Designer Guild's luxurious emerald green and magenta patterns inspired by textiles from Buckingham Palace.
The Maison & Objet show in Paris, France last weekend (Jan. 22-26) went beyond my expectations. Six enormous exhibition pavillions were packed to the hilt with newly released decorative accessories, furniture, textiles, bedding, linens, wallcoverings and tabletop items. In addition, two adjunct tents (Building 7A,7B) housed commercial furnishings and new inventions. Based on all the product, the number of people attending, and various foreign languages being spoken, it did not feel like the recession has struck Europe the same way it has in the U.S. The housing market difficulties in the U.S. has brought many changes for our deco market. I saw very few design exhibitors from the States, and even fewer attendees with an American accent. However, most Europeans I met had an optimistic view for the U.S. as a results of last year’s presidential election.
Thematically, the recession was the #1 topic of discussion. In uneasy times, home is a still a refuge, a place of sanctuary and relaxation. The Green Movement was firmly placed #2 in the desire for healthy and eco-friendly products.
Stylistically, Chinese inspired motifs has slipped from its top-shelf position. What appeared as new were modern African, South American and Middle Eastern design.
High end luxe was rendered quite often in dazzling sparkle–whether it was furniture, wallpaper, textiles, or even bath tubs!
Wood still pushs a rough, unfinished, what I call “wild” look. We’ve seen rustic treatments such as bark, knots and cracks featured for the past two years. Tangled and root-like elements are continuing the trend. Weathered and reused woods (actually showing lichen or moss still growing) could be found on outdoor chairs and tables. Gray was a popular finish color for wood.
The popular colorful metallics made a play for the limelight in red, orange and lime green. New metallics felt earthy–less bright silver, copper and gold appeared. Look for upcoming dark mossy greens and muted bronze-browns.
- High gloss earth tone metallics for ceramic accents.
From bedding to sofas, the overwhelming feature color at Maison was purple. This color family has been enjoying an unprecedented rule since it appeared in fashion two years ago. It was almost difficult to find a booth at the show that didn’t feature some form of purple.
Regal and whimsical, variations on Iris, Violet, Grape and Plum all made strong statements. Most often they were paired with deep beet-root magenta or youthful berry pink. A more masculine combo was purple with silver, gray and black. New purples for 2009 and 2010 will be bluer in hue, grayed out in tone. Mauve thrown into the mix for monochromatic combinations was interesting. Light pastels such as cosmetic coral and peach injected dusty gray-purples with a fresh look.
I anticipated a bigger showing for blue. Denim is hot on the trend list for fashion apparel. Other than a few places in bedding, denim blue is not yet rushing to cross over. Navy, China blue and warm sky blue
Emerging greens are moving away from fresh apple, grass, shamrock and peacock. Darker versions are making inroads: Forest, Fern, Emerald and Nori. Greens with a matte finish appear stately and subdued (as in wall-covering or ceramic finishes), while glossy versions lend an elegant or modern appeal, depending on the material–high-sheen silk textiles or plastic.
Yellow felt sharp and acidic. Green-washed hues were most often seen, although mustard and marigolds were there as well.
- Violet purple-blue and gray combination
- Dark green velvet with purple-gray wallcovering/carpet.
Mauve pink and plum combo in tableware.
