out and about :: maison et objet

After many years of wistfully reading about it on other people’s blogs, this year I finally went to Maison & Objet in Paris! A vast design trade show, until the arrival of Home London (more on that tomorrow), it was the first major design event on the global calendar, so it sees a lot of new product launches and new trends.

I am covering the show for Design Milk, so a massive thank you must go to Jaime for sending me to the show and to airbnb for providing my accommodation. Look out for more detailed posts on Design Milk in the coming days – in the meantime, here are my favourite finds…

1. Blackbody lighting using new technology which means the lights aren’t hot to the touch and you can look directly at them – I loved the ‘stars in a night sky’ arrangement of these.

2. The La Secrete desk from Ligne Roset has secret compartments galore and even a swing bar underneath for those twitchy of foot.

3. The Campana Brothers‘ installation having been awarded ‘Designers of the Year’ alongside French designer Hubert le Gall; and Tokujin Yoshioka from Japan.

4. Feeding my ongoing obsession with all things yellow and flying in the face of Pantone’s prediction that orange is the colour of 2012, these lovely little Baltus tub chairs were definitely one of my top picks from the show.

1. Doreen Westphal Studio was my absolute favourite find of the show. This concrete lace curtain is just one example of the wonderfully delicate and unusual things she’s doing with concrete – definitely worth keeping an eye on.

2. Having said that, Crafting Peace were up there too. They describe themselves as a ‘social design label;’ they co-design products with crafts people in fragile countries such as Afghanistan.

3. I was sent a tip-off via twitter to check out Handmade Interiors and I was very glad I found them – a gorgeous collection of cushions, wallpapers and textiles.

4. Finally, Hay were rocking the neons-with-pastels trend in this lovely selection of blankets.

1. Zenza were a highlight of the ‘ethnic chic’ hall with these very glamourous light shades.

2. I adored iBride‘s new range of trays each of which feature a different member of a feline family tree. Lots of other new products too. (iBride is available from Lifestyle Bazaar in the UK.)

3. In their first appearance at Maison et Objet, Tom Dixon launched Eclectic by Tom Dixon; a range of ‘things that are to play with or give or use everyday, things that are designed and are undesigned, things that are… eclectic’.

4. Rina Menardi was showcasing a beautiful range of almost weightless ceramics – I could have taken them all home!

1. Pinch had some old favourites and some new launches, including this sofa in a fab new fabric for 2012.

2. I was utterly seduced by this explosion of colour from Missoni Home.

3. These Pols Potten birds tweeted at me as I got closer to them, making me smile even after six hours on my feet.

4. And I can never resist a bit of mid-century – these cushions are from Grain de Couleur.

Further reading for the especially geeky:

• http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/the-latest-from-paris-maison-objet-highlights-maison-objet-2012-164795
• http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/18714/maison-et-objet-2012-creator-of-the-year-tokujin-yoshioka.html
• http://lucywillshowyou.blogspot.com/2012/01/day-3-paris-maison-et-objet-hotel.html
• http://www.dezeen.com/2012/01/22/the-guest-by-jaime-hayon-for-lladr/
• out and about :: 100{ff546b69e23b1524d799f96c6ba7a638e1f677053b0a2a1568b05315fd5f8fc7} Design