Highlights at MAISON&OBJET Fall 2018

Taking stock of trends in design—in both interiors and objects, as its name suggests—MAISON&OBJET has proven to be one of the most highly anticipated design events of the fall season. Paris’s biannual fair wrapped up on September 11 after a busy few days, and demonstrated once again why it has become a go-to source for the best in international contemporary decor. While there’s always plenty of eye-catching work on display, MAISON&OBJET is as much about business as about house and home.It does a deep dive into consumer behavior and uses its findings as a basis for its exhibition themes, making it a valuable platform for designers and marketers alike. Celebrating innovation, the show also gives rising talents the opportunity to display their newest work. Here are some takeaways from the fall fair, as well as some standouts that caught our eye.

Ramy Fischler, 2018. COURTESY OF MAISON&OBJET.

Ramy Fischler, a Belgian interior designer based in Paris, was named MAISON&OBJET’s Designer of the Year. For the exhibition, he created a site-specific installation called The Agora, which represented his take on a “workspace of the future,” featuring terraced platforms of unfinished wood, low, simple tables, and greenery. A follow-up to Fischler’s ongoing exploration of multidisciplinary spaces, the installation’s open environment was intended to encourage interaction and was nondescript enough to suggest a variety of uses and activities (including enjoying a massage from an on-site masseuse.)

Heterotopia installation by Ramy Fischler, 2013. COURTESY OF MAISON&OBJET ©ALEKSANDAR PERTEMOV.

Carlo Massoud, 2018. SANDRA CHIDIAC PHOTO COURTESY OF MAISON&OBJET.

Representing the multifunctional, multicultural world of Lebanese design as MASION&OBJET’s Rising Talents are Carlo Massoud, Marc Dibeh, Carla Baz, Anastasia Nysten, Caramel Studio, and Paola Sakr. These young designers express the optimism of the booming Beruit design scene, combining their international experience with local visual vocabularies. We particularly liked the work of Carlo Massoud, whose work synthesizes sculpture, design, and installation. Taking an artistic approach in tandem with his background in architecture, Massoud seeks to engage the public by incorporating contemporary issues and emotive qualities in his pieces.

Detail of Mar Mikhael by Carlo Massoud, 2018. FILIPPO BAMBERGHI PHOTO COURTESY OF MAISON&OBJET.

Detail of Mar Mikhael by Massoud, 2018. FILIPPO BAMBERGHI PHOTO COURTESY OF MAISON&OBJET.

Stockholm-based Front Design debuted its new collection of adorable Resting Animals for Vitra. Based on Front’s studies of human attachment to figural objects, the hibernating creatures are meant to provide a feeling of calm and companionship. You couldn’t help but want to take one home.

An installation view of Front’s Resting Bear, Cat, and Bird, as well as Wooden Dools L’Oiseau, Eames House Walnut Bird, Eames Elephant, and small Occasional Table LTR_Accessories, 2018. FLORIAN BOHM PHOTO © VITRA INTERNATIONAL AG.

Resting Cat, Resting Animals by Front Design, 2018. LORENZ CUGINI PHOTO © VITRA INTERNATIONAL AG.

Juliette Clovis reinvents the notion of fine Limoges ceramics in her porcelain objects. Radiating spikes, delicate objects that seem to be bursting at the seams, and intricate three-dimensional ornament of flora and fauna make her pieces appear to be alive—elements of nature captured in glossy, white clay.

Mucuna Bennettii by Juliette Clovis, 2018. Limoges porcelain, enamel, onglaze red hand-painted. COURTESY OF JULIETTE CLOVIS.

Big Forbidden Fruit by Clovis, 2017. Limoges porcelain, enamel, onglaze bronze luster hand-painted. COURTESY OF JULIETTE CLOVIS.

Daintree by  Clovis, 2017. Limoges porcelain, enamel, biscuit. COURTESY OF JULIETTE CLOVIS.

As its name suggests, Imperfetto Lab’s furniture uses the imperfect nature of raw materials as a starting point to create contemporary pieces with distinct character. Oscillating between streamlined and organic forms, its tables and seating on display provided a subdued but rich visual landscape.

Installation view of Imperfetto by Imperfetto Lab at MAISON&OBJET, 2018. COURTESY OF IMPERFETTO LAB.

Also of note were textiles by Nayika, from Jaipur, which bring the rich history of Indian block-printed fabrics into the global market. Working with local artisans, designers Meenu Tholia and Vikas Tholia show how the beauty of traditional handicraft can be applied to modern products. AZEN Paris exhibited several sculptural furniture pieces that combine a minimalist Eastern aesthetic with the warmth and individuality of patinaed wood.

The next edition of MAISON&OBJET will run January 18–22, 2019 in Paris.