Maison et Objet Paris 2022 | Event Highlights September 2022
Maison et Objet Paris 2022 edition, following two years surrounded by our own four walls, Maison et Objet Paris is inviting visitors to step inside the new kind of world we’ve all been dreaming of, echoing a deep-rooted need for meaning and emotion.
Maison et Objet Paris 2022
It’s a fact, the times in which we are living have sparked a yearning for interiors that strike a subtle balance between being anchored in the real world, surrounded by artisan pieces, craftsmanship and tactile materials, and, at the other end of the spectrum, an appetite for digital living, free of all physical ties. Maison et Objet Paris illustrated this social undercurrent with its “META SENSIBLE” mantra, which painted a picture of a physical world that is no longer in opposition with its digital counterpart.
Once again this year, Maison et Objet Paris was clearly so much more than simply a trade fair: it was a place that invited visitors to explore unique sensory
experiences and tap into tomorrow’s trends. As well as the “in” event (at the Exhibition Centre), Maison et Objet Paris also hosted “off” events (Paris Design Week) as well as “on” events (online via the MOM digital platform and the Maison&Objet Academy). Proof itself that hybridisation is now a firm fixture within decoration, design and lifestyle community, too.
META SENSIBLE EXPERIENCE
With “Meta sensible” theme, the September edition of Maison&Objet reconciled the seemingly contradictory aspirations of our time, torn between a yearning to escape to an idealised digital environment and a desire to fully embrace the real world. “The physical world is no longer in opposition with its digital counterpart. Better still, the two worlds merge and cross-fertilise, mutually enhancing each other”, analysed Vincent Grégoire from the NellyRodi agency, who forged the concept.
On the one hand, the brands present have drawn inspiration from the fantasy worlds that started springing up as lockdowns ended and the Metaverse began gaining traction. These interiors flaunt soft hues and almost surreal curvaceous silhouettes, inspiring designers and design houses alike.
Paris Design Week 2022
The edition’s final flourish came in the form of Paris Design Week, Maison&Objet Paris fringe event, set up home in three of the capital’s most buzzing neighbourhoods and also embraced the trend for all things “phygital” (part-physical, partdigital). The importance of craftsmanship and new ecological solutions took centre stage at the Paris Design Week Factory at the Espace Commines. Digital design, meanwhile, will be the focus of numerous exhibitions, showcasing creations from designers and architects alike. A record number of showrooms also was open right across the capital, with a special itinerary inviting visitors to cast their eyes over Parisian stylists’ favourite furnishings.
EXHIBITIONS & TALENTS, INSPIRATIONS & BUSINESS, DISCOVERIES & EMOTIONS
What was new?
1. UTOPIA NOW
Dreams are already a reality. François Delclaux has put them center stage with simple, dreamlike objects. Colors are faded, with powder pink, aqua, and cloudy grey…From the veiled setting, mysteriously gossamer lighting emerges like a dream, and lightweight, poetic furniture softens the edges of everyday life. The theme of utopia is at the heart of experimentation and contemporary debates, François Delclaux tells us. Its shapes can already be seen in this resilient home.
2. KALEIDO-SCOPE
Affordable, creative, optimistic, and joyous. The kaleido-scope from François Bernard is a game with surprises in store and very specific rules: gift items must have a retail price of less than 160€, be absolutely new, and be even more desirable. These finds are stored joyfully according to the answers to a riddle: “If I were a scent, a country, an animal, or delicious…”, and are presented within cubes that remind us of both gift and treasure boxes.
3. COLOR POWER
Color Power calls for shock therapy to counter the ambient doom. A rich, thoughtful palette energizes and sets the tone for interiors, just as it provokes our senses and emotions. Elizabeth Leriche proves it to us by emphasizing both these shades and their saturation, brightness, shiny, or matte qualities. Vases, textiles, baskets, hampers, chairs…the selection plays with every shade and suggests new types of harmonies within a graphic and sensual structure outlined in color.
CRISTINA CELESTINO – DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
At each edition, Maison&Objet names a Designer of the Year, celebrating the work of the most outstanding talents on the international design and decoration scene. Interior designer Cristina Celestino, is currently one of the Italian design world’s standout talents. This discrete designer, who exudes exquisite and dazzling creative flair, opened the doors of her “Palais Exotique” for the duration of the trade fair, momentarily whisking us off into another reality.
