Maison & Objet, Fall 2012 – Paris, Part 1 - Incroyable!

About this blog: Merion interior designer Maria Viola-Kuttruff highlights her experience at Maison & Objet Paris, an international trade exhibition for home design and décor.

Quick post to describe my first day at Maison & Objet, the premier home decor trade show for the interior design industry in Europe; I will go into more detail in later posts. The exposition center is extremely large, eight halls and over half a million square feet of space for the show.

One of the things you will notice about my blog overall is that I like to discuss and highlight things that are unique, bespoke; items that you will not typically see in your day to day life. At Maison & Objet, I will also focus on home design pieces that you are not currently seeing in the States.

I started in Hall 7, scenes d’Interiuer, which provided a healthy mix of decorative objects, rugs and lighting. Some of the highlights were:

Koket, a company that produced two of the most amazing pieces that I have seen. Sara Almeida graciously showed me some of their pieces and explained the fabrics used for special features. The Mademoiselle Armoire has a gorgeous butterfly in polished brass with a sumptuous silk lining creating a show-stopping exterior; the interior complements with antiqued mirrored drawers.

The second armoire is a double door pagoda topped cabinet covered in delicate iridescent peacock feathers – YES, peacock feathers! – each individually placed. The body is finished in a high gloss black lacquer; the base and top are covered in gold leaf. 

P.S.: I am noticing Peacock feathers quietly beginning to appear on the Lux interiors scene  . . .

Swiss company Kitchoo Kitchens which makes compact kitchens, perfect for studio apartments (and as the owners explained, in European bedrooms as well, to satisfy the taste for a nightcap or a cold bottle of water).

Some of the impressive features of the Kitchoo Kitchens were the well-engineered top that smoothly and quietly folds over to conceal the “utilities” (sink, faucet, cooktop); the silent fridge so as not to disturb, and the versatile exterior finishes such as laminate, wood and for this Parisian show, leather tiles!

Owner Peter Locher and his wife Claire (both were charming and informative) mentioned that while the leather clad exterior choice may not be the most practical, it is effective in showing that anything can applied as an exterior finish to this kitchen “furniture”. Don’t you just love smart design?

Artel Glass, a company started by native New Yorker, Karen Feldman, who runs the company and is based in the Czech Republic, specializes in beautiful Bohemian crystal glassware.

Karen has designed all of the collections including Flora & Fauna (her newest introduction in this motif is Forest Folly, pictured above) in sumptuous jewel tones and detailed etchings with the motifs wrapping around the sides and sometimes even the bottom of the vessel. She uses gifted artisans whose glass etching work is exquisite. One would feel honored giving or receiving this glassware as a gift or perhaps starting your own collection.