Maison et Objet - Trends for 2013

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My trip to Maison et Objet with the Design Trust was tres' magnificent! The European market tends to be ahead of the American market in terms of trends, so it was fun to see what this market was showing. That's why it is good for an American designer to frequent the European markets, to see where the market is heading. When I go to High Point Market in October, I am sure I will see glimmers of trends I saw in Paris trickling into our market.  

So, what did I see at Maison et Objet? 

Regardless of what anyone tells you, Midcentury Modern isn't passe'.  We saw tons of it at the show.   There were many showrooms that were continuing to show the Restoration Hardware "neutral grey" look, but I couldn't decide if that was because it is also Parian in look or if it is still in vogue. However, for some reason, it felt tired to me, so I would not direct clients to that look.   I will say, I did see color used more as accents.  I can't tell you how much fur I saw, both real and faux.  Leopard and animal prints are still in the picture.  Oversized lighting, as well as nice LED options were everywhere.  Animal trophies were everywhere!  There were also faux animal trophies such as the blue velvet guy I shared above and the needlepoint tapestries varieties you see above as well.  The Moroccan vibe (ethnic) was still hanging in there, but it was redesigned and reflected a more current feel as shown in the tiles above.  Gold and brass were seen as accents and as large scale installations in lighting and art. I can't find any pictures to prove it, but apples were everywhere. ( Not sure what that is about. May be their suppliers has boatloads to dump, so it was a cheap accessory?  I was a bit perplexed by the apples which didn't appeal to me at all!)  Some where huge in scale while others were small and available in gold, silver and many other colors.  We all thought the apples were a bit strange! None of our group was rushing out to purchase them! 

Over dyes and moroccan rugs were still being shown as well as more over scale patterned rugs  I ran into a rug guy that I have bought from at High Point market. Textures were highlighted in all surface applications from wallpapers, rugs, pillows to upholstery.  Petrified woods both au natural and faux, as well as blonde or bleached floors with inlay designs were shown. Colors shown still included black & white palettes, neutral palettes and when color was shown teal, aqua, cobalt,pink, orange,green and yellow were still top contenders and players in the market palettes.

 I think the most interesting aspect of the market was how the suppliers tried to please all the customers by offering real and faux in all the current trendy items like trophies, wooden stools, furs and even candles.  At Maison, there was definitely something for everyone.

The highlight of my day was lunching with some of my group in the Elle Decor Cafe, a catalog photo shoot with Julia Buckingham Edlemann in the Native showroom and running into John Robshaw and Mariska Meijers.  I'll share more about Mariska later!

Time to hit the streets of London and see what I interesting things I can find here!  Cheerio!