September 15, 2015

20 Best in Show at Maison&Objet Fall 2015

 

The biannual Maison&Objet Paris edition has just closed its doors on another successful exhibition. The show had eight halls packed with product and elaborate stands showcasing the new and the best of European and international homewares, furniture, accessories, textiles and lighting.

To be a trendsetter you also have to be a talent scout and once again Maison&Objet offered a platform for new and emerging talent. Two standout designers in this showcase were Gilles Neveu and design duo Laura Lynn Jansen and Thomas Vailly, all inspired by nature but utilizing technology to create optical effects. Other notable highlights included the Floating Flower Garden Space by Japanese techno-artists TeamLab. This was an extraordinary sensory experience of 2300 suspended flowers with their roots anchored overhead creating a botanical fairyland of rising and falling blooms.

While the Maison&Objet Observatoire de la Maison showcased a “Precious” theme, exhibitors seemed to keep to simpler forms and less extravagant details. Metal and wood were still dominant materials used in simplified forms although there is growing use of leather for details such as straps, pulls and hooks. The showcase was also awash with shades of blue, from light to dark, bold green and pinks. After the big bang celebrations of the show’s 20th Anniversary in January, the September showing seemed an altogether quieter affair. The larger high-end furnishing companies were fewer on the ground with many more accessory, tabletop and home décor collections being represented across the halls.  

Still, the Scandinavian design houses were out in full force, showcasing many new to market products. French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have created the Pallissade range of outdoor seating for Danish brand Hay with slatted seats in powdercoated steel; its spare form will be available from early 2016. The Palette table by Jaime Hayon for &tradition was a wonderfully considered collaboration and created quite a buzz with its application of metal, marble and wood in differing sizes and shapes. The design duo Space Cophenhagen designed their first table collection for Gubi, the Moon collection in oak includes both coffee table and generous dining table options. Danish design company by Lassen reissued its Flemming Lassen-designed easy chair, The Tired Man, in new colorways (the chair was originally designed for The Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Competition in 1935).

Of the established accessories brands Danish Ferm Living showed clean modernist lines and subtle textural finishes. Meanwhile, the 175-year-old Kähler Design has collaborated with illustrator and product designer Anders Arhøj to launch a range of beautiful sculptural ceramics with a dense colorful glaze. 

Moving beyond Scandinavia, French manufacturer Harto showed their new Anatole side table and Eugénie coffee table, both made with oak and tubular metal in four color options. Belgian company BuzziSpace introduced its collaboration with textile giant Kvadrat. The popular BuzziNordic sofa has been updated with brightly coloured Kvadrat upholstery. They also debuted their outdoor office concept BuzziShed at the show.

Maison&Objet returns to Paris from January 22-26, 2016; Singapore from March 8-11, 2016; and Miami from May 10-13, 2016.

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