France’s history of decadent beauty and home design dates back ages—but Maison&Objet’s celebration of the best of French-inspired home décor, design, and lifestyle also reaches a landmark 30 years this January. The fair, which fills seven massive halls of the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center with displays of innovation and crafts across categories, marks its birthday with a new theme: TECH EDEN.
TECH EDEN intends to inspire visitors with visions of an enchanted future of harmony between nature and technology in interior architecture, retail, and hospitality. Optimistic, the fair centers on ideas of well-being and biophilia coexisting with—and even augmented by—new technologies. The theme was devised to encourage dialogue around science, sustainability, and imagining a new kind of paradise.
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- CyrylZ designed the Dune Holo Chair, which combines the natural influence and futurism of the TECH EDEN theme. Courtesy of Maison&Objet
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- Exhibitor Taiwanese craft studio Yuhsien makes Bubble glass vases inspired by a Japanese sakura raindrop cake. Courtesy of Aethion
“Our ambition is to illustrate all the opportunities available to the home décor, design and lifestyle sector, and actively support its development. This is reflected in the quality of the program of events for the upcoming edition,” says M&O’s managing director Mélanie Leroy.
In the expansive halls of the fair, immersive experiences inspired by the theme will invite visitors to consider spatial design and aesthetics. These displays and special activations include the What’s New? space centered on questions and solutions in the realm of retail, and the Hospitality Lab, which looks to the hybridization of hospitality spaces.
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- The 350G Blend Vase is part of designer Sheyn’s Bloz collection, designed digitally. Courtesy of Maison&Objet
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- Porus Studio’s Dakota Armchair evokes South Dakota’s Badlands, nicknamed the “Land of Stone and Light.” Courtesy of Maison&Objet
Each January edition of M&O also recognizes a Designer of the Year, who is granted a carte blanche opportunity to create a dedicated space that reflects their philosophy and career thus far. This year the fair honors designer Mathieu Lehanneur, who is calling his space “Outonomy.” The designer also created the Olympic Torch for the Paris 2024 Games in a style that certainly embraces a biophilic futurism like the TECH EDEN theme.
“Without saying too much about it for the moment, the project is based on the idea of independence and freedom, far from all the noise and the density. Towards some other place for inventing and reinventing oneself … Far from being nostalgic or an attempt to return to the past, Outonomy aims to respond to the question: what do I really need?” the designer teases. Mathieu also has designed Once Upon a Dream, a capsule room for the reopening of Hôtel de Marc created with restorative sleep and circadian rhythms in mind.
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- Tosco joins the new brands exhibiting their futuristic designs—like this one, called Banana Split—as part of Future on Stage. Courtesy of Maison&Objet
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- Bluecycle designs furniture from 3D-printed marine plastic pollution and is featured as part of M&O’s Future on Stage. Photo by Aspa Koulira
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- Designer Joana Esteves founded Tosco to innovate with materials and colors to create beautiful, unique, functional pieces. Courtesy of Maison&Objet
Further sights to see at Maison&Objet January 2024 include the Rising Talents Awards, the Future on Stage showcase of design startups, and displays of 3D augmented reality, biophilia, sustainable innovations, and natural beauty and wellness solutions—not to mention the 2,334 brands and makers set to exhibit.
The fair will take place January 18-22, 2024 and tickets are available at maison-object.com.
