6 trends and designs that we love in September’s Maison & Objet Paris

Sep 16 , 2018

Paola Sakr’s creation, ‘Balance’, is an artistic expression of the right and left sides of the brain.

There are eco-friendly products, Lebanese projects and Asian artists to look out for. Retro sound and feathers also steal the spotlight

This month’s Maison & Objet Paris show explores the ethical production of interior design and lifestyle products. STYLE selects the cutting-edge designs and talents to watch

1. SALVAGED TIMBER

Maison Popineau produces limited-edition cushions and daybeds.

The Maison & Objet (M&O) show is held in Paris every January and September, and is one of the world’s most influential lifestyle and interior design events. The latest event, from September 7 to 11, is themed “Virtuous” to reflect how new-era consumers increasingly question the origin, ethical production and sustainability of interior materials.

One of the most original exhibitors in this sector is the Netherlands’ Wonderwall Studios (wonderwallstudios.com), which creates unique panelling from salvaged woods. Its distinctive approach has earned it acclaim from many corners with clients including the Hard Rock Hotel in Palm Springs. “We scour the land for woods that can be salvaged and upcycled, giving discarded timber a second lease on life.It’s a reincarnation of sorts,” they say.

Maison Popineau (maisonpopineau.com) produces-limited edition cushions and daybeds, the newest of which is its Belle de Jour daybed (pictured) with an original geometric pattern. All the brand’s products are made in France and the raw materials come from textile end-of-series, vintage remnants or reserves for haute couture.

2. LEBANON RISING

Carlo Massoud’s ‘Mar Mikhayel’ is a model of a Beirut neighbourhood with a pink-eyed gorilla climbing the walls of a building.

Beirut might not seem on the cutting-edge of design, but this iteration of M&O is seeking to raise the profile of the city’s most talented designers by putting the spotlight on six of them for its Rising Talents award. Carlo Massoud’s (carlomassoud.com) work often incorporates the social and political: African fertility dolls inspired his Autopsy project, and he designed a collection of stools with his sister Mary-Lynn Massoud. His work is also richly imaginative and unexpected, such as Mar Mikhayel (pictured), a model of a Beirut neighbourhood with a pink-eyed gorilla climbing the walls of a building.