Clearly Luminous
Midcentruy touches and refined radiance give a Texas house a quiet, understated glamour.
Toned down. Understated. Quiet. These aren't qualities commonly associated with glamour. But they are key words that come up again and again when Jan Showers describes the glamorous look that has become her signature. The Dallas-based interior designer has a deep appreciation for the fact that shimmer and sheen work their magic best when set against neutral territory.
"I just don't like over-the-top glamour. I want it to be subtle," Showers explains.
At this comfortable luxurious home in Austin, the designer achieves just such a balance, creating a feeling of refined radiance. In the entry, a sculptural Murano chandelier hangs like an ornament, reflected in a midcentury Jansen mirror but also tempered by walls painted a shade of platinum. For the solaruim, with its dramatic twenty-foot ceilings and French doors, Showers goes with a palm motif for panache and a bit of tropical chic. But there's no chance of this room turning glitzy-the linen curtains and the natural texture of the white cowhide used for the bergeres and a rug cut any glare.
Throughout the ineriors, Showers, as she frequently does, sprinkles in Lucite furniture and handblown glass pieces. "I love glass, period. The sparkle, the glistening quality. It just adds something spectacular to a room," says the designer.
The material also gleams in the lamps she fabricates on the island of Murano, near Venice. Lighting is a passion of hers: "It's what determines the difference between a room looking just OK or great."
This is Showers' second project for these clients, Carla McDonald, a marketing firm owner, and her husband, Jack, a technology entrepreneur. "Jan's aesthetic is so in sync with mine," says Carla, who delighted in collaborating on design decisions. "I was looking for an understated glamour."
When the McDonalds bought the limestone-clad house, Showers felt the interiors did not play well with thh French-style exterior. As Showers says, "There were dark gren and white marble floors and Colonial molding everywhere." The renovation introduced coved ceilings, plaster walls and light-colored marble in the entry and solarium, with wooden floors elsewhere in the house.
Carla has an entusiasm for French forties and fifties furniture. She loved the addition of a Maxime Old coffee table and Maison Jansen vermeil floor lamps in the living room. Carla says they give the room "the feeling of a Parisian salon." The couple likes to entertain, so Showers divided the space into three conversational seating areas. "Because the room is large, the helps make it intimate."
The dining room displays a similarly confident, low-key elegance. The illumination form twin chandeliers is absorbed by the rich brown tones of a mahogany table and chairs in chocolaty leather.
The bedroom was perhaps the biggest challenge. Showers and the owners considered five different beds, but none felt right. Carla says, "I was thumbing through a book on Billy Haines. I saw the most glamorous bed, and said 'That's it!' You can't really do a forties-inspired home without some Billy Haines."
Showers had the bed made in tufted silk satin with a wood frame in silverleaf. It's clearly the showpiece of the restful space. "Everything else is toned down," she says, "from the ceramic lamps to the ivory walls with peach undertones. So it comes off as an understated but still very beautiful room."