Last week, I was in Paris as a Maison&Objet Sustainability Ambassador. Maison&Objet is the leading design trade show in Paris, where twice a year, brands, designers, artisans, interior design experts, retailers, and visitors connect and collaborate. It is THE event to attend to learn about emerging trends and consumer shifts in the interior design and furnishings industry. Maison&Objet has 14 dedicated sectors and showcases an exciting range of products and solutions, spanning the full home and lifestyle spectrum with 600 new brands coming on board each year in Parc des Expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte.
What is Maison&Objet Trade Fair in Paris?
Maison&Objet is a live trade show enriched by multimedia content that reinforces the exhibitors’ digital presence, amplifies the impact of their participation, and extends the post-show experience. In September 2022, there were 200 brands exhibiting and nearly 59,000 visitors from 147 countries.
The main theme was Meta Sensible, a captivating theme that invited participants to embark on a journey to a dream world. According to a concept that we owe to the hunter of trends, Vincent Grégoire of the NellyRodi agency, our time calls for the meeting of two universes that everything seems to oppose. Between anchoring in reality – with craft objects, a gesture of the hand and tactile materials – and the quest for a digital elsewhere where everything is possible, the metaverse. With Meta Sensible, the Maison&Objet showed very well illustrated this societal groundswell.
Right image: Utopia with a Meta Sensible palette
There are three “What’s New” – a sharp selection of novelties drawn from the exhibitors collection curated by trends experts Elizabeth Leriche, François Bernard and François Delclaux. There is also a series of Talks that consists of 20 conferences led by renowned industry experts.
And the Designer of the Year was the Italian interior designer Cristina Celestino! On the occasion of the Maison et Objet fair in September 2022, Cristina Celestino, who has become one of the most remarkable faces of contemporary Italian design, was able to give free rein to her vision of sophistication. “Palais Exotique” was “born from a desire for temporary immersion in another reality, where exotic beauty, the love of decoration, the passion for colors and the irrepressible desire to create scenarios linked to nature are at the rendezvous. Opening windows to other worlds and creating bridges between past and present offer the public a reinterpretation of themes such as observation, conversation and sharing, within the framework of a choral approach. decorative and architectural projects become the means of transporting the senses,” Celestino explained.
Below image: Palais Exotique – Cristina Celestino
The Rising Talents Awards were focused on the Netherlands this year. With a prestigious jury made of 100% renowned female designers, 7 emerging talents were nominated and their creations displayed for everyone to admire. The artists that were honored are the following:
Hanna Kooistra – Taking her inspiration from traditional Dutch objects, Kooistra designs household objects, such as coffee pots and folding chairs. Best known for her ‘Plakkenpot’ coffee pots, they are made from coated abachi wood, one of the most sustainable wood options.
Ruben Hoogvliet & Gijs Wouters – Hoogvliet & Wouters met as students at the renowned ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem. Together, they create ceramics, like bowls and candleholders, without using molds. In the future, they hope to find a more sustainable alternative for the synthetic foam they currently use to create their works.
Théophile Blandet – Ever conscious of the environment, Blandet crafts all of his work from harvested plastic. He believes that plastic will be banned in the future and that we should start thinking of new ways to use all the plastic that already exists in the world.
Visser & Meijwaard – Featured in stores like Pulpo, Moooi Carpets, and Linteloo, Visser & Meijwaard are experts in product design. Always keeping true to their minimalist aesthetic, many of their projects are created from plastics, such as PVC.
Seok-Hyeon Yoon – Originally from South Korea, Yoon graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven, in the Netherlands. He creates sustainable pottery, such as bowls, cake stands, and vases, after discovering that traditional pottery glazes are not recyclable.
Simone Post – A versatile artist, Post works with any material she can get her hands on. In her own words, “My design always starts with a material, which is being thrown away or destroyed and always a material in which I see a lot of potential.”
Sanne Terweij – As the Rising Talent Awards Craft Winner, Terweij is someone to look out for. Originally studying jewelry and color consultation, she has a great understanding of color and uses it to her advantage in her work.
Right image: Seok-Hyeon Yoon – Rising Talent Awards – Netherlands
What stood out at the trade fair?
This September edition confirms a return to flamboyant design fashioned from sustainable materials.
Of the three “What’s New” panels, where a sharp selection of novelties is drawn from the exhibitors collection, my favorite was the What’s New? “Color Power,” curated by trend hunter Elizabeth Leriche. She calls for shock therapy to counter the ambient doom. Its rich, thoughtful palette energizes and sets the tone for interiors, just as it provokes our senses and emotions. She explains: “Color is asserting itself as a powerful antidote to the incessant backlash of crises, but also to a trend towards the standardization of international aesthetic codes.” The decor sphere promises to be more outrageous with vivid and deep green, blue and orange, a powerful color scheme directly drawn from the 70s and 80s. The same goes for shapes that are sleek, with silhouettes borrowed from architecture, geometry firmly determined to make an impression.
Below image: Color Power – Elizabeth Leriche
Earlier this year, I joined the judges’ panel committee of Maison&Objet “Sustainable Parcours” to select more than 200 sustainable brands to exhibit at the fair. These brands highlight and amplify the presence of sustainability and circular economy practices of furnishings brands, galleries, maisons and craftsmanship.
We definitely saw a growing focus on addressing ecological issues in manufacturing and designing products. Sustainability and circularity were on the agenda with repurposed seashells, fish scales, and paper used to design in furnishings, lighting and accessories products. Recycled plastic, certified sourced wood, ceramics and plaster are rising to the rank of essentials on which we will increasingly rely. We emphasize the noticeable presence of metal, steel and marble, which for its part, seems to regain the title that travertine has momentarily disputed.
Right image: Noma Editions
Future On Stage
Future On Stage is a new springboard to support young and remarkable entrepreneurs in the decor, design, and lifestyle fields. A panel of experts selected 3 winners who were in the spotlight during the Maison&Objet fair. This year the winners were: Aluvy, Lucy Ballu, and Pierre Plume.
Left image: Kataba
I would like to particularly highlight Pierre Plume and his company. Plume creates acoustic wall covers made out of recycled textile materials. All of his products are made in France and are made up of more than 70% recycled fibers from industry and clothing. Typically, these recycled materials are used in insulation, padding, and other practical applications that you normally cannot see. What makes Plume’s company unique is that he’s taking a material that is usually hidden and giving it a new life as an aesthetic statement.
Wawww La Table
“Waww la table” is a weekly Instagram contest showcasing unique table settings that all have one thing in common: the wow factor. The entries are judged by Michelin-starred chef Thierry Marx, accomplished designer India Mahdavi, and French TV journalist and royal expert Stéphane Bern.
At Maison&Objet, the contest is set to go “pro” with a special edition for the trade fair’s brands and exhibitors, with the three best entries winning the opportunity to be placed under the spotlight at the event. Péri Cochin is the co-founder of new French brand “Waww,” which is sending shock waves through the art of table setting.
Right image: Waww La Table; the “wow” factor
Let’s not forget the amazing Paris Design Week that also took place in the city. A 10-day event, organized by Maison & Objet that took over the capital with 400 participants, galleries, cultural venues, and historical monuments who all celebrated design and creativity.
Here some that were a must-see:
“Lumieres” Saint-Louis Crystal at La Poste
Aline Asmar d’Amman x The Invisible Collection at Feau Boiseries
Maison LaRoche at Fondation Le Corbusier
Haute Facture – Exhibition by L’Ameublement Français at Hotel de la Monnaie
Vitra – A furniture collection designed by Jean Prouvé
India Madhavi Galerie Rue Las Cases – Exploration in three acts
“Swedish Secrets” Showroom Exhibit at The Swedish Institute
Right image: Aline Asmar d’Amman x The Invisible collection; Stone Clouds Second Act of “Memory of Stones”
“Matières Vivantes” Audrey Guimard Atelier Tarkett
The Karwan Journey by Ethical Fashion
Paris Design Week Factory at Espace Commines + Galerie Joseph Froissart
Maison du Danemark – Le Bicolore
“Design for a Wild World” at L’Academie du Climat – with many design schools
Left image: Swedish Secrets – Fika – Voyez Vous
Maison&Objet definitely brings together the international design, home decor and lifestyle communities. Trade shows like Maison&Objet are always a great source of inspiration, but they also foreshadow what is to come in the design world. I was happy that sustainability and circularity were addressed because that is definitely where the interior design and furnishings industries are heading. Many companies, including Laurence Carr, Inc., already take sustainability and circularity into consideration, and soon, this will be the norm rather than the exception. With all of the new ideas and solutions I saw at Maison&Objet, I am excited for what the future holds for designers, consumers, and our planet.
Laurence Carr / @laurencecarrinc
Right image: Design for a Wild Word – L’Academie du Climat
About Laurence Carr
Laurence Carr is an outspoken advocate of the circular economy in the built environment and furnishings industry. She is the founder and CEO of her NYC-based award-winning interior design firm, Laurence Carr Inc, and also the creator, executive producer, and host of “Chez Laurence,” an EarthxTV original series. Laurence also designs products in collaboration with lifestyle and furnishings brands.
As an expert on regenerative approaches to designing interiors and products, Laurence’s work is featured in major publications and media. She is a Maison&Objet Ambassador, and a multi-year ambassador for the Sustainable Furnishings Council and regularly participates in speaking engagements and podcasts for international trade organizations to promote the adoption of circular economy practices in the industry.
