Maison et Objet and gaie Paris

The perfect round off to a week dedicated to trend watching and design festivals, is this wonderful blog post written by our very own founder and CEO, Lesley Pennington on her visit to Maison & Objet and Paris:

I’m just back from Paris, city of fashion, culture and beauty at every turn. Karin, our marketing manager, and my main objective was to visit Maison et Objet which is undoubtedly one of the most important and successful European events for all sectors relating to interior design. I wanted to share our impressions with you. But I confess, I had a few other secret objectives, the likes of which I will only divulge here.

Photos c/o PFSK

Photos c/o PFSK

My favorite part of the show is always, without a doubt, the New Designers hall, dubbed NOW! A trip through this hall provides wonderful insight into trends and the direction design is taking. Natural materials dominated, not new as a trend, but with a fantastic twist! The materials chosen were unusual and used in unexpected, even playful, ways.

The interior design section of the show rang in another year for the environment with upcycling at the heart of it.

Photo above and below, left c/o Rededition

The best part about upcycling is that the results bring one-of-a-kind treasures into the world – like the teak furniture from the 60s and 70s transformed into modern, beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces by French company, Rededition which caught my eye (pictured above). I’ve seen similar ideas in the UK and think that this holistic approach to interior decorating is spot on.

Unique perhaps to France was the African influence. There was an abundant use of warmer, tribal colors and patterns paired with warm woods of which we are seeing injections on other shores.

I would love to incorporate a taste of this into the Bemz collection.

Photos above and below c/o Mama Shelter, except top right of myself and French PR rep Virginie

What other secret objectives did we satisfy on our trip, you ask? One was the Mama Shelter boutique hotel we stayed at: designed by Philippe Starck and über cool.

So cool in fact, that I almost wanted to sneak in the back for fear of letting the place down! Staying there gelled perfectly with the whole one-of-a-kind vibe we experienced throughout the show.

The real sign of a successful and important show is in fact, what happens around it. Paris itself came alive with design – whole neighborhoods, cafes, restaurants, shops turned into galleries. We walked everywhere but our visit to Marais allowed us to touch the very pulse of the French Design scene first hand.

And what trip to Paris would be complete for anyone even remotely interested in interior without a jaunt to Merci? Spilling over with philanthropic inspiration, ideas, uniqueness and intrigue, this shop is something everyone should experience when they visit gaie Paris. Just look at these pictures!

What was once called eclectic style has become mainstream and the mixing of old and new, kitsch and classic, contemporary and traditional has been widely adopted. I love that! It allows each of us to really put our personal stamp on our homes without being restricted by one defining style. That’s really what Bemz is all about so it sits close to my heart.

Credit / photos (unless otherwise indicated): Lesley Pennington

Comments

[Helena [ROOM AND SERVE]]

Lovely wrote an article about this on my blog.

[Christie]

Thank you Helena! We really appreciate your positive feedback and support. Your blog is looking fab too.

[filipa]

We, at Boca do Lobo are delighted to announce our presence at Maison & Objet, in January 2011. It is our utmost pleasure to be showing once more at this wonderful event! We can't wait for January to come! See you all there!

PASSION IS EVERYTHING,
Boca do Lobo