ALL THE BEST   About a month ago, we completed a model residence in the new Ritz Tower in Dallas.  Ronda Carmen, the fabulously talented creator of ALL THE BEST blog, was in Dallas the night of the opening party.  Ronda was in town to do a SFEERA event and to spend time with all of us who admire what she creates on a regular basis.   Today she posted the photos she took that evening.  Please check them out at allthebestblog.com and enter to win a copy of my book, Glamorous Rooms.  Tomorrow, Ronda is doing a profile of me, and another one next week about my daughter, Elizabeth Showers and her jewelry.          janshowers.com

ACCESSORIZE!  Last week there were lots of people in my antiques showroom in the Dallas Design District. So many people commented about our accessories---or l'objet as the French would say---I realized that since accessories and accessorizing are two of my favorite things, it was time for me to write about them.   As most of you know who have read my book, Glamorous Rooms, I consider all of the details we add to a room to be uber important. Without interesting, colorful and shimmery objects on tabletops in a room, you might as well look at a woman with no shoes, jewelry, sunglasses or a great handbag.  Same for a man without the right belt, shoes, tie or watch---well, I see fewer and fewer men wearing ties even though all of the men's fashion magazines say that dressing up is in vogue. Sartorial savvy is key to great style.  Well, you get the idea. There IS an art to this. I consider each tabletop to be a wonderful artistic opportunity and create them as though I were painting. Sometimes, things just happen which is also fabulous---I'm sure the same thing happens regularly with a work of art.   Here are some of my favorite tableaux currently:   All of the above we carefully planned. Here are a few that just happened....      BOOKS I never think of books as accessories----I simply love them and want to be surrounded by them. Look at my coffee table!!                                                       GLASS GROUPINGS   Glass is such a passion of mine---nothing makes me happier than to see wonderful pieces of glass together.   One of my favorites is this chartreuse collection----as many years as I've searched for great glass, these are the only ones I've found that are this stunning color. My husband, Jim, loves Dino Martens glass---here are a few pieces he loves----very manly.    A color that always makes me happy---                                                            COLLECTIONS   It is such fun to see collections of things on tabletops. Even though no one smokes in our house, I love these old cigarette lighters---I appreciate them as works of art.       Kim and Justin Whitman, two of my favorite clients,  love collections. Justin has a great collection of bulldogs. And, Kim collects these obelisks.... Here's hoping you have lots of interesting/pretty objects around---no matter how little or how much they cost, as long as you are surrounded by things you love.         janshowers.com

LUXURY  Last week, I was on a panel for Veranda at the Houston Decorative Center for their spring market.  I was in delightful company with several other architects and designers.  One of our general questions posed by Veranda Editor-at-Large, Carolyn Englefield, was "How is luxury being redefined?" Everyone's answers were similar and came back to two basic ideas---consumers are demanding higher quality, and, they want to know more about what they are buying.   We are seeing this not only in the design world, but also in REAL ESTATE purchases (McMansions are OUT and perfect smaller residences are in), the ART WORLD---the craziness of the mid 90's to mid '10's is gone, and now collectors are not buying works willy nilly. People are buying FINE VINTAGE AND ANTIQUES as well as high quality new pieces, rather than non-sustainable cheap copies.    So, what do I consider luxury?  Here are a few of my favorite luxurious things:   TIME----I never seem to have enough of it!   A NAP AFTER LUNCH----this one goes along with time.   MY HOUSE----nothing is more pleasing than spending time in the surroundings that I have created for my family and myself.       ART----a great piece of art is a true luxury and a joy.    BENCH MADE FURNITURE----nothing can take the place of a truly well made, beautifully hand carved piece of furniture or the detail of well executed architectural bronze.  As the old Chinese proverb says, "Buy the best and only cry once".    JSC Harrison Table JSC Hudson Chair    HAVING AT LEAST ONE ANTIQUE OR VINTAGE PIECE IN EVERY ROOM----because each room in our houses needs character.  There is no luxury without character.   Sycamore and rosewood Italian buffet attributed to Gio Ponti, c.1950 Jean Pascaud sofa   SERVICE----I find that if I can buy the same or similar product from two different sources, I will go with the one that provides the best service every time.  Service is the ultimate luxury.   WHAT is your definition of luxury?  Remember---you will be happier with anything you buy if it ages well, and, remember to enjoy the time you have with friends and family.                                       TOWER RESIDENCES AT THE RITZ   We just completed our residence there and will have photos on my next Notebook.                                                                 WEBSITE   The Old State is doing a terrific job with our newly designed website.  It should première late May.  You will be able to see every antique we have online with dimensions and prices. They are photographed professionally with detailed shots---very exciting!   www.janshowers.com

MOVIES I am a complete and hopeless movie fanatic. It started when I was growing up in a small town where my primary chance to experience glamour and drama was each Sunday afternoon when the movie changed (yes, they changed every Sunday afternoon----little did I know that we were getting them several months or even years after their initial release). The first movie I remember seeing as a child was "Meet Me in St. Louis" with Judy Garland-----I was hooked and remain so until this day. I have written before about Hitchcock movies and my fascination with most of them, so they won't be mentioned here as enough has been said. Here is a list of movies I recommend you buying or renting that you might not have seen or even heard of, depending on your age: HOLIDAY----Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn in their prime and a great story, too. MRS. MINIVER---a wonderful 1940's movie about war and the women who stayed behind at home. Greer Garson is a marvel in this movie. GIANT---Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor at their best with James Dean as Jett Rink----he has a classic line you won't want to miss! CHARADE----Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in one of my all time favorites. You will want to get on the next plane to Paris......it reminds me of my first trip there at about the same time this movie was made. Ms. Hepburn's costumes were all designed by Hubert de Givenchy and they are chic and timeless. It also has some hilarious moments provided by Walter Matthau and James Coburn. TWO FOR THE ROAD----a movie directed by the great Stanley Donen about marriage. Albert Finney and Audrey again in a very stylish film that I have probably watched too many times. DR. ZHIVAGO----I know, I know, this is an epic but one of the most romantic ones. Julie Christie is a revelation and the only actress who could have been as memorable as Lara. DARLING-----the movie that made Julie Christie a star....love the time period (mid 1960's). NETWORK----you will not believe how prophetic this 1973 movie by Paddy Chayefsky is. Faye Dunaway won the Oscar for best actress and William Holden in one of his strongest roles is fantastic. SEVEN DAYS IN MAY---another prophetic movie that stands the test of time. You will be on the edge of your seat. A ROOM WITH A VIEW----I liked this movie when I saw it in the '80's but recently watched it again and truly loved it----with wonderful performances by Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Helena Bonham Carter and most especially, Daniel Day-Lewis in the most amusing role he has ever played. All filmed in Italy in and around Florence. DINER----- a coming of age movie with many stars of today when they were just starting out---Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon and Ellen Barkin to name a few. AGE OF INNOCENCE---my favorite Scorcese movie with Michelle Pheiffer and Daniel Day-Lewis with a wonderful voiceover by Joanne Woodward. A lovely interpretation of the Edith Wharton novel about the manners of the upper class in New York during the late 1800's. I love the score and the sets alone make the movie worth watching. There is a heart stopping scene with Michelle's character standing on a dock looking out at the ocean. All of these movies are at least 20 years old.....how about a few newer ones that you might not have seen, but certainly should.... MATCH POINT----my favorite Woody Allen film. An interesting story about fate and luck. AN EDUCATION----in my opinion, one of the very best movies of 2009. Carey Mulligan is a revelation. This movie will be a classic, and, if you like the 60's, you will love the time period. BROKEN EMBRACES----how can I say enough about any Pedro Almodovar movie? The colors, the camera angles and the romance----he is a genius and knows how to tell a story. Penelope Cruz is one of the finest actresses today. Cruz and Almodovar love working together and it shows in every film they have made. THE GHOST WRITER----I love Ewan McGregor and he is great in this movie directed by Roman Polanski. The best film I've seen this year. I could go on and on, and this needs an edit job for sure, so that's all for now. I will write about documentaries, which are another category of films I love sometime in the future. Enjoy!!

MARCH March always brings renewal-----and new beginnings. We are so excited about our newest Lookbook for the JS Collection because of all of our new product. The Lookbooks are available through Jan Showers or at any of our 7 showrooms around the country. Just go to our website, janshowers.com, for contact information. Each year, around the third week in March, there is a huge market in L.A. at the Pacific Design Center called Westweek. Editors, designers and architects from all over the country come to see the latest designs in furniture, fabrics, wallcoverings----you get the idea. Below are a few new Sandra Jordan fabrics I plan to use... We are going out next week to unveil our new pieces, but you will get to see them FIRST right here. LAMPS Venetian Series #3 in Amber Regency Lamp Venetian Series #3 in Turquoise CHANDELIERS Elizabeth Chandelier in Amber TABLES Harrison Side Table Lombard Coffee Table Lancaster Table Lombard Side Table CHAIRS Hudson Chair CONSOLES Carlyle Console SOFAS Caroline Settee Palazzo Sofa We started developing these pieces a year ago----in order to design and tweak them, make corrections and then photograph them, it takes that much time. We also make sure that none of our pieces ever resemble something else that is on the market by doing market research. So much goes into every single piece from the Jan Showers Collection that it is difficult to explain----take my word for it, there are lots of things that don't make the cut!! You have just seen the ones that did. THE TOWER RESIDENCES AT THE RITZ CARLETON Jan Showers & Associates is decorating one of the larger units at the new Tower Residences. The second Ritz tower in Dallas is truly a wonderful building designed by Robert A. M. Stern. The lobby and common areas are handsome and understated with a fresh look. Our project there will be installed on April 28, and we are truly excited about how it is going to look! Stay tuned for photos after installation. There are two wonderful designers doing other units in the building----Laura Hunt and Carleton Varney. Plan on coming by to see all of them in May. NEW YORK ANTIQUES SHOW We just returned from a long weekend in New York----this time to buy antiques. I am so thrilled with what we found. Hopefully, all will be restored and in the showroom in mid to late April. We found incredible lamps, chandeliers, chairs, buffets and the most incredible vintage frames from Asprey and Gucci. While in New York, we met with all of my favorite people at Abrams Books and heard that Glamorous Rooms is in its FOURTH printing!! It makes me so happy that people love the book. I was told that it is selling well all over the world---England, Japan and Germany! D HOME Please check out the new D Home---a really fun and pretty project we did at the W for Kari and Kirby Schlegel. Love the yellow accents on Kari's side and the wonderful woods and menswear fabrics on Kirby's side. WEBSITE UPDATE We are working very hard on our new website----it is going to be fabulous. The Old State has been great to work with and we are looking forward to the unveiling in May! janshowers.com