Maison & Objet 2008

Highlights from the fair

The French banking industry may have seen better days, but news had yet to reach Parc de Exposition where, for the textile and furnishing business there was no sign of a slowdown. Quite the opposite, crowds flocked to Paris’ Maison & Objet as both French and international manufacturers revealed ambitious, large and luxurious new collections. Here’s a little selection of what we found.

Rena Dumas shows that crystal doesn’t have to be all about old-fashioned decadence. Add a contemporary geometric cut with a cheeky unfinished look and watch how the crowds are drawn in. ‘Lydée’ decanter and glasses (above), by Rena Dumas, for Saint-Louis, www.renadumas.com

A set of side tables, enrich Partricia Urquiola’s delicious collection for Artelano (above). Made from solid beach wood, the pieces are distinctly Nordic in flavour, although their playful colours lift them beautifully out from the cold.

www.artelano.com

Ligne Roset continues on its quest to make young designers' prototypes a reality – and we applaud them. The impressive stand showed a wealth of innovative designs, several of which had been seen at graduate shows and young talent events over the course of last year. They included the ‘Aphrodite’ drawers (above) by T.Hoshino spotted by us at Tokyo Design Week 2006...

...and ‘La Pliee’ (above) chair by M-A Stiker Metral, spotted by us at the Via show in Paris January 2007.

www.ligne-roset.com

Italian outdoor master, Emu have been furnishing gardens with Italian and wicker designs for over 50 years, but it was only recently they started to get designer royalty involved. Last year’s hits by Christophe Pillet and Jean Marie Massaud inspired them to continue their quest. This year they hit gold once more with these gorgeous pieces by Patricia Urquiola (above). The chairs are lovely, but the planters (of which there are unfortunately no piccies as yet) are to die for. www.emu.it

No, we hadn’t heard of Tujague either, but it just goes to show how wandering off the beaten track at these fairs can lead to discoveries. Of course we know of the loved and cherished designer Christophe Delcourt, but had no idea of this partnership until stumbling across this stand at Le Bourget. We particularly fell for the fluid lines and well-crafted carpentry of this Central Park range (above). www.tujague.com

A little visit to Loic at Tools Galerie is a must on any flying visit to the French capital – and not just because it’s on the same street at APC and Vanessa Bruno. On show was the work of Icelandic designer Gudrùn Lilja. Although beautifully made, her furniture with carved flowers inside may be a little on the girly side for our tastes, but her Curiosity cabinet (above) with moving doors and shelves held our attention for quite some time. www.toolsgalerie.com

1 February 2008 | Design