16.09.2021
Our recent trip to Maison & Objet 2021 as part of Paris design week has left us filled with inspiration. From life size sculptures to hand-made furniture and 3D artwork to real taxidermy, the show really had it all.
We attended the event along with 80,000 other advocates for design. We went with the goal of identifying up and coming artists and designers to add to our ever-expanding list of creative suppliers, to keep our schemes ahead of trends and always original.
We’ve narrowed the list of exhibitors down to our top five, who really blew us away with their uniqueness, take a look at who and why.
There wasn’t a thing on the Gardeco stand we weren’t in awe of. ‘Gardeco stands for anonymous, but authentic and pared-down art-decoration objects.’ Founded in September 1999, the brand is on a mission to bring affordable, handcrafted art to our homes around the world. The company is Belgium based and represents artists globally, through exclusive shops, design stores, museums, art galleries, architects and interior designers. Gardeco ‘where new ideas in art meet high-end decoration.’
All products are produced by skilled craftsmen and artisans. Each piece is handcrafted and uses little to no technology, resulting in a high level of authenticity and uniqueness. Each product mold is handmade, with final refining details also being added by hand.
Photography: Scene, Gardeco Objects
2. Forestier
And there was light… France based lighting brand, Forestier have been on our radar for a while now and were definitely on our must see list and they didn’t disappoint. With staple pieces from the brands Libellule collection on show and the new Grass selection, built based on a connection to nature.
It all began with the passion of a man, Bernard Forestier. Forestier admired French gardens, he was ‘fascinated by the artistic topiary sculptures which shaped them: the right proportions, the balance, the elegant alternating straight lines and curves,’ and how these elements can be celebrated in lighting design.
The Forestier brand is built on three main values: passion, freedom and discovery. These three values are the foundations of the Forestier lighting collections, from lamp suspensions and street lamps, their collections are built on being beautiful, useful and accessible. With a select curation of designers who are willing to push creative boundaries and stand out from the crowd, and this is why they’re on our top five list.
These lights are the creations of passionate designers who combine wire and transparency, with the idea of respecting nature in all its forms.
‘Welcome to a world full of poetry and the ultimate expectation of quality.’
Photography: Scene, Forestier
Filled with meaning and curiosity, Hyunjin Yoon tells the story of our lives in his works. The simplicity of the sculptures is thought-provoking and allows for different and individual perceptions of each piece, which is why we were so drawn to these pieces as they induce different emotions within different people.
Yoon looks heavily at the weakness and loneliness of human existence, all the changing circumstances of life, such as meeting and parting, envy and jealousy, with a bright and warm optimistic worldview.
Hyunjin Yoon’s work, is characterised by a vivid sense of life, including realistic desires, harmony and relationships with others, and humour.
Photography: Scene, Hyunjin Seoul
4. François Bel
It was hard not to be drawn in by the work of Fancois Bel, on display at Maison&Objet for its originality.
François Bel, a native of Lyon, now lives and works in the south of France. He grew up surrounded by street art and urban cultures, spending his adolescence painting graffiti, which later led to his experimentation painting on canvas.
After studying music, he eventually became an electronic music lecturer and DJ. However, feeling unfulfilled, he quickly became dissatisfied, being drawn back towards the art industry, with particular focus on plastic arts. A desire that had never truly left him but was reignited by a seemingly insignificant event.
‘One morning on the streets of the Saint Aubin area, I saw a damaged television with various coloured cables spilling out of it,’ the artist recalled. After using one of the wires to create a small flower for his girlfriend he realised while trying to model the bouquet that any mistakes could be corrected as the material offered the ability to redo each petal that was poorly crafted.
After falling in love with this process of creation immediately, the artist decided to embrace it, initially creating “small stacks of nothing” and customising them according to his mood and inspiration.
Photography: Scene, François Bel
5. Fuoriluogo
It’s hard not to miss the Fuoriluogo stand, with its bold, chrome 3D installations spanning their exhibition, these guys really are unique. These stand out, handcrafted pieces bring a wow factor to any interior.
Cristiano Lacobino, a visual designer from Milan with twenty years of expertise in the decorative sector, began his career as a set designer, reinterpreting in a more personal way some of his creations that had previously been utilised in scenographic settings. Fuoriluogo objects have a distinct, unmistakable taste that is out of the ordinary and blends seamlessly into any contemporary setting, adding a touch of premium and polished elegance.
Fuoriluogo creates beautiful situations for your surroundings using “poor” resources (such as wood, glass, resin and plastic) and processing them to create truly unique art.
Photography: Scene, Fuoriluogo
Maison&Objet Paris is a one-of-a-kind trade show, and the 2021 edition didn’t disappoint. With an extensive curation of emerging suppliers showcasing unique and innovative offerings, we are truly inspired after our trip and hope we’ve shared some of the inspiration with you throughout this blog.
For more information on our trip to the show or to discuss a project you feel we could bring a unique approach to, get in touch! To read more of our posts head to our online magazine.