Equestrian Compound

The first interior design project Jan Showers did for these clients was their horse ranch just outside Flagstaff, Arizona.

Jan learned in their first meeting that they are true equestrians, avid fox hunters, and have many horses as well as hunting dogs.  Upon visiting the property I was impressed that the architect, Mark Candelaria, used indigenous stone and wood in the construction of their home. The clients told the Jan Showers team that they loved French antiques with simple, clean lines, and were attracted to something Jan Showers said in an article about using antiques in every room. They weren’t interested in having a house that looked like a lovely hotel suite. They wanted their interior design project to be personal. Since the Jan Showers mantra is “We don’t want your house to look like a hotel,” we knew we would get along swimmingly. 

 There are three main hallways to factor into the interior design: an entry hall, a central gallery, and another hallway leading into the living room, a beautifully scaled, spacious room with several seating areas. A pair of consoles Jan Showers found in New York flank a large French iron mirror in the hall leading to the living room.  At one end of the living room is a fireplace with a comfortable sofa and chairs placed to enjoy the fire. At the opposite end of the room, a seating area affords space for lounging and watching television. The clients’ collection of Russian Impressionist art is on display throughout the house, and a particularly special grouping hangs over the sofa in this area. Because all the other colors in the house were warm, the Jan Showers design team decided to paint the dining room a soft French blue. To help set off the interior design Jan found amazing European antiques, an extremely large fumé-colored oval Murano chandelier in Paris along with a French 1940s burled fruitwood buffet with bleached, hand-carved wood panels. An over-mantel etched mirror hangs above the buffet, adding sparkle and another dimension to the rooms interior design. At the far end of the dining room, we created a much more intimate setting: a square rock maple table with two chairs and beautiful views to the grounds outside, for dining à deux. 

Down the central hallway is the kitchen. An antique parchment-and-iron chandelier Jan found in Paris hangs over the large kitchen island. This client has a real affinity and a great eye for ceramic, and many of her pieces are on display in the kitchen and hearth room. That space is designed and used as another casual dining area, with its French 1940s breakfast table in merisier and four ebonized French dining chairs upholstered in white cowhide. Another hand-forged iron chandelier, constructed of the inner workings of antique industrial machinery, hangs overhead. 

Upstairs, the first room one reaches is the small library and sitting room, with an exquisite 1950s Italian credenza of rosewood and sycamore. This room is a passage leading into the master bedroom, which is spacious with beautiful views of the grounds. An inviting seating area surrounds the fireplace, with an iconic Robsjohn-Gibbings coffee table and a pair of vintage 1960s Hollywood Regency upholstered chairs. The walls are a soothing shade of Italian olive green. Cenedese glass in a pale greenish gold complements this tableau. Off the master bath is an old-school sleeping porch with just enough space for a comfortable custom bed and two custom bedside tables. The interior design work by Jan Showers and her team created beautiful spaces that are both rustic and romantic. Since summers in Flagstaff are cool, the clients are drawn to this space—with windows on three sides—because it is so warm and sunny. There are four outdoor areas for entertaining, all with custom-designed French garden furniture. Jan Showers adores French garden furniture from the 1940s. It has become very difficult to find, so our Jan Showers team often reproduce the design styles we like best, as we did for this project. Spending time outdoors is really what it’s all about in this equestrian compound—the natural environment and enjoying their animals that bring such pleasure.