Susanna Showers Moldawer wasn't entirely thrilled with a pair of slipper chairs that had arrived for her Houston living room. The demure, 1940s French–style seats were back from the upholstery shop, where her decorator had ordered them covered in glossy patent leather, in a confident plum hue. "We had put the graphic rug in there," Moldawer says of the capacious room's dramatic Stark carpet—chocolate ellipses and diamonds linked across a field of milky white—and she wondered, were the punchy chairs too much atop all that pattern? Then, at the direction of her decorator, "We moved a painting," she says. "And now I think they look great."

Moldawer has learned to trust that decorator like a daughter trusts her mother, and in this case, they are one and the same: Moldawer's mother is the esteemed Dallas design talent Jan Showers, proprietor of an antiques shop; creator of the Jan Showers Collection of seductive furniture, lighting, and case goods; and author of two books brimming with projects from her illustrious 25-year career.

Showers is known for a certain curvy, contemporary style that crosses the 18th century with the chic 1970s, by way of the French 1940s. She cites myriad and diverse influences: Katharine Hepburn, André Arbus, Hitchcock films, and most of all her own mother, who "knew good design instinctively," as she writes in her first book, Glamorous Rooms. The design gene keeps getting passed down. Moldawer, a philanthropist, is also an interiors stylist and design writer, who, for several years, orchestrated projects as a Houston branch of Jan Showers & Associates. "I love design work," Moldawer says of creating interiors for clients. "But I especially love it for myself.

In her own house, she found plenty to work on. Thickening traffic around Houston's tony River Oaks neighborhood, where she lived with her husband, Palmer Moldawer, a financial advisor, and their brood, inspired her to search for something closer to the children's schools. When she first saw the house, a nondescript 1960s Colonial, she recalls thinking, Oh my gosh, I'm not buying that. No way. But after a few minutes inside, under its 10-foot-high ceilings and before its large windows, she began to soften. And then there was the lot, nearly an acre, and the bayou out back, a shady waterway that flows gently through Houston (and has provided a place for the outdoorsy Moldawers to fish, canoe, and boat).

But the dwelling, in virtually original condition, needed some serious remodeling. Out came the "dire, dark brown" kitchen, outmoded baths, and a few walls; in came more light, an all-white kitchen, and a bevy of upgrades. A new pool and poolhouse were added, as well as lush, native landscaping.

The most striking phase happened with the decoration—something for which mother and daughter give each other equal credit. "I have definite ideas of what I want to do," Moldawer says with a laugh. "Mom knows I'm very stubborn." Beloved furnishings from the former house—a pair of Dutch marquetry chairs from Palmer's mother, a cozy Knole-style settee—were pressed into new duties here, now mixed with more antiques and contemporary pieces. A table from Showers's own collection is centered in the breakfast room, where the family piles it with papers and detritus and where their high school–aged son always does homework, even though he has a desk in his room. "Every time Mom comes over, she says, 'Oh, no. We have to send this to Dallas and get it redone,'" Moldawer recalls. "And I say, 'Mom, we use it every day.'"

Exuberant family life informs the decor, as does the Moldawers' collection of bold art. Palmer's father, a physician, was also an artist; his modern works are interspersed with equally striking pieces by Alexander Calder, Lucio Fontana, and contemporary Texas artists. Palmer's mother was a friend of Tennessee Williams's; his works are in the collection, too. Showers tapped into the energy of the art: "I kept wanting to add more color," she says of stirring in red Murano lamps, turquoise glass vases, even the strong yellow curtains, upholstery, and Murano chandelier of the dining room. "A fun yellow," she says. "It reminds me of Susanna."

Fun is a reflection of the personalities here, and the house "definitely expresses both Palmer and Susanna," says Showers. "They are creative, and they have similar taste. I can't think of any time they had a huge disagreement about how to do the house—or how to live. That makes them very unusual as a couple."

Moldawer is similarly simpatico with her favorite decorator. "Sometimes my mother gets annoyed when I won't paint something the way she wants it, or do something the way she wants it," she says, laughing. "But we do work well together."