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Maison & Objet has been a must-see design event in Paris for the past 30 years, a highlight in every design lover’s calendar. It’s where designers, industry professionals, and enthusiasts gather to explore the latest design trends. With its expansive halls offering everything from home linens to curated exhibitions, it’s one of the most diverse and inspiring fairs on the global design stage.
D5 was there, camera and sound recorder in hand, capturing the essence of the event. From cloud-like lighting to furniture that looked straight from Mars or the Moon, the fair was full of surprises and wonder. We wandered through every corner, soaking up the creativity and innovation on display.
After sifting through the interviews, images, and moments that stood out, we’ve put together a collection of our favorite booths. From fresh talents to seasoned designers sharing their stories, this year’s Maison & Objet was an unforgettable journey into the heart of design.
Hall 2
Gingko Design, Francis Bayliff
Francis Bayliff from Gingko Design discusses the company’s background, how they built a factory in China to support local communities, and the international feedback they’ve received at Maison & Objet.
Can you tell us about your brand?
We are a small family-like company; there are only about 7 of us in the entire company. We built our own factory four years ago in China in the province that the brand’s family comes from to get back to the community. We gave jobs for the building of the factory, and we now employ locally from the company. We also source wood and different materials from the local area and also from Japan, but that’s for special types of wood.
Is it the first time the brand has been at Maison et Objet? How has been the feedback?
This is not the first time; we’ve been coming here for the last four years, and we love it. We love the international response, not just from mainland Europe but from other parts of the world as well. Hong Kong, China, Taiwan—they’ve all come to meet us as well, which is great. Here, you can meet all different styles of clients, from a small, lovely independent boutique all the way up to large, international distributors that deal with entire countries. I’ve dealt with multiple ones from all different types today, and, in my opinion, as long as they are happy and they enjoy the designs, then it makes me happy.
Hall 5
The DITP
The DITP introduces their mission to promote Thai designers through the Thai Talent program, which helps young creatives showcase their work internationally at events like Maison & Objet.
Can you tell me about DIPT and the Thai Talent program?
Ditp, which stands for Department of International Trade Promotion, has as its main mission to allow Thai businesses and designers to expand their crafts internationally. We work on every type of product, from A to Z, and try to find new Thai talents. We try to take care of them with different programs intended to give them more visibility, such as this one, Thai Talent. Every brand you see in our stand are young designers who have participated in a program called Talent, a project that has existed for 20 years now, since the beginning of Salon. We always have a booth at this fair where young Thai designers can showcase their work. We have always wanted to give them a chance to test whether their products are good in the market, whether they need to change something, how starting a fruitful business looks like, etc, especially since most of the designers we bring are fresh out of college.
Hizoga.
The designer behind Hizoga, part of the Thai Talent program, explains their inspiration for creating unique glassware and jewellery, sharing their first experience at Maison & Objet and how the event is helping them grow their brand.
Can you tell me a bit about you and your brand, Hizoga?
We are a glassware company from China, based in Bangkok, and we are now presenting our newest collection alongside our original one. We create glassware to drink wine, martinis, or cocktails, all with unique and colourful shapes, but now we also started creating jewellery that follows my personal philosophy. I started designing glasses because I wanted to have a glass that was my glass. I wanted to explore the shapes a glass could have; I wanted to play with it and also with its colour. While I am a designer and love to play around with colours and dimensions, I also rely on a technical team that brings everything into reality. In the future, I want to expand both my glass and jewellery collections, but I’ll continue focussing on glassware first.
How do you think Maison et Objet helps with expanding your brand and networking?
I can see that this exhibition has a lot of potential for me personally. I have never been to any exhibition such as this one; I’m a newbie, so talking to clients who would like to push Hizoga in the same direction as us is great—we can go together! Also, I’ve been feeling inspired by the products I see everywhere, especially in the craft zone. I see a lot of creativity, new materials, and a lot of things, which allows me to follow the train and predict what is coming. I like to predict what will be a trend for the future.
Hall 6
Studio Flétta, Birta Rós Brynjólfsdóttir and Hrefna Sigurðardóttir
Studio Flétta presents their sustainable design projects, where they transform waste materials into new products, and talk about their experience showcasing at Maison & Objet for the first time.
Can you tell me a bit about you and your brand?
Birta: We have co-founded Studio Flétta and are both from Iceland. We met at the Iceland University of the Arts some 10 years ago and started together immediately while studying. And then, after graduating, we opened up our very own studio because in Iceland there were not a lot of opportunities, so we kind of figured we should just try and see how it goes. So we mainly work with waste materials, and everything in the exhibition is something that would otherwise go to a landfill or be sent abroad to be recycled. So, for us, we are working in the context of Iceland where every material is imported and then, if it’s supposed to go to recycling, it’s exported again. So we really want to keep the valuable materials in the country.
Hrefna: And the project we are exhibiting here is the Trophy Collection, where we got trophies from athletes and sports clubs and are putting them back together as a different type of objects, such as lights, lamps, and ceiling lights. We’ve also made pizzas made from offcuts from the wool industry, alongside the designer Ýrúrarí, an idea that started when suddenly we started to feel like we were working on a vetting machine, which has a lot of needles for knitting. We even did performances where we opened a pizza place, and you could order from a menu—maybe a Margherita. We’d make the pizza while you waited, and then you’d get it in a pizza box, just like the real thing.
And how does it feel to have won the Rising Talents Award and to be able to exhibit your designs here, at Maison et Objet?
Birta: We are so happy to be here and to be a part of these amazing award winners. So that’s been great! And, also, we are so happy for this opportunity to come here; we’ve never been to Maison et Objet before, so this is lovely.
Hrefna: We’ve talked to so many interesting people; it’s been really, really nice. We like collaborating a lot, so I think it’s always really nice to get another input into the work, and something exciting always happens.
Birta: We’re just kind of waiting because something always happens. It’s nice to meet people, and we are excited to see what will come out of being here.
Hall 6
Design Bye Us, Rikke Schradieck
Rikke Schradieck from Design Bye Us reflects on the 25-year history of the brand and their ongoing participation in Maison & Objet, where they showcase their unique, long-lasting designs.
Can you tell me a bit about your brand, how it started, and what the concept is?
That’s a hard question. We started 25 years ago in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1999 exactly, and this year is our 25th year’s anniversary. We started, actually, as a multidisciplinary design studio that has evolved through the trials and errors of design. Our first design was the vintage lamp, which was put together using old glassware, and from there we developed into what we are today. Currently, we mainly work with glass and brass metals, but also with mob stones. We try to be playful and not ordinary; we strive not to be mainstream. We try to be colorful. We also hope that the user will keep our pieces for a long time, using them to redecorate their home as they see fit. This is not a “short period of time” type of piece; it’s too expensive for that, and we put too much thought into the design, we think.
How is it to be here at Maison et Object?
I think it’s our eighth time here, so we are veterans—and we like it. It’s great to come out here and talk to the clients of different countries instead of sitting behind the computer screen and taking orders. It’s really nice to come here and see people’s reactions to our designs.
Would you say that there was ever a cross-inspiration from meeting other designers? How do you feel being here influenced your brand?
We try not to do that; we try to be ourselves. Unfortunately, we know that some brands have copied us as a cross-reference, but we try to make our own way and be true to our own DNA. But that being said, of course, it’s fun to be here and see how other brands build up their stand, the trends, the materials, etc. So, in that way, you get inspired. It’s great to see, but, product-wise, one of our missions is to be true to ourselves.
Hall 7A
Ango, Angus Hutcheson
Angus Hutcheson shares the story behind Ango, a brand focused on lighting sculptures made from natural materials, and his long-standing participation in Maison & Objet.
Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your brand?
Originally, I’m an architect from London and moved to Thailand nearly 20 years ago. When I arrived in Thailand, instead of working in architecture, I started to develop lighting pieces, particularly big sculptural lighting pieces. This has always been my fascination, even from an early age. I used to mess around in a building that had no windows, so I started making holes to let light in and started experimenting with how light affects space. In Thailand, I started following my passion for light and ended up with the designs you see around you.
I make my sculptures with either 1 millimetre-diameter Ratan, which is handwoven, or with Mulberry fibre merged with recycled fishing nets. To make sure the materials would stick together for as long as possible, I added a 100% organic stabilizer. The inspiration behind my pieces is unity and bond, but this can take many forms. Some pieces can look like multi-clouds, others like free chains, but of course, these are all very personal pieces that can look like whatever one’s perception says they look like.
Can you tell me about your experience here at Maison et Objet?
We’ve been coming here on and off for about more than 10 years, and I think it’s helped us a lot. The people are an interesting part of the fair since you get a lot of visibility and, therefore, a lot of contacts, but it doesn’t always seem like you’ll get a lot from some of them. However, they start coming back later, and the whole thing starts feeling like a snowball. One thing I wish could be different is the confraternization between designers at the fair. I feel like there’s usually not that much time to talk to other designers. Sometimes, indeed, we have made valuable connections with other designers, just not so much. It’s more about new clients and business.
As the dust settles on another remarkable edition of Maison & Objet, we’re left with a deep appreciation for the creativity, innovation, and passion that define this fair. From playful experiments in furniture design to timeless craftsmanship, each exhibitor brought something unique to the table. Whether it was emerging talents making their mark or established designers reimagining their craft, the event reminded us why Maison & Objet remains at the forefront of the design world.
Stay tuned as we continue to explore and share more from the world of design, one trend, one story, and one fair at a time.
