Showroomisation

January 25, 2018

I’ve just returned from the Maison & Objet trade salon in Paris where it’s always interesting to see various key trends (urgh, that word!) highlighted and predicted for the year to come. This year it’s all about the exhibitionist approach to home decoration.

According to Vincent Grégoire, Director of M&O’s partner trend-forecasting agency Nelly Rodi, the modern day consumer seeks refuge from reality through ‘story-living’ and ‘showroomisation’.

Enabled by the internet, the consumer can learn, buy, and curate. And then show off. The consumer is now the art-director, the ‘prosumer’. The new design professionals, the new opinion-leaders.

I visit Maison & Objet twice yearly, as both an opportunity to catch up with international suppliers and to immerse myself completely in home decoration for a good day or two. I occasionally come across something that will stop me in my tracks. This is what happened when I discovered Valerie Objects, an Antwerp-based design brand who were showing a new collection by design duo Muller Van Severen.

Their sculptural pieces looked more like art objects than furniture, with a retro appeal that was still unmistakably contemporary. The contrast of dark pastel colours with the stark design is my idea of perfection.

My Paris trips are also a wonderful opportunity to spend some time in another city. I often stay in the studio of my friend, the artist Nathalie Lete, and this is a treat in itself. You’ll find a few of Nathalie’s designs in my shop. If you like what you see there, do check back over the next few weeks as I will be adding to our selection this season!

Journal