Eye on Design | Paris | Le Salon de la Mode-Maison

5 February 2011 ♦

January in Paris is the month for winter sales, Spring fashion week, and the Maison & Objet trade show. 3,150 exhibitors spread out over eight gargantuan halls, with about 85,000 vistiors…it’s the place to see international interior products and trends.

Sit back and enjoy the inspiration from the comfort of your own home. You can thank me later for doing the walking…my feet are still recovering!

All designers know that the displays are almost as important as the products themselves. Here’s a few interesting ones.

The lighting designs were imaginative and stunning.

I love how this traditional chandelier and candelabra are updated by adding an industrial iron framework around them.

These incredible pendant lights are made of woven paper fiber. There is a very thin wire frame that forms the shapes.

You may recognize the well known Arne Jacobsen chairs, the Swan, the Egg, and the Ant, but here they are made in Albania of car hoods. A clever update of those famous shapes.

Then there were the Egg chair egg cups. Wonder what Arne Jacobsen would think of all this?

Bell jar art was all the rage. I love it…so look for it in Objects Shop someday soon.

This Italian tile company, Antolini, stood out from the rest and attracted attention with their dancers in body makeup that matched the tile. I noticed them because there were men standing all around with their mouths gaping open.

This stone sink was lit from within. Now that’s quite a night light.

Photographic and computer illustrated fabric prints are fashionable in Paris, in clothing and upholstery. These are printed on velvet.

Isn’t this an ingenious name for an outdoor furniture and planter company?

The animal kingdom was also represented.

I always appreciate a product with a sense of humor…

This company, Merci Gustave!, sells only Eiffel Tower models…the genius is that they come in a vast array of colors and patterns. Why didn’t I think of that?

The famous Italian porcelain brand Richard Ginori, in production in Florence since 1735, still makes some of the most fresh, contemporary designs on the market. I love the vases that look like spools of thread.

Here’s a modern and colorful take on the traditional coffee pot.

Lucite bases make these magnificent natural wood table tops look like they are floating.

I’m not sure how I feel about this chest with its facade of many moldings and colors, but it is certainly intriguing.

British designer, Kelly Hoppen, had a stack of white sketchbooks in her booth, inviting visitors to leave notes and drawings. This would be a great idea for a party.