Maison Jansen
Decorating Firm, Founded 1880
Maison Jansen, founded in Paris in 1880 by Jean-Henri Jansen and headed from 1936 to 1961 by Stéphane Boudin, was among the most important decorating firms of the 20th century. From its inception till 1989, Jansen operated up to 11 design studios in London, Rome, Buenos Aires, and other major capitals. Accompanying these studios, galleries of antique furniture, tapestries, and accessories sold pieces by such notable ébénistes as Jean-Henri Riesener, George Jacob, and François Linke.
Jansen leaned heavily toward French 18th-century and early 19th-century styles—but with occasional dashes of modern mirrored glass and clear acrylic. The look was carefully calculated to appeal to Biddles, Havemeyers, Paleys, Rockefellers, and Wrightsmans in addition to commercial clients. In New York, Jansen designed the Peacock Alley lounge at the Waldorf-Astoria and the headquarters of jeweler Harry Winston. The firm also designed a country house for King Leopold III of Belgium, rooms at Buckingham Palace for Edward VII, and interiors at the White House for Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy.
Jansen leaned heavily toward French 18th-century and early 19th-century styles—but with occasional dashes of modern mirrored glass and clear acrylic. The look was carefully calculated to appeal to Biddles, Havemeyers, Paleys, Rockefellers, and Wrightsmans in addition to commercial clients. In New York, Jansen designed the Peacock Alley lounge at the Waldorf-Astoria and the headquarters of jeweler Harry Winston. The firm also designed a country house for King Leopold III of Belgium, rooms at Buckingham Palace for Edward VII, and interiors at the White House for Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy.