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and '50s is that they're long and narrow, so that you can easily talk to the person across from you," she says. Also in the dining room is an Italian mirrored bar by Osvaldo Borsani that Carla found on 1stdibs. The rare Jules Leleu chairs in their original green velvet in the library and a pair of Italian 1980s brass armchairs with the original ivory leather by Alberto Orlandi were purchased from Showers' store. "Jan knows me pretty well and what I like, so the great thing with us working together is that we're on the same page about most things," Carla says. During one buying trip abroad, Showers and her director of interior design, Zara Taitt, discovered a turquoise Venetian glass chandelier that would look perfect in the dining room. "They called me from Paris, and I approved it immediately," Carla says. Still, Showers nudged her in a different direction if needed. While in Paris, Taitt discovered a pair of French '40s armchairs with unusual wood detailing, which Showers brought back, urging her client to consider upholstering the chairs in a stripe Harlequin fabric that Carla already had in mind for other chairs. "Of course, once I saw them, she was right — they look fabulous," Carla says. Carla is also a dedicated collector, particularly of Murano glass. She has an extensive collection of Murano lighters and inkwells and will go to great lengths to find special ones — even spending the night in her car to be first in line at an estate sale. She also bought a set of opaline boxes from the Highland Park home of John Astin Perkins' niece — boxes that now live in a house he designed. Carla bought a set of opaline boxes from the home of John Astin Perkins' niece — boxes that now live in a house he designed. 63