Nest by Tamara's Top Trends Culled From Paris' Design Week, A Visit to Maison Objet

Nest by Tamara's
 8 trends influencing design in 2016, 

a look at what we culled from Paris Design Week 
which begs the question,
What is luxurious living?

The Parisians teach us about
Joie de vivre, 
express a cheerful enjoyment of life; 
an exultation of spirit.  
-Wikipedia

 looking up,  Hall 5A
 photography in Paris by Gabby Stephenson

These are the aesthetics we keep coming back to over and over again, the stand outs!  So much to see and do while in Paris during this special week, a week of design influences pulling from all corners of the world.  There are five premiere trade shows all concurring simultaneously.  The city of Paris is alive with parties, launches and celebrations.  We were fortunate to have a special insider's view this Market since we were sponsored by Promosalons which owns four trade shows in Paris.  We traveled with Comite Colbert, a collaborative of French luxury design brands whose mission is to keep French history and ideology in the forefront of design, and we were given insider views of many ateliers and in-depth looks at the French's long history of luxurious design, placing an emphasis on quality made goods with superb craftsmanship.  All of these experiences melded together to instill in us an even deeper appreciation for well made products, as well as for France's contribution to living well. I did see an overall return to classicism at Maison Objet, but with a modern twist to boot.  We are at an unusual time because we are simultaneously embracing an inundation with modern design with a return to classic, traditional design.  This influences the traditional design that is being shown in that it has a clear, edited and modern feel to it.  Many of the booths and vignettes showed these design principles together while heavily influencing on one another.  Bravo -- the juxtaposition makes it exquisite!

Thoughts on Luxury...

 breakfast table at the Meurice Hotel 
"my family teases me because I drink my morning coffee from an antique porcelain cup every morning rather than a mug." 

It simply tastes better to me.  
I appreciate the flavor of the coffee when drinking from this cup, one I found in a South Dakota antique shop many years ago.  The French live luxuriously, everyday.  Not just in their formal occasions, but in the simple everyday life as well.   To me, luxury is living like this everyday and experiencing the small joys of quality and beauty.  This joie de vivre, and living life to the fullest while taking the time in a busy life to appreciate the value of quality made wares, is quintessentially French.  The French set a pretty and proper table even for the simplest of lunches because it is part of the tradition, the process and it brings joy.  I love that, and have intuitively been doing this my whole life, and I have brought that idea here to the blog.  I relish that you can live in a beautiful home no matter what budget, and you can entertain with panache, bring beauty every day to your life and your home by making a conscious decision to be deliberate in that process, and by making wise choices about quality over quantity and by using creativity to make it come together.  As Americans, we could benefit by incorporating this sensibility into our lives. The French show us that it is not necessary to live in a palatial villa in order to incorporate luxury into our home, because we can bring it in small ways.  This is our take away from this particular trip to Paris, a reminder to take time out to enjoy life no matter how busy because there is intrinsic pleasure in the everyday moments. It is important to share that with your family and friends and not just on special occasions, but everyday.

Walking the floor of Maison Objet is a whirlwind experience, a barrage of all the senses.  These trends are collective feelings and styles that emerge from all these talents coming together and that will now influence the world of fashion, interior design, jewelry and even the food we eat.  I do want to note that trends can even be seen even in the Puce antique market, because the French have a way of combining their antiques with modern wares in a way that feels fresh and new.  Last January 2015 some of these trends I saw at the Puce Market, I noted exhibiting on the floor of Maison Objet this Market, so please, when in France take the time to experience all of this wonderful city because the design is everywhere influencing you through each step you take.  I do believe while there is much classic design in our lives that never changes, these trends will influence our homes, our food, our living and entertaining in the coming year.

Happy Nesting 

XO Tamara

for more trends spotted at Maison,
 visit our Paris Pin Board 

1. Dramatic Lighting
The lighting was the star of the show at Maison this Market with myriad innovative choices, some I have not seen before.  There was an infusion of lighting from over sized orb-like glass and ceramic pendants to sprays of small lighting combined in large masses, and they were referred to as OLED, an effecient light source that is durable, ultra-slim and without heat.  There were lots of lighted walls, objects lit from within.  Either way, more lighting options give us better control over our mood in a space and allow us a more creative approach to lighting in the home.

2. Blue 

all shades from indigo to cobalt were seen at Market.  The blue was everywhere.  Lots of blue and white but moody black mixed with blue too
and sometimes shown in a dramatic manner. To me, this resurgence of my favorite color shows the value of the soothing qualities of the hue.  

This gorgeous chest of drawers with snake-like texture and African fabric in a beautiful blue hue, the Carmen chest is by Valentina Ciovando 

blue and white showed modern with 
Mariska Meijers in Hall 1 at Maison Objet

3. Fascination with animals 
Butterflies under glass is a Victorian aesthetic, and I noted this in droves last year at the Puce market.  This Market, they were showcased again in several stands and on the floor of Maison Objet.  We noted tortoiseshell & dragonflies, crabs, lobsters, horses, birds and a cornucopia of animals adorned, drawn, etched onto furniture, plates, sculptures, glassware.  There was also a collective fascination with furs, horns, and shells of animals.  I'm not a huge fan of the taxidermy craze that has been around a long time, but it seems to have morphed a bit to be more of a celebration of animals and an adornment.

4. ceramic
obviously ceramic has been around a very long time, but the use of ceramic in lighting and on furniture is unique this market.  We were particularly taken with Gilles Caffier's ceramic sculptures, stools, tables and lights. Some of the ceramic lit from within, very cool!

5. leaf motif 

whether large palm prints, or more traditional small oak or maple leaf patterns, the leaf motif  was adorned in many places from plates to wallpaper all over Paris.

House of Hackney showed a plethora of leaf motif patterns and these historic ones were taken from the archives of William Morris

Delisle sconces 

6. Geometrics
Geometric shapes were seen oversized, small, faded and bold and on fabrics, rugs, wallpaper, plates and more all throughout market

although subtle there are geometric patterns seen on many of the rugs

Lots of unusual color pairing too, and in a way that works
plates with a Greek key motif at Richard Ginori (above)



both the geometric and lighting trends shown here
in a honeycomb pattern wall all lit up at Christofle
7. gem-cut
gems, crystals, rocks -- these beauties have been popular for awhile and we have happily embraced them, encrusted them on plates, and adorned on furniture for the last couple of seasons.  However, this fascination is now taken in a different direction, and these beauties continue with us seeing gem cut designs, edging and shaping furniture and accessories as a homage to the gems.

Jake Phipps

gem cut style furniture and mirrors 

San Francisco's Anna of New York by Rablab

8. florals/botanicals

the new florals are fresh, edited and modern in feel.  Some with bugs and leaf patterns mixed, but the florals are back and better than ever.

Gien showed florals and butterflies

tabletop was exploding with floral, Atelier Bleu d' Argile

Gien floral