JEWELRY!!!! Jewelry by Elizabeth Showers I love to compare design objects to other things in life...chairs often look like people because a great character chair has such personality. A Klismos chair reminds me of a really laid back guy, a Louis XV chair reminds me of a great looking lady with pretty legs. You get the idea. The next time you look at a chair, think about it! There is only one way that I describe wonderful lamps---JEWELRY---as they are the true jewelry in any room. They come in all shapes and sizes just like chairs. Changing lamps in a room can do more in a minute that almost anything else. A great example of this is the sparkle of glass lamps. There is nothing else that adds this element to an interior. Glass lamps can be masculine or feminine depending on coloration and shape. The one on the left has very straight lines and would look great in a man's study or library. The one on the right would be appropriate for a lady's dressing room or a formal living room with light colors. I often use bronze lamps----they are oh so of the moment in Paris right now----as they add weight and a sculptural quality to any décor. We are working on a handsome house in Phoenix with stone walls. The house will look totally appropriate in the desert. Colors throughout are an extension of what's outside----sand, sage and pale blues. We are using bronze and nickel lamps in most of the spaces and also mixing in colorful vintage ceramics. When there are lots of beautiful glass accessories in a room, I love to use ceramic lamps. They add color and form---no sparkle, but that isn't necessary if there are glass pieces present. Just remember, there is nothing you can do to change your décor faster than to change your lamps or dated lamp shades! There is nothing that can spoil an interior faster than bad lamp shades, and conversely, nothing that can glamorize an interior faster than good ones. Here are some of my all time favorite lamps..... So, if you're not redecorating an entire room, remember these jewels...instant gratification for achieving a fresh look! More to come soon...

SMALL BUT IMPORTANT

The cigarette table -- no, I don't smoke and hope you who are reading this don't, but this is what they were called originally and I still prefer this to "accessory table" -- is certainly small, but one of the most important pieces of furniture in a room.

I agree with Sister Parish and did before I ever knew what she thought-- one must have a chair by every table! It makes me crazy to see a room with a chair floating across from the main seating area all by itself with no table to place a cup of coffee, glass of wine or a book. Even when two chairs are flanking a sofa and there is a coffee table and lamp tables, if the expanse is wide, I use small tables beside the chairs. It's such a thoughtful thing to do for your guests.

Sometimes, they come in nests which are great when you entertain and serve buffet. The French invented these little treasures for this very reason! Move them around in front of any chair or bench and you have a place to rest your plate and a glass. Very often, I will recommend that a client buy a nest and separate it in the same room as 3 tables in a nest -- the French love this idea -- are too unwieldy together.

They come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes are pieces of art that can be used as a table. Here are some of my favorites that we have in our showroom right now...

I also created several of these tables for my furniture collection because I simply couldn't find many that I liked other than antiques or vintage pieces. One of my favorites is the Ava Magazine Table.

This little jewel has it all! You can rest a drink while you have your newspaper or magazine handy. It also is so narrow that it can fit nicely between 2 chairs when you don't have much space for a table. It is the height of glamour, too, don't you think? It is made of forged iron with a gold leaf (not faux) finish--a piece to keep forever. This is what sustainability is all about.

Here are a few others from the Jan Showers Collection...

Eliza Table Como Table

Amalfi Nest of Tables Edie Table

Enjoy your summer relaxing with a good book, and by all means, a little table for your mint julep or glass of champagne and a good summer read.

ON MY SUMMER READING LIST

Christopher Buckley's "Losing Mum and Pup: a Memoir"-- this promises to be a look inside Bill and Pat Buckley's world as well as the effect that those two powerhouse personalities had on their son. I love Chris Buckley's sense of humor, anyway, so it should be bittersweet and funny.

Jay McInerney's "How it Ended: New and Collected Stories." McInerney's writing is reminiscent of F. Scott Fitzgerald and John O'Hara in that he writes about society in the way they wrote in their time. This collection of short stories should be fun to read and put down, then come back when you're in the mood.

FACEBOOK

We have finally created a company page on Facebook and intend to post great new ideas and photos from the world of design.

www.facebook.com

EASTER We celebrated Easter at our house with my entire family which is a tradition of many years. The cookies were made by my niece, Allison Sykes, who has started a business making the most incredible cakes, cookies and cupcakes. They are not just works of art....they are delicious. She will have a website soon, and I will post it when it's up and running along with some photos of her cakes. Allison has my mother's perfectionist gene regarding cooking and entertaining! The picture below was the centerpiece that Ron Schulz and I did for the main table. We wanted it to be whimsical, simple and fun. The little chicks are my favorite. My daughter, Susanna Moldawer, found them several years ago at Target in Houston. I love them because they look like antiques....they have bobble heads and bodies. I love the lilacs, too. WESTWEEK IN L.A. Westweek has become the one of the (if not THE) biggest markets in the U.S. in the past decade. It is always the last week in March and designers, editors and manufacturers from all over the world come to the Pacific Design Center on Melrose to see what's new and wonderful in the interior design world. With the economic situation as it is, we expected attendance to be off this year. However, it was very well attended and surpassed everyone's expectations. JS Collection is in the front window of David Sutherland's showroom which is situated in one of the most prime locations in the PDC on ground level. Our space in the David Sutherland Showroom While in L.A., Jim and I enjoyed visiting with other manufacturers who were there and loved seeing their new pieces. Jonathan Browning, Kyle Bunting and Ann and David Sutherland were all in attendance. Perennials has the most exciting new outdoor fabrics that I intend to use indoors as well. My favorite is Plushy which is like a cross between a velvet and a mohair. LOVE this new opportunity to use a fabric that is both beautiful and durable and WASHABLE. L.A. RESTAURANTS We never go to L.A. without driving out the Pacific Coast Highway to have dinner at Giorgio Baldi. They have the most incredible Italian food I've ever tasted outside of Italy. It is owned, operated and run by the Baldis. Giorgio is the chef/owner and his daughter Helena runs the front and is the ultimate pro. It is worth a trip to L.A. to eat here and is in my top 5 favorite restaurants in the world....can you tell I like to eat?! Even though I wouldn't classify it as a see and be seen place, I always seem to see someone like Nicole Kidman or Benecio del Toro or Ridley Scott having dinner in their neighborhood. The bar at the Bel Air is one of my favorites. We've been staying there since the 70's. We enjoyed having dinner there one night with David Phoenix, a wonderful designer from L.A. INTERESTING BLOGS AND WEBSITES It's fun to get links to these. Hope you'll enjoy them....not all are just design. GOOP---Gweneth Paltrow's website. I like the format and most of the time, the content. THE SARTORIALIST----this one is primarily fashion, with great photos taken around the world when there are fashion weeks and events. This blog has won all kinds of awards. PIGTOWN DESIGN----I like this blog as she has such a love for really good architecture. The site's author, Meg Fairfax, also has great book recommendations that are primarily design related. REBECCA SHERMAN'S "HOUSES, GARDENS, PEOPLE"----former editor of Dallas Papercity and D Home is now on her own writing pieces for national and local magazines. I love her writing and her blog. THE DEVINE LIFE----a blog about design events and happenings in New York. ON MY MIND THIS MONTH...... CRUSHES A COLOR THAT HAS NO NAME----I started to call it lavender, but that will bring the color of the lavender flower to mind and it's not that color. It is really a mixture between lavender and lilac. I was inspired by this photo of Carla Bruni in the one of the rooms of the Ellysee Palace. A few days later, I found these lamps (click below to see them on 1st Dibs) and we did a room in my showroom with this color, gold and ivory. Yummy! IVORY---Love all shades of it and especially combined with white. Donald Kaufman #3 is a great ivory and so it Benjamin Moore Lancaster Whitewash. EMILY BLUNT---She stole every scene in Devil Wears Prada and is one of the 3 best young actresses working today----Anne Hathaway and Amy Adams are the other two....in the mold of Cate Blanchette and Meryl Streep....all chameleons. WHITE COWHIDES---they freshen any room in the house and add a sensual element. Use several in one grouping for impact. GRACIE WALLCOVERING---always incredibly pretty---it is shown here installed on a project in Dallas. TOMMI PARZINGER----I always love lamps and chandeliers designed by him. Found these 3 pieces when in L.A.. He also did small, interesting tabletop pieces. They have such presence no matter how small. BEL-AIR----Probably the prettiest neighborhood anywhere---it's magical. MARCH ISSUE OF ELLE DECOR----great projects! PEEVES CABLE NEWS----I am a news junkie but the repetition and negativity are not helping the economy, rather, hindering it. There should be more creative programming on these channels. There are exceptions, of course. For instance Fereed Zakaria's GPS on CNN Sundays at noon. He and his guests discuss foreign affairs and policies that shape the world. ROOMS THAT HAVE NOTHING BUT FULLY UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE----so boring! BIG SHOULDER PADS---oh no---not again! Just take a look at any photo from the mid 80's----not a great look then and certainly not now. BAD ARCHITECTURE---I know, I say this a lot, but it bears repeating because I just keep seeing it in every city when I travel. That's it for this month!

SPRING This is the time of the year when I love the fragrance of hyacinths.....they always say "Spring is just around the corner". This year, the weather has been perfect for my camellia tree as well. I think they are the most perfect flower I have ever seen and they are so rare where we live. WHAT'S NEW AT JAN SHOWERS When we were In Paris last fall, we found so many exceptional lamps. Finding great antiques has as much to do with luck as it does with having a good eye. Lamps are such an easy way to change a room instantly AND one of the least expensive ways as well. I have seen rooms completely transformed by simply adding new lamps. One of my favorites is the pair by Bagues pictured below. They are gold plated with white opalescent glass from the 1940's. The other lamp shown is also opalescent and is the most delicious green. It is Venini from the 1930's. NEW YORK We have lots of news from New York since we've been there to install the window display at the D & D and to do final edits on "Glamorous Rooms". The window looks fresh and crisp with a definite hint that spring is around the corner. With the walls covered in John Hutton's Spice of Life in Cumin, which is a wonderful golden yellow, and four of our favorite pieces from my furniture collection, the window is a standout in the main entry of the D & D. The pieces are from left: The Leland Drinks Cart with a Venetian Series # 2 Moonstone Lamp and other fun bar accessories and glass; the large Claudette Bench in warm silver leaf upholstered in white cowhide sits in front of the Helen Mirror which is my favorite mirror in the Collection with its gold eglomise Greek key border; and the Daphne Chair which has a great modernist vibe but mixes in any interior. I have one in our living room in Dallas. . While in New York, we had enough free time to go to several special shows at the Guggenheim, The Met as well as The Winter Antiques Show. We also had a truly memorable evening when amfAR honored our friends, Cindy and Howard Rachofsky for their tireless work and dedication to the Two X Two event in Dallas for the past 10 years. The Guggenheim show "The Third Mind" is interesting and often stunning. We were blown away by the James Lee Byars installation piece. It is the size of a two car garage lined in gold leaf. Absolutely mesmerizing! We love to have lunch every Friday when we are in New York at La Grenouille. Jim and I enjoy the food, the people who work there and most of all, the amazing flowers all done by the owner, Charles Masson. He brings many of the huge branches in from his estate in Maine. There is not one time of the year that they are not breathtaking. I would love to see Charles actually putting them together. They are so beautiful that at book has been published, The Flowers of La Grenouille. I am a big fan of their cheese soufflé and Little Neck Clams Corsini. Jim always orders their Dover Sole. If you don't have time for a two hour lunch, then step inside to the small bar so that you can see the flowers. It is the last of the old school great French restaurants in New York with La Caravelle, La Cote Basque,Lutece all gone. Of course, Daniele Boulud's restaurants are wonderful so there are good new French restaurants, but Grenouille is a treasure not to be missed! The Carlyle is our favorite hotel in New York. It is so typically New York and when we arrive, it is as though we were only away for a few days. The staff is incredible and they love our dog, Sweetie. It is managed by Rosewood and they do a superb job. Bemelman's Bar is the best bar in the city with murals painted by Ludwig Bemelmans who is famous for his illustrations in the Madeline children's books. GLAMOROUS ROOMS We are in the final editing stage of my book. It will be available in mid October. I think the cover is dynamite thanks to the talented people at Abrams. The readers of my Notebook are the very first to see the cover image---Michael Kors, my talented friend, is writing the foreword. BOOKS Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thompson---if you love art and are interested in the art world, you will enjoy this book. It covers every aspect of that world from auction houses to art fairs to the Venice Biennale, and is very well written. Netherland---this book of fiction by Joseph O'Neil has been compared to Scott Fitzgerald's Gatsby and there is some truth in that assessment. This story is about a Gatsbyesque character placed in New York after 9/11. It was on almost every critics Top 10 list in 2008. --- A great read by a great writer. DOMINO CLOSES We are all saddened by the closing of Domino by Conde Nast. All of the girls in my office have been in mourning since we heard the news as have both of my daughters. I know several of the young, bright editors and thought they were doing a terrific job filling a niche that wasn't there before Domino. I know that all of them will be successful in whatever they chose to do. The dean of decorating, Albert Hadley, called it "the new decor bible for how we live today" and I completely agree. This morning I read the last issue (March) with my cup of tea, and was inspired by so many things ---- "Great Style at Any Age" is wonderful, a 1972 Vogue picture of a model preparing to board a plane at Charles de Gaulle back in the days when one dressed for air travel (p. 53) was a smart lead into a modern travel story. Buy the last issue and weep. COMING UP... WESTWEEK We will be in L.A. at the David Sutherland Showroom for Westweek. It starts on March 24 but we will be there preparing our new display the week before. Westweek has become THE market in the interior design world. Editors, buyers and manufacturers from all over the world come to see what's new and fresh. We all need inspiration and Westweek is a great place to do just that. My next entry will have photos of our new space in the front window with all of our new JS Collection pieces... as well as lots of new design ideas from other manufacturers and showrooms. FINAL NOTE Many thanks for all of the lovely emails I received from people who enjoyed the Notebook. It's fun to write, and, as promised, we will have new entries each month!