After a limited but positive fall iteration, Maison&Objet promises to captivate its audience with a new fil rouge in the winter, from 20 to 24 January 2022 at Paris Nord Villepinte, titled New Luxury: from uber luxury to lux populis.
According to the fair, there is an ever greater yearning for luxury: “In uncertain times, people feel the need for something different, in terms of emotions and experiences, to push fantasy to its limits,” says Vincent Grégoire, trend hunter for the consulting firm NellyRodi. “When people come to Paris, it is to draw on a unique experience and lifestyle that cannot be found elsewhere,” adds Philippe Brocart, general director of M&O.
On the one hand, then, we have “uber luxury,” the desire for extreme luxury, such as that of super cars like the Phantom Oribe by Rolls-Royce, created in collaboration with Hermès for the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa; or of projects with a “wow effect,” as in the dizzying bookstore Dujiangyan Zhongshuge in the Chinese city of Chengdu, designed by Li Xiang; or precious workmanship and materials developed with scientists, such as the fabrics that incorporate silk threads, copper and LEDs, all the way to the possibility in the increasingly near future to travel in space, with Virgin Galactic, sleeping in a sub-orbital hotel.
On the other, there is “lux populis,” the people’s luxury, summed up by Vincent Grégoire as “pop and pop’litical culture,” a luxury that is contaminated with street culture, guided by a generation that has grown up on reality shows, Instagram, TikTok and gaming, which at times looks to the past: Tag Heuer joining forces with Super Mario to create a limited edition, Gucci that invents a capsule collection with the manga character Doraemon, Leblon Delienne reinterpreting Mickey Mouse, Virgil Abloh with a collection of concrete furniture covered with graffiti in a limited edition; Dom Pérignon collaborating with Lady Gaga, Louis Vuitton for men choosing the Korean band BTS, superstars of the K-Pop scene, as its ambassadors.
Resonating with these trends, the fair stages the best of creativity and design, in the Signature section of Pavilion 7, an area that hosts a series of events: The Invisible Collection, the first online destination for projects created by the protagonists of contemporary interior decorating, in a setting by Émilie Bonaventure. Plenty of space for Japan: with the immersive installation Moss garden of resonating microcosms by the Team Lab group, as well as the Rising Talent Awards presenting six young Japanese talents this year, selected by a jury chaired by Kengo Kuma.
There are many new developments for M&O: for the first time, by initiative of Ameublement Français, the finest French brands in the world of furnishings and living spaces will be grouped to demonstrate the exclusive “French touch.” The event also presents a new section, titled What’s New? Luxury, offering the most interesting and exclusive solutions.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the iconic 4L, Renault unveils Suite N°4, created by Mathieu Lehanneur, designer of the year of M&O in January 2010. Also: Maison&Objet in the city, an itinerary involving the best Parisian furniture showrooms, coordinated with the fair from 19 to 24 January.
Finally, designers of sets, interiors and products will interpret new spaces for dining, coffee and relaxation, places to meet and to form relationships, surrounded by amazement and luxury.
