Clouded house: Shanghai furniture brand Maison Dada dreams big in Paris

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An orange chest of drawers with a stepped design with drawers of different lengths and heights on four thin legs on a stage surrounded by cotton clouds.
Maison Dada launches in Europe with a collection inspired by the eponymous art movement
(Image credit: TBC)

Dada transformed nonsense into an art. Sticking a urinal in a museum, making poetry out of grunts, banging a kettledrum and calling the sound a symphony; these were the kinds of absurdist gestures that defined the movement. Life, Dada said, was just one big joke, so why not have fun with it?

Well, Maison Dada is certainly having fun, and making it look good too. The Shanghai-based brand is the brainchild of Thomas Dariel and Delphine Moreau, two French natives who wanted 'to inject a dose of Dadaism into everyday life'. Established in 2015, Maison Dada has just released a line of furniture, lighting, rugs and accessories for the first time in Europe, presented at Maison et Objet. The pieces they have debuted are more living room appropriate than Duchamp’s Fountain, but certainly no less compelling.

A black chest of drawers with light wood triangles on the front on an abstract black and white rug.

'Yin & Yang' chest of drawers; and 'Japanese Abstractions n°2' rug

(Image credit: TBC)

Maison Dada’s collection uses simple geometric shapes to create bold, whimsical designs. Most of the furniture is made from ash wood and upholstered in leather, while the rugs are a combination of wool and silk, and accessories are metal. Decked out in fluorescent and pastel colour palettes, the finished pieces sit like costume jewellery within an interior.

This buoyant aesthetic is, however, paired with a serious message. 'Maison Dada’s first collection is a reflection of [freedom]. Of an unrestrained imagination that brings life into objects,' says Dariel. 'I don’t want un-animated furniture. I like them to have a soul, to tell a story.'

’Rose Selavy’ vanity desk. A pastel green vanity desk with a single drawer and two round mirrors next to a single seat bench.

’Rose Selavy’ vanity desk

(Image credit: TBC)

’Little Eliah’ pendant lamps. Three pedant lamps above a wooden table.

’Little Eliah’ pendant lamps

(Image credit: TBC)

Left, ’Paris Memphis n°5’ candleholder. Right, ’2πR’ mirror.

Left, ’Paris Memphis n°5’ candleholder. Right, ’2πR’ mirror

(Image credit: TBC)

Two images. Left is of a white rectangular block with a lamp on it, a yellow bust next to it on a an abstract rug in front of a blue wall. Right has a round silver table on an abstract black and white rug.

The collection features bold prints and geometric shapes

(Image credit: TBC)

Left, ’Off the Moon n°3’ tray. Right, ’Paris Memphis n°3’ candleholder

Left, ’Off the Moon n°3’ tray. Right, ’Paris Memphis n°3’ candleholder

(Image credit: TBC)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Maison Dada website

Mary Cleary
Writer and Wallpaper* Contributing Editor

Mary Cleary is a writer based in London and New York. Previously beauty & grooming editor at Wallpaper*, she is now a contributing editor, alongside writing for various publications on all aspects of culture.