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Description
There are dressers… and then there are commodes that look as though they’ve just stepped out of a restrained Parisian …
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There are dressers… and then there are commodes that look as though they’ve just stepped out of a restrained Parisian townhouse where someone important once kept gloves in the top drawer.
This Maison Jansen–style Directoire commode in beautifully faded mahogany is exactly that sort of piece — dignified, architectural, and quietly confident. It doesn’t shout. It clears its throat politely and waits for you to notice the details.
The case is executed in warm, honey-toned mahogany that has mellowed with time into that soft, luminous patina collectors chase but rarely find. The grain flows cleanly across the three drawer fronts, uninterrupted and symmetrical, creating a sense of visual calm. There is something almost meditative about the surface — no excessive ornament, no theatrical carving — just proportion, balance, and impeccable line.
Fluted side columns frame the façade, echoing the neoclassical vocabulary of the Directoire period (circa 1795–1804), when France traded Rococo exuberance for Roman restraint. The tapered legs descend with elegant precision, terminating in simple brass-capped feet that ground the piece without weighing it down. It stands straight-backed and self-assured — a soldier of symmetry in a world of curves.
The hardware is classic and understated: geometric brass pulls with octagonal mounts and centered escutcheons, each aligned with military discipline. The drawers are generously scaled, offering practical storage while maintaining the clean horizontality that defines Directoire design.
And then there is the crowning touch — the white Carrara marble top. Cool, luminous, and subtly veined in soft gray, the marble provides a perfect counterpoint to the warmth of the mahogany below. Its crisp edges and gentle overhang lend the commode both refinement and durability. It is the kind of marble that has witnessed candlelight dinners, handwritten letters, and perhaps a discreet note tucked beneath a silver tray.
Maison Jansen, the legendary Paris decorating firm founded in 1880, became synonymous with French neoclassical revival interiors for royalty, diplomats, and tastemakers. While this piece is “Maison Jansen style,” it channels that same disciplined elegance and architectural clarity that made Jansen interiors so enduring.
From an SEO standpoint, this is a Directoire commode, Maison Jansen style dresser, faded mahogany French chest of drawers, Carrara marble top commode, neoclassical French furniture — every term fitting because every detail aligns.
But beyond keywords lies character. Stand before it long enough and you’ll feel the quiet authority of a piece that doesn’t need ornament to prove its worth. It is refined without fuss, elegant without excess.
In other words — furniture with impeccable manners.
measures 32.25 tall x 40.75 wide x 19.5 deep
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- Dimensions
- 40.75ʺW × 19.5ʺD × 32.25ʺH
- Styles
- Louis XVI
- Artist
- Maison Jansen
- Period
- 1940s
- Country of Origin
- France
- Item Type
- Vintage, Antique or Pre-owned
- Materials
- Carrara Marble
- Condition
- Good Condition, Original Condition Unaltered, Some Imperfections
- Color
- White
- Condition Notes
- Good vintage condition. Faded case with is evenly faded other than lower case Good vintage condition. Faded case with is evenly faded other than lower case less
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Cancellation Policy - Prior to shipping or local pickup, buyers may cancel an order for up to 48 hours, unless otherwise specified.