We have followed Showers' career for years and have always marveled at her ability to combine elegance with accessibility, and fine things, such as glass and crystal, with cozy textures and soft lines. Her interiors bring together an appreciation for midcentury modern, Dallas grandeur, and contemporary livability.

Southern Accents: How did you get started in design?
Jan Showers: Having a mother who was a perfectionist was a great start. She loved design, had a terrific eye, and always worked with a wonderful designer whom I later worked with. She was very much in the mold of Sister Parish. I still insist on every chair in a room having an accessible table and lamp nearby.

SA: Your style is very glamorous but not over-the-top. How do you inject glamour into your projects and still maintain comfort?
JS: Glamour and comfort are not mutually exclusive. When I think of glamour, I don't think of some corseted dress à la Marie Antoinette, but rather Grace Kelly in both Rear Window and To Catch a Thief or Audrey Hepburn in Capri pants and flats. In every room I design, the seating is comfortable and upholstered in luxurious fabrics. At the end of the day, comfort is instinctive to me. Glamour is in the eye of the beholder.

SA: What would your fantasy master suite look like?
JS: It would have wonderful bed treatments, which is not to say overly elaborate ones. I love tailored valances with pleated side curtains. Soothing colors, such as soft greens and blues, are my favorites for bedrooms. In the mountains, sometimes I love a camel color. As in any room, I would need fabulous lamps. Nothing completes the look of a room more than good lamps that create a soft glow. For baths, I like combinations of marble, soaking tubs, and well-designed and adequate mirrors. Most of all, lamps on the surface of cabinets or dressing areas are essential for good eye-level lighting.

SA: Which movies win your Oscar awards for set design?
JS: I love this question. Movies have had a huge impact on my eye for good design. I could go on and on about my passion for the cinema. The Oscars go to: Vertigo -- any Alfred Hitchcock movie had perfect set design; Out of Africa -- the rooms in Isak Dinesen's house were so understated, and I love the scenes set on the front veranda; The Talented Mr. Ripley -- the best set design since Vertigo; The English Patient -- another Anthony Minghella film with great set design; and The Age of Innocence -- every scene in every locale of turn-of-the-century New York was perfection, as were the fabulous table settings. My latest favorite is the set of Atonement; every location was exactly as I had envisioned it when I read the book.