PROFILES

When they took over La Maison de la Mousse in 2019, Juliane Costes and Julien Bounicaud – partners in business and life – set themselves a challenge: to revive traditional craftsmanship. For forty years, the historic company had been producing tailor-made professional furnishings such as seats, backrests, benches and curtains, in a little old studio in Rue Barla in Nice. The young couple wanted to update the brand. “We both come from completely different backgrounds,” says Juliane Costes. “I was in finance and Julien was in events communication. We wanted to get involved in a takeover project together, specifically a manufactured product that was made in France.” Fast-forward a couple of years, and the two entrepreneurs in their thirties have awoken a sleeping beauty. The little studio in Rue Barla has been given a new image and a new logo, and has become a modern showroom. The team, which now consists of ten staff, has moved to a vast 400-sqm space in the district of Lauvette. The couple has built up a solid network of customers and now puts their stamp on the furnishings of numerous establishments on the Riviera, including Hôtel Amour in Nice, coffee shop chain Emilie and the Cool Kids, Rosana restaurant in Cannes and the Côté Sushi franchise. Riding the wave of this success, Juliane and Julien have also created a second business, Le Matelas Niçois. “It’s a strong, independent brand that sells standard-size mattresses designed from start to finish in our premises and delivered in less than a week,” says Julien. “It took us two years of research to achieve our goal: a layer of foam mattresses that provides firm support, with anti-mite, antibacterial and hypoallergenic properties.” They intend to pursue this development by creating designer furniture, and recently launched Le Pouf Français, a range of comfortable seating in different sizes and colours. The creations are naturally manufactured in their Nice studios, following their beloved “Made in France” ethos.

By Mickaël Mugnaini