Direct from Market: Paris: Maison & Objet
Hermine Mariaux -- Gifts and Dec, 2/17/2012 4:25:33 PM
Body Parts Decor in a Parisian boutique window on the Left Bank
Twice a year, Maison & Objet, held biannually at the Centre de Exposition in Villepinte, Paris, becomes a magnet to all professionals involved in the decorative Living Arts. For more than a decade now, tastemakers from all over the world and of all stripes flock to this directional event in January and in September - nearly 100.000 strong including some 3,500 stylists and journalists. January 2012 again proved an eye-opener with its extensive tableau of home trends, both present and future. They were displayed in 8 sprawling halls and expressed in both complete interior settings, as well as in specific product categories. The opportunity to peek into the future has made this show the must see for the Living Arts trade.
Decorative accessories are as much of an influence on interiors as are home textiles, furniture and lighting. So, it should come as no surprise that accessories worked in tandem with overall decorating trends at this show.
Clocks seen throughout show
New Directions:
• The return of White as the dominant neutral for spring and summer
• The re-affirmation of the importance of Blue-and-White
• The dramatic newness of Cream with Black
• The growing presence of Copper-Orange with Brown
• The proliferation of Greens and Bright Yellows
• Baroque emergi
ng with heavy carvings and religious overtones
• Art'keting - a new term reflecting blurred lines between Art and Marketing
• The love affair with nature's motifs and materials continues
• Shiny metals, especially chrome, and Lucite are Modern's companions
• Lanterns, clocks and wire objects seemingly everywhere
Cheeky White Accessories by Jonathan Adler
• Ethnic as a limitless design source for home accessories and gifts
Here are the details
White blanketed exhibit spaces throughout bringing freshness and simplicity to displays and products. Seating pieces were universally slipcovered in white, backgrounds and furnishings painted white and white accessories, often in porcelain or ceramics, reinforced the look. Massive fresh flower displays, also all white, heightened the sense of yearning for the coming season.
Blue and White at Asiatide
Blue-and-White in fabrics, decorative pillows but especially in porcelains and ceramics had a strong presence - especially at A
siatide, a company that knows how to ride a trend to the max. It is a supplier to Tozai in the U.S. but reaches its full potential at Maison & Objet where its eye-catching displays draw the crowds every time. If there is an Accessories Heaven, Asiatide is it. The company never saw a trend it didn't like. Fully stocked shelf walls of respectively White, Black, Orange, Yellow, Copper, Silver and Green accessories rise floor to ceiling. Room settings put it all together and foretell what is yet to come. Its Blue-and-White displays combined Chinese motifs, Delft, Imari and modern designs. A full size dining table and armchairs, all fabricated in Blue-and-White porcelain stopped many in their tracks.
Black and Cream at Asiatide
Cream-and Black looked sophisticated and new in ceramics in particular. Strong black motifs appeared silhouetted on creamy lamp bases, large decorative plates and bowls and were at their most dramatic when paired with all black candlesticks as seen at Beccara, a Spanish importer who can always be counted on to deliver newsworthy accessories. The combination was also seen in home textiles.
A Baroque renaissance is underway - as yet undefined as a cohesive style but advancing undeniably since early signs lit up style antenna about 18 months ago. On the one hand, designers seem to tentatively explore the 16th and 17th centuries - master paintings in particular - in which religious motifs are featured prominently. On the other hand, inspiration seems to also come from the turn of the 1900s, when a similar revival took root. A textile adapted from a Baroque painting depicting multiple images of heavenly angels was entered by Pierre Frey as a show stopper and clarion call for this emerging style in the prestigious PARIS DÉCO OFF exhibit of high-end textiles.
A Picasso Hanging by Jules Parsu
Exhibitors elsewhere were busy reviving traditional Flemish flower paintings and heavy carvings were seen on furniture and accessories, especially mirrors, wall décor, sconces and lampbases. It's one for the Trend Watch List - all the more noteworthy as it flies in the face of recent sentiments for simplicity. Baroque is anything but.
Art'keting inspired an entire separate trend exhibit to demonstrate that the lines between Art and Marketing are now blurred and that the distinction between Art and Decoration has all but disappeared. The term was coined to encourage the combination of the two and to embrace the process of personalization as part of the total Lifestyle experience.
Works by famous artists have long been licensed for mass production and distribution to a general public that may have the appetite and education to appreciate but not to afford the originals. Maison & Objet contends that this process is accelerating. A notable resource exhibiting applications of Picasso paintings and drawings to everyday objects, such as handbags or wall hangings was Jules Parsu.
Botanical design motifs are still going strong with florals plentiful and popular but leaf and tree designs a fresh take on nature that surrounds us and a perfect opportunity to expand on the greens. Nature's motifs often appeared in 50s-inspired prints as well as realistic renderings. A particular fondness for palm trees and palm fronds proves that the Tropical style is by no means dead. It is also drawing new energy from apparel.
Paper Birds by Alessi
The Animal Kingdom is still mined for every critter that moves. Sea Life in particular has graduated from mere seashells and coral branches to octopi, urchins and sand dollars, sea horses and everything else that swims.
Wildlife continues to be harvested for its exotic materials from horn and tortoise to all manner of leather from smooth to highly textured, such as alligator, ostrich and sharkskin or shagreen to the characteristically hairier pony skins and zebra - no hide has been spared.
Porcupine Light made of natural wood by Bellino
Wood in all its glory and natural state continues to feed the desire for hi-touch texture and the allure of natural formations and grains. A great deal of imagination is reflected in how natural wood forms are used for decorative objects in sculptural forms, lighting and small accessory furniture pieces
Raw Clay inlaid with Silver Dots at Beccara
Raw Clay complements and extends the range of natural textures in artistic ceramics.
Alpine motifs also follow nature's trails with deer heads, antler furniture and chandeliers still very much representative of the chalet look first spotted a couple of years ago.
Augmenting the look are home textile accessories, such as pillows and throws - in comfortably wooly textures, plaided, quilted and embroidered with Edelweiss.
Bamboo and tree bark also contribute to nature's decorative bounty.
Ethnic Variations - Ethnic designs, drawn on seemingly every culture in the world, has had a long and successful run. Surprising, then, that its turn is not over yet. In its newest incarnation - looking fresher and more universally applicable - ethnic designs now show a melding of cultural influences transformed by a contemporary sensibility that is less folklor
Lanterns seen in every shape and size
ic than it is modern in concept. However, its direct links to crafts and the handmade remain not only intact but strengthened.
Candlelight a Scene Stealer - One of the nicest things.that distinguishes Maison & Objet from any other tradeshow is the intimacy and gentle mood conveyed by live candle light used throughout the show.
Home Fragrance - Speaking of candles and mood makers, Home Fragrance products have a large footprint at M&O. Both product and packaging made them exceptionally beautiful gifts.
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