Twice a year the crème de la crème of the design world gather in Paris for the prestigious Maison & Objet exhibition – an opportunity for brands to showcase their latest collections for the forthcoming season. This January, Vic and Izzy headed over to the city of lights to check out the latest products from up-and-coming designers, such as Silken Favours, to heavyweights such as Ligne Roset, Tom Dixon and Missoni Home.
After a quiet first evening indulging in traditional French fare, our girls headed to the show at the Parc des Expositiones in the north of the city for a busy first day checking out the stands. One trend that immediately stood out was the vast array of dusky pastel shades, as seen at Scenes d’interieur – reminding us of a subtler take on the Acid Pastel collection from Bisque of yesteryear. We also lusted after Ligne Roset’s beautiful Beau Fixe loveseat (pictured below), which, styled with Samsung’s super swish red Serif TV, proved you can clash pastel shades with bold, bright hues.
Meanwhile, animal motifs were prominent throughout the exhibition; one of our favourite brands was French kitchenware manufacturer Cookut, with its bunny-shaped weaning spoon. Perfect for Vic’s little girl!
Above: Dusky pastel shades at Ligne Roset
The variety of lighting brands on display also proved to be a real highlight, from Il Laboratorio dell’Imperfetto’s sunshine-like display to DCW Edition’s industrial-style designs. We loved how Lights of Venice’s designs are all inspired by Venetian lagoons, including an impressive interlocking chain-style chandelier, while German brand Tekna’s beautifully simple monochrome outdoor lanterns also caught our eye.
There may have been less tech on display this time around, but our girls were mesmerised by La Boite Concept’s LP160 – a beautifully crafted wooden desk which opens up to reveal a super sexy vinyl player.
Here at the Rooster coop we always love to support up-and-coming brands, so we were thrilled to see so many young, new designers exhibiting, such as The Gentleman’s Valet Company – a super-stylish contemporary take on traditional valet stands – and Richard Brendon’s gorgeous range of bone china plates and cut crystal decanters – and what a small world, as it turns out our Vic went to the same university as the latter!
On a similar note, there was also a strong Brit presence at the show. Our very own Silken Favours debuted its first range of wallpaper, featuring designer Vicki Murdoch’s original prints in a range of quirky designs, from pineapples and watermelons to pretty florals and cacti. Keep your eyes peeled for these to launch in the UK this year! Niki Jones was another of our Brit faves for its range of cosy cushions, throws and quilts, all inspired by the designer’s Scottish roots in a variety of graphic and geometric styles.
We were also taken with British eco-friendly lighting company Tala, an inspired idea which looks to unite low carbon lightbulbs with elegant design. We were really impressed with how passionate the brains behind the brand were with the belief that energy-saving designs needn’t forgo aesthetics.
Left: The super-cool skull valet stands at The Gentleman’s Valet Company and right: colourful crockery at Richard Brendon London
Perhaps one of the most intriguing brands on display was the Misoka toothbrush – an innovative new design which doesn’t require toothpaste but leaves you feeling squeaky clean. It also recently won a Wallpaper* design award. We can certainly recommend!
Overall a successful trip – and our girls came away brimming with ideas. Until next time Paris…
