In September 2015, MAISON&OBJET PARIS unveils its new Inspirations Forum, a new structure between Halls 6, 7 and 8 in which visitors will discover the Trends area, enhanced with a pop-up bookstore and conference space. For Philippe Brocart, the show’s Director, “this innovative restructuring will express the season’s theme more intensively and extensively.” Now the three trends agencies members of the MAISON&OBJET Observatory will take turns at each session to develop the theme, reflecting the collective work carried out throughout the year, in an expanded space. This exhibition will be extended through a pop-up bookstore focusing on the theme of the Inspirations Book, with select works illustrating the bibliography. Lastly, the conference space will provide opportunities to explore the theme in greater depth and reposition it in the broader context of current trends.

How did you approach the brainstorming session preceding the choice of the new influences theme?

Personally, I went into the first meeting with a deep desire to talk about flowers. Their language is ever newly expressed in an incredible number of artistic, coloristic, photographic and drawn works. Many young designers are even focusing on mechanical concepts to extract their essence. In the Inspirations Book, I’ll talk about their work and this desire to render the ephemeral eternal.

François Bernard stand at Maison et Objet 2015 January

Why was the theme Precious selected?

We all wanted to address the revival of baroque influences. The theme Precious came forth as a metaphor for that which is rare and unique. It distinguishes the return of well-crafted decorative arts, but also the fashion of excess.

What are your views on this theme?

For me, Precious conjures the affectedness of the 17th century, ‘affected’ or ‘borrowed’ sentiments that have nothing ‘natural’ about them. That kind of ‘preciousness’ is a form of surplus, abundance, overflow of everything from feelings, gestures and manners to designs, shapes and colours. I don’t mean a surplus in the negative sense. It’s as if that which is common became unbearably banal and so forms needed to be hypertrophied to distinguish the common from the rare, the millions from the unique, the sacred from the profane. To do what had to be done so that something finally emerged from the ambient chaos.

This forum involves also Elizabeth Leriche:

“I’m presenting a sensible itinerary that has raw material as its starting point. I want to evoke something along the lines of alchemy, which leads us to the second part of the exhibition, where preciousness becomes more intangible, more poetic and mysterious.” Elizabeth Leriche, Trend-Setter and member of the MAISON&OBJET Observatory

Elizabeth Leriche sand at Maison et Objet 2015 January

And Vicent Grégorie:

“I wanted to echo the identity of its cover: white, gold and apple. Visitors will be immersed in a dream world that will explore the symbolism of the forbidden fruit and the Garden of the Hesperides.” Vincent Grégoire, Trend-Setter and member of the MAISON&OBJET Observatory.