D.Designer Jan Showers and her showroom of the same name have been enchanting Dallas for 25 years, and in those years she traveled 45 times to Paris, published three design books, landed on the AD100 list, worked with Kyle Bunting on carpets and Kravet on furniture and fabrics, designed a spectacular space in Kips Bay Dallas and two co-chairs of the Kips Bay Decorator Show House. To 25 more!
For Jan Showers – the doyenne of French interiors in the 1940s – Paris was a coup de foudre or love at first sight. She has traveled 45 times to the City of Light on shopping trips for her showroom of the same name, which opened 25 years ago in October. With colorful Murano chandeliers and rare furniture by André Arbus and Jacques Adnet, their showroom ushered in a glamorous era that is still going on. This is where Showers tells us how it all began, their shopping secret, as well as their favorite Paris restaurants and hotels – and the coveted 1940s French buffet that got away with it.
The showroom of the same name designed by Jan Showers has been inspiring Dallas for 25 years. (Photo by Carolyn Cruz)
The rest is history.
My first trip to Europe to shop for the newly opened showroom was in October 1996. A wonderful guide took us to the Carré on the left bank and then through the Marché aux Puces. It was the mother vein! I was so fond of all the French 1940s pieces and it was all I wanted to buy. It was a breeze to see how perfectly they would mix with 18th century antiques from France and Regency from England. Half of the delivery I bought was traditional and half was French 40s. When I received the container a month later, the 1940s pieces were sold immediately and the others took longer. I booked another trip and the rest is history! We buy from so many different eras and the showroom is always changing, but that was my first experience and certainly the one that brought Dallas into a new phase.
Twenty-five years ago.
25 years ago there was a huge amount of Jacques Adnet and André Arbus pieces. Bill and Melinda Gates bought a lot of it, but I definitely got my share. You can’t find Adnet and Arbus right now. Pair of chairs are hard to find too, and they really make a room. For this reason we are now making our own chairs.
On the hunt.
I am always looking for the freshest piece that will be the star in my showroom. Bars have become so popular. I buy anything I can find that is nice and in good condition.
Rick Rogers with Jan Showers and Jim at Le Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City, 1975.
Where to stay in Paris.
We started to stay at the Hôtel Costes and loved it. Then we moved to the Ritz Paris and sometimes to Le Meurice or Hotel Lancaster. Now that Zara Taitt, my general manager, goes with us, we’re renting out apartments in the same area, which are quite nice.
River Oaks District
DISCOVER
FASHION
TIMELESS
INDIVIDUALITY
SPORTY CHIC
ICONIC
STYLISH
DUALITY
ELEGANCE
GRACEFULNESS
CHALLENGING
NONCHALANCE
MOVE
Working lunch.
Whenever we go shopping in Paris, we always have our first lunch in the Costes garden. Another place we love is Le Coq Rico for a late lunch – the best chicken outside of the Kronenhalle in Zurich. Also, La Fontaine de Mars is one of our favorite French brasseries. We love the waiters at Le Voltaire and we always have a good time there. Jim and I love Brasserie Lipp; It’s not for everyone, but we’ve been traveling for years. We also love Le Stresa, a great one
Italian restaurant on the right bank. We love Vietnamese food and we go to a Paloma Picasso favorite called Kim Anh near the Eiffel Tower. For good Indian food, we like Ravi on the left bank.
Kimberly Schlegel Whitman’s living room designed by Jan Showers. (Photo by Stephen Karlisch)
Now on your radar.
Vintage French bamboo pieces (probably from Vietnam) showed up in Paris about eight years ago and I immediately started buying them. At first nobody knew what I was doing, I mixed it with every era and every style, but it caught on. This is what I look forward to most when I go shopping in Paris. You will see things that catch your eye and know that this is something you love and want in your business – inspiration!
One of the ways went.
A beautiful 40s French buffet. Those were the early days and it had happened to me for the first time. Now when I see something I love and the price is right, I make a quick decision. I usually pick whatever I like from a retailer and then make an offer.
Jan Showers shopping in Paris.
How COVID changed things.
We were so lucky. Last year we went shopping in Paris on March 1st, just 10 days before COVID hit Paris. We already had a 40-foot container and came home on March 11th, just as it was all
locked. Then we started making virtual online purchases from retailers. We plan to go back in October.
Exciting piece now on the floor.
An amazing Italian bar by Osvaldo Borsani.
Next.
We started selling our vintage and antiques online and we have also moved the entire Jan Showers Collection to the showroom (previously at David Sutherland). We have decided to sell directly and are very happy about it.
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