Journuit design: Find your furniture soulmates

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JOURNUIT DESIGN

In our design pages Paul Morris looks at a new kid on the Belgian design block,  Journuit design, and Armand Jonckers, an established family firm.

Belgian furniture label Journuit launched in September with a mission to “challenge the status quo to create your dream sofa”. The founding mothers of the label, Stephanie Duval and Nele Pieters, believe that your home should be a reflection of the life you want to lead, but finding your “furniture soulmate” can be a challenge. It’s not easy to find one that is comfortable, beautiful and affordable, while still unique to your tastes. Duval and Pieters believed it was possible to create them, and so they did.

They say: “We create furniture that marries characteristics all too often considered opposites or contrasts. We aim for the sweet spot between high quality and affordability, between beautiful design and ultimate comfort. We are not furniture makers, but we work with the best of the best in Belgium to refine our vision and produce our designs. Our experience as outsiders to the industry has taught us that challenging the status quo can deliver amazing results.”

So how is it possible for these newbies to keep their designs affordable? Their response: “By radically cutting unnecessary costs. We don’t hire high profile designers, we don’t own fancy flagship stores and we’ll never run expensive advertising campaigns. We invest all of our time and energy in our research and development to become the specialist in high quality sofas that look great, feel even better and are entirely made in Belgium.”

The sofas are only sold online, in their web shop. There, you can read up on every little detail about the different models and materials, and you can create your own dream sofa by customizing the designs with your choice of fabrics, leathers, legs and extras. Prices start from €990 for a two-seater sofa.

So where can I try one out, sit on it? “Of course you’ll likely want to see them up close before you buy one. That is why they’re working with the coolest places all over Belgium to showcase our designs in their interior, where everyone is free to try them and look through our fabric sample book.”

The first collection has three different models – Pillow Talk, Utilitarian and Cosy Island – all of which are available in almost 100 different fabrics, and in a multitude of different set-ups, from two- and three-seaters to corner seats and love seats (their favourite!).
The inspiration for their Cosy Island model was: “Do you sometimes dream about spending an entire day in your sofa?”

The answer would be, “Yes.”
www.journuit.be/en

Photos: Gilles Draps