Evolution of a Store

Designer furniture store JANUS et Cie is named after the Roman god Janus, whose two faces look forward and back. We caught up with founder and CEO, JANICE FELDMAN, and VP of Sales, STUART DUDLEY, to see how the brand’s progressive designs are influenced by its history.

- Kel Flanders

The store’s roots are in outdoor furniture – who were your pieces for in those early days?

Janice: When I opened the first JANUS et Cie showroom at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles 42 years ago (wow, was it really that long ago?!) we catered for both residential and commercial clients. At that time, we hadn’t branched into the hospitality sector. Still, whether a piece is for a living room or a corporate rooftop, it’s equally important to me.

Was there a significant project that first took the business indoors?

Janice: There was a need for incredibly durable pieces that retained their quality in high-traffic hospitality environments, and we were a natural fit to fill the gap. Our furniture is engineered to withstand the elements while retaining the elegance and beauty that’s so sought after in indoor furnishings.

As we expanded into Asia, we saw the need to have exclusive indoor options. This led to the launch of luxurious rattan versions of some of our most iconic collections that had been offered solely in our exterior JANUSfiber material.

Stuart: The extraordinary effort we put into our designs allows them to easily be mistaken for indoor furniture. The added durability of each piece coupled with the development of softer materials and fabrics blurs the edges between indoor and outdoor design.