Making The Future By Design: A Sneak Peek Into The Maison & Objet Fair In Paris
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What interior and object designs will make the most sense for our changing contemporary and future needs? What home environments stir our imaginations, and inspire us to think creatively? Explorations of those questions and others will be on display atMaking The Future By Design: A Sneak Peek Into The Maison & Objet Fair In Paris
What interior and object designs will make the most sense for our changing contemporary and future needs? What home environments stir our imaginations, and inspire us to think creatively? Explorations of those questions and others will be on display at the much-anticipated design trade fair, Maison & Objet, opening with a newly revamped layout September 7-11 in Parc des Expositions, just north of Paris.A favored show for lifestyle, interior and design industry professionals, the fair is a platform and meeting point for over 90,000 international visitors, most of whom are buyers, and some 3,000 established and emerging designers, effectively providing a condensed picture of the design market for the year to come.This year, the show will be set up in an entirely new layout intended to save visitors time. “The interior design market is growing again, both in France and internationally, but faced with the prospect of a crumbling retail business, professionals need to differentiate themselves with a strong and intelligible brand identity,” said Jean-Luc Colonna d’Istria, co-founder of the Paris concept store, Merci, in a statement about the reconfigured layout he helped design. “As a result, buyers need to keep an eye out for new finds and explore new territories. When they are visiting the fair, what they want is to go straight to what they need, but still have the opportunity for surprising discoveries,” he said.Extensive research went into the new concept, which will see every exhibitor’s booth moved to a new location. Brands will be split between the Maison (Home), an area for bigger furniture brands, and Objet (Object) for decoration and gift items. Both categories were then divided into a handful of sectors that will not be confined to any single hall. Those categories include: Unique & Eclectic, Today, Forever and Craft for the Maison hub. While for the Objet area 7 focus areas include: Cook & Share, Smart Gift, Fashion Accessories, Kids & Family, Home Accessories, Home Fragrance, and Home Linen. Each sector will also have a “signature” area for selective brands.“Maison&Objet in September will definitely be an exciting event,” said Zoe Duffrene, the director of communications for the fair in an e-mailed exchange. Transforming the existing layout, “was not an easy task, and everyone is looking forward to the new refreshed look that will undeniably bring more business to exhibitors and create new collaborations and contacts.”This season the show will center around a “virtuous” theme, exploring the importance of responsible consumption and production, preserving natural resources, and rejecting planned obsolescence through, “innovative solutions for alternative growth and consumer practices,” said Vincent Gregoire, designer and scenographer from the NellyRodi trends forecasting agency, in a statement. NellyRodi will install a “village square” in the Inspirations Space, featuring 12 different houses on a human scale, while further delving into the show’s theme in the Bookshop-Cafe, relocated to Hall 5A at the junction between the two main hubs.Other not-to-be-missed highlights include the “happening” imagined by the fair’s chosen designer of the year, Paris-based Ramy Fischler. Fischler will be sharing insights into his daily studio activity, which ranges from opera set design, a waste-free, digitally connected food dispensing refrigerator, to the restaurants, hotels or offices where images and paintings are often sources of light, to name a few.The new Agora area in Hall 7, whose design and specific details are being kept secret, will be a meeting, networking and relaxing area where yoga classes and talks will be offered. One of the talks will be moderated by “design queen” Rossana Orlandi.Emerging Lebanese designers were chosen for the fair’s Rising Talent Awards this year, following years in which the UK and Italy bore the banner. In a country currently experiencing a design revival, Lebanese creation is characterized by “the multiplicity of its influences,” and “great liberty” according to Lebanese designer, and jury member for the awards, Marc Baroud. Works by the award winners will also be shown during Paris Design Week at the Gallery S. Bensimon. Meanwhile, the What’s New? curated exhibits will also show a selection of new, innovative products from the fair.In its effort to evolve with shifting market and distribution tools, the show will continue to use its digital platform, MOM (Maison&Objet and More), to provide an overview of news and new products, and enable visitors to stay in contact with brands throughout the year. “The creation of MOM (in 2016) has helped develop the number of visitors to the fair and shows us how the Internet and real-life business work hand in hand,” said Duffrene.While the internet has disrupted traditional modes of “real-life business” at every level, the show maintains the critical importance of physically meeting in person with one’s industry peers, as well as viewing and touching the next season’s newest creations. “Maison&Objet is a meeting and networking place for all design and decor professionals worldwide and offers the unique opportunity for buyers and suppliers to meet twice a year in person …in Paris!” enthused Duffrene.This article appears in the September issue of BlouinShop. http://www.blouinartinfo.com/Founder: Louise Blouin Read more