Have you discovered the new Maison&Objet yet? Since the last edition in September 2018, Maison&Objet (M&O) totally revamped its layout, entirely tailored to designer’s needs. Reconnecting with the fundamentals, M&O reorganised its offering to launch two new aptly named hubs: Maison and Objet!
The professionals-only trade fair introduced this new layout to help visitors find their way around the event’s vast offering. The two main themes were further divided into four styles for Maison and seven product families for Objet. This change was implemented in order to simplify the structure of the fair’s offering, improve visitor experience and encourage chance discoveries. With 119,633 visits made from across 171 countries, the success of the previous edition will once again pave the way for another memorable and inspiring design event in January. New visits, new audacious and intuitive purchasing experiences, inspirational and surprising itineraries… They’ve got a host of insightful surprises in store, so if you’re an SBID member, make sure you claim your free tickets to attend next month!
For each session of M&O, NellyRodi analyses the latest consumer trends and sociological phenomena, and encapsulates them into a theme. The topic chosen for January 2019 may have a humorous note to it, “Excuse My French!” but, it looks very seriously at a re-emergence of the country of Molière on the international scene. All about the French art-de-vivre in France and abroad, Excuse my French will explore what makes French style so distinctive and attractive in a globalised economy, who are its inspirations and symbols today, and which designers, manufacturers, artisans best express the modern French heritage.
Vincent Grégoire at NellyRodi attributes this theme with the renewed curiosity about the French as “A sort of fascination at the moment”. For him, the movement is linked to globalisation “In a world where things are becoming standardised, people are looking for something different”. We couldn’t think of anywhere more fitting to bring this trend to the forefront than the quintessentially Parisian trade fair set in the city of the indescribable Gallic quality that exudes an easy allure, an effortless chic and a distinctive sense of style.
The country has long been a reference world-wide for the arts, fashion, design and lifestyle. For many, it is quite simply the epitome of elegance. Grégoire pinpoints a number of factors responsible for the country’s new-found resurgence. Leading the way are a whole host of smaller companies – Petites Maisons, who reinterpret traditional savoir-faire with product lines characterised by a spirit of invention and exclusivity. A “nouvelle vague” of creatives open to multicultural influences has also emerged. They shake up traditional French chic by injecting inspirations from elsewhere in a new mood of fusion.
In light of this mix’n’match approach, the Trend Forum in Hall 7 will be presenting a selection of products, à la française which will embody the essence of this new cultural phenomenon and encapsulate the renaissance of the French scene. Adorn in theatrical décor inspired by the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, a small truck displaying the essential M&O trend mook will be parked in the centre, surrounded by a number of handpicked contemporary items to create deliberate contrast against the classical setting. “There will be disruptive, dissonant elements and a spirit of contradiction”, promises Grégoire.