31 Jan Friday Files by: BOYAC – Maison & Objet
This week on Friday Files we report back our findings from Europe’s largest trade fair Maison & Objet. Held at the Parc des expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte, Maison is somewhat intimidating for a first time visitor, seven halls packed to the rafters with the latest and greatest of everything for the home.
This year’s theme was “Elsewhere”- an invitation to distant inner journeys. A desire to get away and a wish for openness to the world are animating design and the art of living. Traveling coolness is looking for new lands, unseen vistas, far-off spots where adventure and wonder are at hand. Globetrotters and nomads, amblers and bushwhackers are heading out to discover the “other” and sketching the shifting cartography of a mobile, fluid, cosmopolitan and more human world. Guaranteed disorientation.
The first edition of Maison & Objet for the year sees designers embracing the elements, with landscape-inspired surface and pattern, precious natural materials and an emphasis on craft techniques.
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Trends Spotted:
The four elements of earth, water, fire and air inspire earthy textures, watery print and pattern, smoky surfaces and volcanic glazes.
Zingy sherbet yellow is a key colour direction. Many brands use this eye-catching colour for a key product or an iconic chair.
Cocooning shapes and blanket upholstery continue as major trends for furniture, with toggles, buttons and oversize keyholes translated directly from clothing to seating for a casual, DIY feel.
Precious natural materials such as mother of pearl and onyx are used for whole tabletops or picked out as an inlay detail.
Mirrors have been given inventive functional and decorative updates across the show, from built-in shelves to looped handles and playful outlines.
NB – A stand out for us was the pool of water that danced like a fountain to music! (pictured below)
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