We Love Your Style: Jan Venderly

FEATURE | We Love Your StyleWe Love Your Style

JAN VENDERLY

By Amber Bouthot

Each month, we highlight someone whose style we admire. If you know someone we should consider featuring, email ambouthot@the-papers.com.

This month, it is Jan Venderly. Jan is a retired English/Journalism educator and an avid traveler and art lover. She is also a widow and has spent the past two years navigating grief. She and her husband Paul shared many passions: hiking, cycling, going to concerts, attending theater events, reading, and taking road trips. When they remodeled their kitchen and dining room years ago, they redecorated their whole house, buying new furniture and reorganizing spaces. Jan purchased her home as a single woman in 2009 and, together, she and Paul made it their home.

How would you describe your style?

As someone who taught desktop publishing once upon a time, I appreciate strategically placed white space; clean lines and margins; harmonious colors; and rich, interesting content.

When you think of your home, what’s the feeling you hope your family and visitors have?

I want my home to exude warmth and tranquility. I think it is chock full of great conversation pieces, as it is filled with art from local and regional artists. Additionally displayed are items from my travels. My pretty little historic home in West Central has always been a personal sanctuary for me; I want guests to feel comfy and at peace when they spend time with me in the space, as well.

Tell us a little about each of the areas you chose to highlight. Why did you choose them? What makes them your faves?

1. The house itself—This sweet home (circa 1850) holds so many memories of my life with my beloved husband. The steps leading up to the porch is the setting we used for our Save-theDate announcement photo for our wedding. We loved living downtown. I still do, of course. 2. The fireplace in my living room is functional. Paul and I spent a lot of evenings in front of toasty fires, especially on Sundays while we watched football games. The painting on the mantle is a gorgeous work by local artist John Gruse. The glass fire screen, a Tiffany-style design, matches the Tiffany reproduction lamps in the room. The glass vases and ornaments are also by local artists. 3. This spot is where Paul loved to read. The quartet of abstract art on the wall is by Justin Johnson, Gallery Director and Art Coordinator at the University of Saint Francis. The two bunnies are “Miffies,” made by a Dutch toy company. We picked them up in Amsterdam. My nickname for Paul was “Bunny.” 4. After Paul’s death, I rededicated this space in my den as a visual tribute to him; to us. Local artist Joel Fremion had asked Paul to pose for one of his amazing textile portraits. We bought it from him after it was exhibited in several places in town and regionally. I treasure it. The violins—mine from primary school playing and Paul’s father’s, which he played at college—were painted by our dear friend Terry Ratliff. The faces on the fiddles are a deconstruction of my favorite photograph from our wedding. The lamp on the side table is a Paul Siefert original. 5. Our downstairs guest bedroom. Paul loved the clean lines and the black and white color scheme of the room. The paintings of Bob Dylan and John Lennon were created by Paul’s dear friend Dan Gagen from his hometown of Albion. Paul was an amazing guitarist, and these two musicians were two of his favorites.

6. Also in the guestroom is a beautiful portrait of Paul, shot by Jeff Caso, who is the studio photographer for Vera Bradley. When he found out that Paul was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Jeff contacted us about a photo shoot, as a gift. His work is beautiful; he captured Paulie’s soul.

The colorful portrait on the wall is Terry Ratcliff’s incarnation of Fawn Liebowitz, the namesake of Paul’s band. When Paul’s cancer had advanced and he was too weak to climb stairs, he slept here. I often sit in this room, just thinking about Paul—often talking

to him. It serves as a memorial chamber for me. 7. When we had the wall between our kitchen and dining room removed during the remodeling project, the opened space became so inviting. I’ve hosted several intimate gatherings in the space. These two swiveling upholstered chairs sit along the windows of our dining room, providing a view of the back yard and carriage garage. The two stainglassed roses on the windows were made by my friend Rod Kuhn’s husband, Roger. They gave me the one on the left when my father died and then the one on the right after my mother’s death. 8. Our master bedroom suite is the entire second floor of the house. It has a slanting ceiling and windows only on the ends of the long room. This vanity was custom built for a space right by the stair landing. The shelves display glass artwork I acquired at various art fairs. The art on the wall is an intricate ink drawing by local cool dude Jeremy Stroup. It’s the Garden of Eden. It’s a joy to go through your daily ablutions surrounded by such lovely objects. The sitting area in the master bedroom is one of my favorite spots in my house. It’s a cozy place to read and watch television. I also have a great view out of the front windows. I had acquired a cool painting by Renata Pancer (third from the right) at an Artlink show. I decided to look for other pieces with floral content and containing the same color scheme to display above the couch. I love how the collection of this artwork is both eclectic and unified. I’ve also surrounded the bed with floral artwork in various mediums. It’s soothing to wake up to the simple beauty of a flower.

What’s your favorite color?

My favorite color is green, the deep, verdant hue found in nature. Most of my trips comprise outdoor adventure travel. Every room in my house has plants. I cycle daily in both Indiana and Florida, where I also have a home, so that I can be close to vegetation and the creatures who live in it. Green is an accent color in my master bedroom. After reading the book “Shinrin-Yoku: The Art and Science of Forest Bathing,” I began collecting artwork with trees, forests, woods, and landscapes containing a copse. My plan is to arrange and mount my tree-themed artwork in the stairwell leading up to the bedroom so that I “forest bathe” every time I climb up into the room. a Pamper Yourself This Holiday Season

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