Maison&Objet Spring 2022 edition opened in Paris over four gloriously sunny days at the end of March. Taking place over 7 halls at Paris Nord Villepinte and Maison&Objet In the City - a new showroom “trail” in Paris that featured over 80 locations), the fair attracted 51,656 visitors from 136 nations, and 1,811 brands from 53 countries.
With COVID travel restrictions lifting, the return of foreign visitors was evident with 1 in 3 visitors coming from abroad. Nearly 1,800 British visitors attended, over 850 from the USA and nearly 1,100 from the Middle East, as well as 200 firms and visitors from the Indian sub-continent.
For a major European showcase that usually attracts a large number of retail and residential exhibitors, there was a noticeable lack of British companies exhibiting – 45 in total throughout the entire show - and no British Group presence due to the cessation of UK Government funding.
This was in stark contrast to the many other nationally supported country pavilions which had a strong presence – particularly the Italians (281 companies) who along with the French, Spanish and Portuguese who dominated the show.
As ever, the look and feel of the show was breathtaking, with some incredible stand designs. There was a heavy emphasis on sustainability particularly in evidence from the few Scandinavian companies who were present.
Some highlights of the show were: An enchanted experience. Combining Art and Technology, the international art collective teamLab returned to Maison&Objet to present “Resonating Microcosms of Life - Solidified Light Color”, a new, 100% immersive installation where nature met the digital world. The ovoids changed into a total of 61 newly-defined Solidified Light Colours.
teamLab, Resonating Microcosms of Life - Solidified Light Color © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery
Rising Talent Awards: At each edition, Maison highlights a generation of talent from a specific country. This time the spotlight was on Japan and six young Japanese designers, selected by an expert panel, attracted a great deal of worthy attention.
Above: Kodai Imamoto Design
Above: Satomi Minoshima
The next edition edition of MaisonetObjet from 8-12 September will also see the re-launch of the ‘Paris Capitale de la Création’ initiative, which includes Maison&Objet as one of its flagship events, along with the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and several of the capital's trade fairs.
