Design Trends From the Maison & Objet 2021 Digital Days
Online seminars pointed to decor with a touch of humor and joy, natural influences and a sustainable story
Twice a year, the Maison & Objet fair — normally held in Paris — is the essential destination for fans of lifestyle and decor. Due to the pandemic, the January 2021 fair was replaced by Digital Days, a series of online seminars spread over eight weeks in February and March. Houzz editors were there to check in on product highlights and the trends coming to our homes, indoors and out.
Molo
More well-being. Moreover, Grégoire noted that the pandemic has introduced a lot of stress in our lives, impacting both our day-to-day lives and our work. He advised reaching for humor in the form of fun objects like the Caomaru Fruits stress ball from H Concept. He also noted the importance of relaxation. Why not take a mini-siesta on the comfy Softseating lounger from Molo (pictured)?
More good humor. Ensuring that we no longer see the workspace as a hostile environment is a priority. To do this, we can spoil ourselves with tailored and ergonomic furniture like the adjustable-height desk from Gautier or a Herman Miller chair.
We can also take pleasure in joyful decor, for example, with a colorful accent, wallpaper or tailored furniture. And we can bring our relaxation routines into the work sphere.
More fluidity. In the end, we need to find a little ease, a little fluidity, after having had to feel our way to new workspaces and processes. “The pandemic obliged us to change places and to be more flexible, and we ourselves are eager for new workspaces that adapt to our moods,” Grégoire said.
For example, it is time to turn back to new accessories that make our lives easier: stationery from Papier Tigre, the Flex notebook and organizer from Beblau Design or the Modular desk organizer from Beamalevich.
To conclude, let us remember that if the world of work has barged in on the home, the universe of the home will hold forcefully onto the world of work at the end of the crisis, as we search for more comfortable and personalized offices than before.
More well-being. Moreover, Grégoire noted that the pandemic has introduced a lot of stress in our lives, impacting both our day-to-day lives and our work. He advised reaching for humor in the form of fun objects like the Caomaru Fruits stress ball from H Concept. He also noted the importance of relaxation. Why not take a mini-siesta on the comfy Softseating lounger from Molo (pictured)?
More good humor. Ensuring that we no longer see the workspace as a hostile environment is a priority. To do this, we can spoil ourselves with tailored and ergonomic furniture like the adjustable-height desk from Gautier or a Herman Miller chair.
We can also take pleasure in joyful decor, for example, with a colorful accent, wallpaper or tailored furniture. And we can bring our relaxation routines into the work sphere.
More fluidity. In the end, we need to find a little ease, a little fluidity, after having had to feel our way to new workspaces and processes. “The pandemic obliged us to change places and to be more flexible, and we ourselves are eager for new workspaces that adapt to our moods,” Grégoire said.
For example, it is time to turn back to new accessories that make our lives easier: stationery from Papier Tigre, the Flex notebook and organizer from Beblau Design or the Modular desk organizer from Beamalevich.
To conclude, let us remember that if the world of work has barged in on the home, the universe of the home will hold forcefully onto the world of work at the end of the crisis, as we search for more comfortable and personalized offices than before.
Treku sideboard
New Trends in Furniture
In a seminar titled “Premium Design,” Elizabeth Leriche, director of the eponymous style agency, highlighted the four main themes running through furniture design this year. This is always one of the most anticipated events at Maison & Objet.
Organic luxury. Leriche observed a current penchant for organic style “with rounded forms inspired by nature and effects mimicking nature.” From curly wool seats like clouds from InsidherLand to Zen clothes pegs shaped like pebbles from Maomi, nature is more than ever a source of inspiration.
Urban graphic. Drawing on Bauhaus, the Vienna Secession and 20th-century modernist architecture, the second trend Leriche identified presents, on the other hand, clean, rectilineal forms with contrasts and graphic effects. One example is furniture by Treku, pictured here. It is a “contemporary inspiration for urban interiors, with a timeless elegance,” Leriche put it.
New Trends in Furniture
In a seminar titled “Premium Design,” Elizabeth Leriche, director of the eponymous style agency, highlighted the four main themes running through furniture design this year. This is always one of the most anticipated events at Maison & Objet.
Organic luxury. Leriche observed a current penchant for organic style “with rounded forms inspired by nature and effects mimicking nature.” From curly wool seats like clouds from InsidherLand to Zen clothes pegs shaped like pebbles from Maomi, nature is more than ever a source of inspiration.
Urban graphic. Drawing on Bauhaus, the Vienna Secession and 20th-century modernist architecture, the second trend Leriche identified presents, on the other hand, clean, rectilineal forms with contrasts and graphic effects. One example is furniture by Treku, pictured here. It is a “contemporary inspiration for urban interiors, with a timeless elegance,” Leriche put it.
Togo sofa
70s remix. A third trend is rooted in the heart of the ‘70s, bringing together furniture that is related to Op Art in its patterns and colors. The attraction of vintage items and these years of freedom — the return of the Togo sofa from Ligne Roset (1973) is emblematic of this trend — responds to our current need for comfort and letting go. “We are currently searching for a lifestyle that is less formal, more relaxed and convivial,” Leriche said.
70s remix. A third trend is rooted in the heart of the ‘70s, bringing together furniture that is related to Op Art in its patterns and colors. The attraction of vintage items and these years of freedom — the return of the Togo sofa from Ligne Roset (1973) is emblematic of this trend — responds to our current need for comfort and letting go. “We are currently searching for a lifestyle that is less formal, more relaxed and convivial,” Leriche said.
Red Edition sofa
Essential craft. The last theme is simplicity. “It’s about rediscovering expertise and the essence of nature. It’s a soft, comfortable, warm and authentic atmosphere that’s somewhere between the city and the country. It’s the influence of Scandinavian and Japanese lifestyle, a quest for well-being and disconnection that wholly fits the zeitgeist,” Leriche said. For example, Red Edition have returned to one of its iconic sofas with light wood and calming colors.
Whether in form or material, this new furniture draws its inspiration from nature, as discussed above. Its trends respond to a need for well-being and slowing down our daily rhythms, by looking backwards, consuming less, or simply taking time. Finally, this trend also emphasizes craftsmanship, in opposition to industrial production.
Essential craft. The last theme is simplicity. “It’s about rediscovering expertise and the essence of nature. It’s a soft, comfortable, warm and authentic atmosphere that’s somewhere between the city and the country. It’s the influence of Scandinavian and Japanese lifestyle, a quest for well-being and disconnection that wholly fits the zeitgeist,” Leriche said. For example, Red Edition have returned to one of its iconic sofas with light wood and calming colors.
Whether in form or material, this new furniture draws its inspiration from nature, as discussed above. Its trends respond to a need for well-being and slowing down our daily rhythms, by looking backwards, consuming less, or simply taking time. Finally, this trend also emphasizes craftsmanship, in opposition to industrial production.
Indian Song
Trendy Decor Reinvents Itself
Maison & Objet has always made room for accessories and other decor objects. François Delclaux, director of the Un Nouvel Air agency, analyzed the current appetite for “trendy decor.”
“This is simple decor, beloved and, by definition, trendy, that fits under the slogan ‘that which changes everything when we can’t change anything.’”
Fantas-kitsch. To ward off ambient gloom, there’s nothing like giving in to objects that make us smile, like the new animal candlesticks from &Klevering. “We allow ourselves to be seduced by little touches, by funny objects that are unconventional and unpretentious, even if they sometimes go against good taste because we are particularly in need of good humor and joie de vivre in this moment,” Delclaux said.
Trendy Decor Reinvents Itself
Maison & Objet has always made room for accessories and other decor objects. François Delclaux, director of the Un Nouvel Air agency, analyzed the current appetite for “trendy decor.”
“This is simple decor, beloved and, by definition, trendy, that fits under the slogan ‘that which changes everything when we can’t change anything.’”
Fantas-kitsch. To ward off ambient gloom, there’s nothing like giving in to objects that make us smile, like the new animal candlesticks from &Klevering. “We allow ourselves to be seduced by little touches, by funny objects that are unconventional and unpretentious, even if they sometimes go against good taste because we are particularly in need of good humor and joie de vivre in this moment,” Delclaux said.
My Alpaca cushion
Organic cocoon. Did you know that homewares sales have exploded during lockdown? Among the most appreciated items are soft, comfortable objects in enveloping organic forms, which reinforce our perception of the home as a protective cocoon, a refuge, a haven of tranquility and security.
“It is likewise the big comeback of sustainable textiles, which reflect a resilient and engaged local craftsmanship,” Delclaux said.
Vege-crazy. Since we are generally confined to cities and currently to our homes, we constantly miss nature. So much the better that vegetation is entering the home in force, exuberance and extravagance. “Oversized floral prints, a profusion of natural plant-based materials, variations of a palette of greens and a search for fruity scents: It is a veritable celebration of nature throughout accessories,” Delclaux said.
Organic cocoon. Did you know that homewares sales have exploded during lockdown? Among the most appreciated items are soft, comfortable objects in enveloping organic forms, which reinforce our perception of the home as a protective cocoon, a refuge, a haven of tranquility and security.
“It is likewise the big comeback of sustainable textiles, which reflect a resilient and engaged local craftsmanship,” Delclaux said.
Vege-crazy. Since we are generally confined to cities and currently to our homes, we constantly miss nature. So much the better that vegetation is entering the home in force, exuberance and extravagance. “Oversized floral prints, a profusion of natural plant-based materials, variations of a palette of greens and a search for fruity scents: It is a veritable celebration of nature throughout accessories,” Delclaux said.
10Deka Outdoor Furniture
Outdoor Living Takes the Spotlight
Maison & Objet also traces the evolution of outdoor decor. The director of the Home department of style bureau Fashion Snoops, Jaye Anna Mize, analyzed the principal trends that will flow through gardens and terraces over the next two years.
Essential. Mize said that as a consequence of the pandemic, “we’re going to be learning and pushing the reset button and reducing the amount of excess we’ve been accumulating for years. … So we’re stripping down to the basics and relearning through self-reliability … what we’re really looking at design-wise here is the breakdown to the foundation.… When it comes to things like actual furniture it gets back to the basics.” She pointed to the example of the 10Deka gazebo (pictured) with its simple, chic lines.
Rebirth. Another powerful outdoor trend is the desire for reconnection with nature, visible in products made out of natural materials and where manufacturing methods tend towards the artisanal. Mize used the example of the driftwood tables by Alain Zerbib.
Outdoor Living Takes the Spotlight
Maison & Objet also traces the evolution of outdoor decor. The director of the Home department of style bureau Fashion Snoops, Jaye Anna Mize, analyzed the principal trends that will flow through gardens and terraces over the next two years.
Essential. Mize said that as a consequence of the pandemic, “we’re going to be learning and pushing the reset button and reducing the amount of excess we’ve been accumulating for years. … So we’re stripping down to the basics and relearning through self-reliability … what we’re really looking at design-wise here is the breakdown to the foundation.… When it comes to things like actual furniture it gets back to the basics.” She pointed to the example of the 10Deka gazebo (pictured) with its simple, chic lines.
Rebirth. Another powerful outdoor trend is the desire for reconnection with nature, visible in products made out of natural materials and where manufacturing methods tend towards the artisanal. Mize used the example of the driftwood tables by Alain Zerbib.
Isimar
Nourish. The trend forecaster also sees the importance of objects — in the home and in the garden — that rejuvenate us and invite us to meditate and to do whatever is good for the spirit, the body and the soul.
“One of our most innate and nurturing sensations, the tactile experience, is also really important,” Mize saie. She highlighted plush cushions and soft materials like the velvet from Bérengère Leroy, as well as the curved forms of Isimar armchairs and the inflatable chairs from Mojow.
Liberate. The garden is also the stage for the liberation of the individual confined for too long at home. All we need are more tailored objects to respond to our need to express our personalities.
“So we’re really going to be counting on brands to provide the tools that proactively empower us to contribute to social and creative issues worldwide,” Mize said. Also important are the tools that help us reproduce our indoor life outside, or assert ourselves with more originality. She mentioned the cushions from Pôdevache, the fire pit from Studio Sterling and the statue of a pear covered in graffiti from Bull & Stein.
Nourish. The trend forecaster also sees the importance of objects — in the home and in the garden — that rejuvenate us and invite us to meditate and to do whatever is good for the spirit, the body and the soul.
“One of our most innate and nurturing sensations, the tactile experience, is also really important,” Mize saie. She highlighted plush cushions and soft materials like the velvet from Bérengère Leroy, as well as the curved forms of Isimar armchairs and the inflatable chairs from Mojow.
Liberate. The garden is also the stage for the liberation of the individual confined for too long at home. All we need are more tailored objects to respond to our need to express our personalities.
“So we’re really going to be counting on brands to provide the tools that proactively empower us to contribute to social and creative issues worldwide,” Mize said. Also important are the tools that help us reproduce our indoor life outside, or assert ourselves with more originality. She mentioned the cushions from Pôdevache, the fire pit from Studio Sterling and the statue of a pear covered in graffiti from Bull & Stein.
Photo from Claire Frechet
The Search for a Unique Object
The Craft space within Maison & Objet explores craftsmanship and artisanal objects. As consolation for our missing out on this delicious sight, trend forecaster Elizabeth Leriche presented her selection of new pieces for 2021, in which she saw several overarching trends.
“Artisans are bearers of unique objects, and consumers are eager for them because they are not uniform. Today we live in a society that is too dematerialized, so we have to re-anchor things in the material in order to rediscover the emotion in an object,” Leriche said.
Between sky and Earth. This theme can be seen in pieces that delight in “games of shadow and light as well as very poetic landscapes. It is a very dreamlike universe,” she said. She brought up the examples of the light fixtures made of lace-like copper wire from La Languochat, or the lunar fixtures in shagreen print from GCDK Design.
The Search for a Unique Object
The Craft space within Maison & Objet explores craftsmanship and artisanal objects. As consolation for our missing out on this delicious sight, trend forecaster Elizabeth Leriche presented her selection of new pieces for 2021, in which she saw several overarching trends.
“Artisans are bearers of unique objects, and consumers are eager for them because they are not uniform. Today we live in a society that is too dematerialized, so we have to re-anchor things in the material in order to rediscover the emotion in an object,” Leriche said.
Between sky and Earth. This theme can be seen in pieces that delight in “games of shadow and light as well as very poetic landscapes. It is a very dreamlike universe,” she said. She brought up the examples of the light fixtures made of lace-like copper wire from La Languochat, or the lunar fixtures in shagreen print from GCDK Design.
Fixtures from Pascale Oudet
Aquatic odyssey. Water was another source of inspiration for the artisans. “It appears in all shades; we play with its reflections and waves for other very poetic results,” Leriche said. She mentioned the enameled wall decor from ceramicist Anne de la Forge and the work of Nicola Tessari, who reproduces waves on wooden objects.
Natural symbiosis. Finally, Leriche emphasized inspiration from the plant world. “It has always greatly influenced the decorative arts, because of its daintiness. But this influence is even more important today. Due to our urban lives, we have a need to bring these pieces of nature back into our interiors,” she said. She mentioned ceramicist Claire Frechet, whose work in micro-patterns is inspired by foam and lichen. Or the astounding wooden lace work on the trunk-like vases by Pascale Oudet.
Aquatic odyssey. Water was another source of inspiration for the artisans. “It appears in all shades; we play with its reflections and waves for other very poetic results,” Leriche said. She mentioned the enameled wall decor from ceramicist Anne de la Forge and the work of Nicola Tessari, who reproduces waves on wooden objects.
Natural symbiosis. Finally, Leriche emphasized inspiration from the plant world. “It has always greatly influenced the decorative arts, because of its daintiness. But this influence is even more important today. Due to our urban lives, we have a need to bring these pieces of nature back into our interiors,” she said. She mentioned ceramicist Claire Frechet, whose work in micro-patterns is inspired by foam and lichen. Or the astounding wooden lace work on the trunk-like vases by Pascale Oudet.
Two-story tent by the Vous collective
Produce and Consume Sustainably
Maison & Objet also addressed the trend of sustainable production and consumption. At her seminar on the development of sustainable consumption, Patricia Beausoleil, Home, Environments and Design director at creative strategy agency Peclers Paris, said that “sustainable creation is part of a process of meaning and value. We want to celebrate the ancestral principles of simplicity and naturalness, we want to find an artisanal anchor but we also want innovation, in order to have comfort and flexibility.”
The search for meaning and value in production. This refers to a new motivation behind sustainable production, stemming from the need to reconnect with nature that can be seen in the popularity of glamping, for example. The quest for meaning also includes the desire for an improved quality of life, with the desire to live well and eat better.
We are equally searching for a rehumanization of production. We see this in young designers’ love of natural materials. Sustainability also suits a new tempo. “We create products so that they last longer through different lifecycles — by composing and recomposing them — or we make them last through a new understanding of ‘care’ around the product. We are learning to repair, recycle and renew products,” Beausoleil said.
Transparency in the manufacturing of a product is also an essential point of this approach. In the end, sustainable manufacturing leans on innovation in terms of materials and ideas, in particular for creating alternatives to plastic.
Produce and Consume Sustainably
Maison & Objet also addressed the trend of sustainable production and consumption. At her seminar on the development of sustainable consumption, Patricia Beausoleil, Home, Environments and Design director at creative strategy agency Peclers Paris, said that “sustainable creation is part of a process of meaning and value. We want to celebrate the ancestral principles of simplicity and naturalness, we want to find an artisanal anchor but we also want innovation, in order to have comfort and flexibility.”
The search for meaning and value in production. This refers to a new motivation behind sustainable production, stemming from the need to reconnect with nature that can be seen in the popularity of glamping, for example. The quest for meaning also includes the desire for an improved quality of life, with the desire to live well and eat better.
We are equally searching for a rehumanization of production. We see this in young designers’ love of natural materials. Sustainability also suits a new tempo. “We create products so that they last longer through different lifecycles — by composing and recomposing them — or we make them last through a new understanding of ‘care’ around the product. We are learning to repair, recycle and renew products,” Beausoleil said.
Transparency in the manufacturing of a product is also an essential point of this approach. In the end, sustainable manufacturing leans on innovation in terms of materials and ideas, in particular for creating alternatives to plastic.
In this project, interior designer Margaux Carnevali found the rattan armchair on Selency
Secondhand and vintage going strong. The digital days of Maison & Objet also looked at this trend, which appeared in 2020: The development of online secondhand marketplaces within the decor sector.
Selency, one such marketplace in France, recently surveyed its clients about their reasons for buying. Cofounder Charlotte Cadé says, “The first reason for buying on Selency is to find a unique object while adopting a sustainable approach.”
She notes that 2020 saw a rise in interest in the problem of sustainability. “There was a collective realization, certainly exacerbated by the health crisis, and today this is clearly part of the aspirations of our clients and their motivations to buy. I don’t think that we can speak of a 2020 trend, but of a new way of consuming.”
Secondhand and vintage going strong. The digital days of Maison & Objet also looked at this trend, which appeared in 2020: The development of online secondhand marketplaces within the decor sector.
Selency, one such marketplace in France, recently surveyed its clients about their reasons for buying. Cofounder Charlotte Cadé says, “The first reason for buying on Selency is to find a unique object while adopting a sustainable approach.”
She notes that 2020 saw a rise in interest in the problem of sustainability. “There was a collective realization, certainly exacerbated by the health crisis, and today this is clearly part of the aspirations of our clients and their motivations to buy. I don’t think that we can speak of a 2020 trend, but of a new way of consuming.”
To sum up this edition of Maison & Objet in a few words, we could evoke the driving inspiration of nature, our need for comfort and reassurance, awareness of a more virtuous and sustainable form of consumption and our irrepressible need for good humor. May these themes make 2021 a little brighter.
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Maison & Objet spotlights a central theme every year, interpreted through brands’ new offerings and expert trend predictions. In the absence of an in-person event, we were able to discover new products on its online platform, MOM.
This edition put a renewed focus on the theme of work, which has appeared at the last few installments of the fair. This year, there is the added impetus of the evolving world of work and its entry with a vengeance into our interiors because of the pandemic.
In his seminar “Well at Work,” trend forecaster Vincent Grégoire of the Nelly Rody agency analyzed the new norms of the world of work and the manner in which they are impacting people and quality of life. “By making its incursion into the private sphere, the world of work will leave an enduring mark and provoke a hybrid lifestyle,” Grégoire said.
More connections. The new regime of remote work has highlighted how difficult it is to create a perfect bubble at home. Brands are responding to the situation by developing more effective solutions for isolating workspaces and reducing ambient noise. One example is the mobile workstation from La Fonction.
On the other hand, remote work has physically interrupted connections with others. Grégoire is in favor of anything that could redraw connections in our new workspaces.
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