FEATURES ARCHIVE

“…The recognisable Jansen look: a skillful and seemingly impossible melding of 18th-century french palace historicism, 1920s hollywood theatrics, and country house subtleties.”  - James Archer Abbott, Author of ‘Jansen’.

“…The March family were the most important clients of the House of Jansen in the 1960s and 1970s.”

Style Royalty: Maison Jansen
Quite possibly the first interior design business, Maison Jansen was founded by Dutch entrepreneur Jean-Henri Jansen in 1880. Clients ranged from Coco Chanel, the Agnellis and the Rockefellers, to King Leopold II of Belgium and John F. Kennedy, who commissioned the firm to decorate the private quarters of the White House.

In the second half of the 20th century, the March family, after the Shah of Iran, were Maison Jansen’s most important clients. Maison Jansen worked with the March family, mostly Bartolomé March, to decorate the Renaissance-inspired Palau March in Palma de Mallorca and the immense Library in the Palacio Sotomayor in Madrid. Stéphane Boudin, Pierre Delbée and Carlos Ortiz Cabrera of Maison Jansen were the family’s designers of choice and came to be three of the 20th century’s most influential tastemakers. The firm 'assisted the individual' rather than designing for him or her; the discerning eye and impeccable taste of the March family is evident throughout the various family homes and the collection itself.

Maison Jansen was not simply a consultancy; the firm also designed and made furniture and objets d’art such as candelabra and chandeliers. Jansen’s extraordinary workshops reproduced original designs, especially 18th and 19th century French furniture, one-off and limited production pieces and also recovered original antiques for their clients.

The pieces by Jansen to be offered in this sale range from those made by Maison Jansen, such as the vast seashell and coral three-sectioned table, the unusual nautilus shell on Coral inspired by the sea and the set of four green-painted and parcel-gilt side chairs, to those carefully sourced by the design company, such as the elegant but vibrant French lacquered brass and lapis lazuli gueridon. The decorators of choice for royalty, presidents and fashion icons alike; pieces by Maison Jansen would add impeccable style to any serious collection.