All In the Details

Twice a year, design fair Maison & Objet marks Paris as a place of pilgrimage for seekers of design and decoration inspiration. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, this January’s iteration will see over 600 exhibitors showcase their latest launches; meanwhile, this season’s theme, ‘Tech Eden’. Running simultaneously in the city is Paris Déco Off, where one can find endless possibilities in the form of fabrics, wallpapers, trimmings and wallcoverings. Here are some of the most exciting highlights of the two fairs, handpicked by the World of Interiors editors, who are perusing the showrooms, galleries and booths to uncover the very best installations, collections, launches and more.

On show in the labyrinthine realm of Féau Boiseries, Invisible Collection presents in an exhibition called ‘Dressed in Dedar’; marking its collaboration with French institution Le Mobilier National. Contemporary pieces find a home among the rare, antique wood paneling, decorative mouldings and gilded silk screens, which offer a poetic backdrop to the newly created pieces on display. The imagination is prevented on straying too far, as the exhibition is literally threaded together by new Dedar fabrics that weave their way, like a guide rope through the rooms – between panels, round statues, behind empty picture frames, under screens – offering a flowing narrative in the story. There’s no better way to see centuries of French artistry and design coming together, under one, delightful roof.

In its tucked-away Rue de Temple showroom, Tekla displays its cosiest A/W 2024 bathing collection, featuring the softest fabrics in Sienna Stripes, Racing Green, Marseille, Antwerp and Kodiak Stripes. To complement: simple treats of fresh oranges and dark chocolate for lucky guests, reviving them from the bitter cold outside.

At this year's Paris Déco Off, de Le Cuona previewed its upcoming Nature’s Opera collection, which is slated to launch in March. As with the design house's other offerings, the Elizabeth Paisley motif within this range draws upon pastoral references in celebration of the natural world. Depictions of leaves and foliage swirling across the cloth evokes the shifting of the seasons, and reflects traditional European interpretations of paisleys from the 19th century. Soft to the touch with a fluid drape, the fabrics are crafted from wool and cotton woven on jacquard looms, incorporating eight different coloured yarns. A blend of gold and silver, boho purple and pink lend a discreet luxury; the reverse of the cloth, meanwhile, offers a more muted alternative.

Details: delecuona.com

It’s the tiny details that make a tapestry – the expressions on faces that tell a story, the architecture of castles and heraldic symbolism, the ferrets and birds in corners, the shades and shapes of leaves. Watts 1874 use digital photomosaic photography to transcribe centuries-old designs into panoramic textiles and papers; stop by the pop-up at 12 Rue des Beaux-Arts 75006 to see both the original tapestries and their contemporary counterparts.

Samuel & Sons has collaborated with interior designer Timothy Corrigan for Bagatelle, a collection comprised of luxurious fringes, braids and tassels that draw influence from neoclassical French passementerie. Visit the showroom and discover the new range at 23 Rue du Mail.

Launching during Paris Déco Off in its pretty Rue Du Mail showroom, the Sahco 2024 collection builds on Kvadrat’s rich heritage, drawing inspiration from Nordic Neo-classicism. The colours – typical in their richness – play on the concept of a wild bouquet.

The fourth edition of ‘Future on Stage’ at Maison & Objet will platform inventive projects by design studios Tosco, Anga, and BlueCycle. The innovative contemporary studios, from Portugal, France and Greece respectively, will display creative new products, including marbled concrete shelving units (Tosca), mesmerising tabletops made of recycled plastic packaging (Anga), and 3D-printed objects for the home (BlueCycle).

Set in the Marta Sala Éditions showroom – a charming and currently gold-hued apartment in the 6th arrondissement – the design house and Fromental exhibit pieces together in a collaboration called ‘The New Gilded Age’ (Le nouvel âge doré). As one might imagine, gilt is the go-to – featuring in hand-painted Chinoiserie wallcoverings and the furnishings’ aureate accents.

House of Finn Juhl is exhibiting for the first time at Maison & Objet, where it will spotlight new designs alongside a special, newly revived piece from the brand’s archive. Expect to experience other well-known pieces such as the ‘Chieftain’ and ‘Pelican’ chairs – which embody Finn Juhl’s forward-looking approach to design – presented in innovative and exclusive materials.

Inspired by the wild and expressive spirit of the 1980s and 90s party scene, Polspotten, founded in Amsterdam, is tapping into its origin story this January in its showcase at Maison & Objet. Though it hasn’t revealed specific details, the brand is working with Cleo Campert, a documentary photographer famed for having captured some of the city’s landmark moments. Together, they’re crafting a visual narrative that interlaces her historic party scenes with the modern essence of Polspotten.

At this year’s Maison & Objet, 13 Desserts is planning to unveil several surprises, including a pop-up project at the Printemps Haussmann store in collaboration with Made in Design. At the fair, the stand, designed by Paf Atelier, will be reimagined as a playground in which the history, visual identity and philosophy of the brand will take centre stage. Clément Rougelot and Kevin Dolci, the label’s co-founders, will exclusively present their newest ‘Cézaire’ chair, developed with Pool Studio.

Esteemed textile house Christopher Farr Cloth will commemorate the 20th anniversary of its ‘Carnival’ design at a specially curated exhibition during Paris Déco Off. Originally sourced from the archives of Michael Szell, the design has seen multiple colourways, and now a roster of designers, including Ben Pentreath, Taylor Borsari, Amanda Essex and Fran Hickman, have taken part in a recolouring project that will see them lend their perspective and creative touch to the classic pattern. Clients will be invited to join the ‘exciting journey’ by voting for their favourite recolouring.

Luxe carpets have made a comeback, not least thanks to recent filmic interiors, but classic monotone is a touch passé. In a first-time collaboration, Tai Ping and Brooklyn-based atelier Callidus Guild have created a range of tonally complex hand-knotted rugs produced by Nepalese artisans. Callidus Guild’s Yolande Milan Batteau, a trained fine artist, drew inspiration for the designs from an eclectic range of sources, including American painter Agnes Martin, slivers of mother-of-pearl, sacred geometry, ancient woodcuts and Buddhist koans, and the result is visually transfixing. Visit the gallery-like showroom in the 1st arrondissement for a viewing that may well remind one of being in MoMA.

Lelièvre Paris has announced it will revive the Quenin brand in Paris this January, with an offering of rugs, textiles and wallcoverings. The two brands are closely interwoven – both French companies that made their debut during the Belle Epoque. Quenin was born in 1865, and Lelièvre bought its factory, along with its centuries-old expertise, in 1973. The new showcase in Paris promises a reinterpretation of Quenin’s archive that dares to be eclectic. The collection plays with classics and adds a bold, contemporary touch.

The granite-topped tables in Pinto’s new collection take inspiration from the palm groves of Marrakech. Palms have featured in Pinto’s designs over the decades, and the 2024 ‘Palme’ collection expands on this motif, interpreting the lines and shadows of the Palmeraie in patinated brass and cross-sections of stone.

Pierre Yovanovitch opened his Paris gallery back in October 2023, a space where he could exhibit furniture dynamically arranged into different types of rooms. In line with Paris Design Week, Yovanovitch has unveiled his latest exhibition at the showroom, and it is well worth a visit. Expect to see his furniture complemented by artworks and sculptures by the likes of David Hominal, Pierre Roulot and Johan Creten.

Details: Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier Paris, Gallery 4 Passage St. Avoye, 75003 Paris

Chosen as Maison & Objet’s 2024 designer of the year, Mathieu Lehanneur’s work masterfully blends art, design, science and technology (WoI Oct 2016). For the January edition, he has conceptualised a minimalistic installation, Outonomy, that aims to bridge the gap between interiors and exteriors. ‘Without saying too much about it for the moment,’ he confides, ‘the project is based on the idea of independence and freedom, far from all the noise and the density. Towards some other place for inventing and reinventing oneself. Far from being nostalgic or an attempt to return to the past, Outonomy aims to respond to the question: “What do I really need?”’

Participating for the first time at Maison & Objet, lighting brand Yamagiwa will present its ‘Taliesin’ lighting-fixture series, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Alongside this, the exhibition will feature Toyo Ito’s ‘Mayuhana’, Shiro Kuramata’s ‘K Series’ and newer releases such as ‘Sui & Syoku’ and ‘Twilight’. The brand has been selected to exhibit in the fair’s ‘Signature’ sector, reserved for furniture and decorative-design brands known for merging celebrated forms with contemporary elegance. In its venue conceived with sustainability in mind, Yamagiwa will unveil lighting that showcases meticulous Japanese craftsmanship.

Energy efficiency is fundamental to Formafantasma, the research-based design studio of Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Ferresin that has collaborated with brands such as Artek and Tacchini and recently taken on the creative direction of Rubelli. Their first collection for the Venetian fabric house eschewed chemical dyes in favour of natural pigments and focused on raw materials and weaving techniques, using linen, wool and hemp. As activists for a holistic approach to design, including its sociological, historical, political and ecological aspects, Trimarchi and Ferresin are conscious of the ecological impact of every facet of their practice – even the most innocuous, such as the CO2 emissions produced by navigating their website, which they’ve minimised through clever formatting. Andrea Trimarchi will be giving a talk on ethical and purposeful design at Maison & Objet.

‘Maison & Objet’ runs 18–22 January 2024 at Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre. For more information, visit maison-objet.com

‘Paris Déco Off’ runs 17–21 January 2024 at various locations across the city. For more information, visit paris-deco-off.com