fine but forgiving rusty-hued mohair and detailed with nailhead trim, the custom living room sofa is a copy of one favored by Coco Chanel in her Paris atelier. Extra soft and roomy with a thick-cushioned back and rolled arms, it’s perfect for comfy lounging by the homeowners’ three sons.
“We wanted this to be a family home everyone could be comfortable in,” says Showers. “Yet we still wanted to give it a chic look.” To dress up the sofa, she brought in shimmer with silk bolsters. “They may not be the most practical, but you can replace pillows in a couple of years if they’re too fragile. It’s more expensive to re-cover a sofa.” Underfoot, a leather-rimmed wool carpet in a pattern so subtle, it’s hard to discern warms up the entire conversation grouping.
The homeowners’ comfort zone rests in subtle colors, but Showers loves color. “I did what I typically do in those situations: I introduced color through accessories.” Bright turquoise French pottery from the ‘30s decorates the dining table. For more color, one need only look outside. “The whole focus of the design is the views,” says Showers. Matchstick blinds cover banks of windows while still letting in maximum light.
But in the master suite, Showers cared less about preserving the vistas than covering the space in sumptuous elegance. Silk curtains puddle onto the floor at the windows, and hangings spin a cocoon around the bed. “The husband wasn’t too sure about the bed curtains at first.” But now he sees Showers’ logic in “wanting to create a cozy, inviting space.”
So with both husband and wife’s blessings, the room is essentially pretty. “It has sheen,” says Showers. “There is nothing wrong with having a glamorous ski lodge. Why does it always have to be bears and horns?” Like its designer, this house begs the question—and is its own best reply.