The magic of Maison is neutral
By Becky Boswell Smith -- Home Accents Today, 10/1/2006
The message from France at last month's Maison & Objet show was loud, clear and neutral.
Not to be mistaken for boring, the color spectrum that dominated the show was neutral. Rich and imaginative shades of taupe, café au lait, sand and lots of gray sometimes underlined with lavender, were the shades of choice. Dominant in soft goods, the hues also were the talk of the show in wood finishes, lighting and accessories.
Perfect to go with gray, there was metal everywhere, either in shiny or pewter finishes. Showing up with the rich browns were golds in embroidery and solids. Deeper red and strong orange shades provided high impact to the neutral field.
Black and white showed its continuing strength in displays throughout the show, notably in the Sia and Spilt spaces, dramatic in impact and accented with the shimmer of silver and pewter. Sia already shows in the United States through OneCoast in New York, and Spilt, a Dutch company that carries a full line from furniture to candlesticks, plans to show in Chicago within the next year.
Industrial influences showed up in furniture, lighting and accessories, ranging from utilitarian metal tables to iron sconces to polished aluminum lamp shades bearing skyscraper designs.
The call of nature was strong with coral designs still holding court and joined by jellyfish, birds and wonderful shades of seafoam green.
Maison & Objet officials report more than 67,000 buyers, an 11% increase over September 2005, mostly from Italy, Germany and The Netherlands. Attendance from the United States remained flat at slightly more than 1,850 buyers, according to show numbers. A combination of the challenges of security in air travel and a strong Euro is credited with the small U.S. attendance.
DK Home oversizes the drama of black and white in patterns that hint of exotic Eastern lands.
Fish Design, a young Italian company from Milan, focuses on "the humanity of defect" and creates rubbery art that jiggles when touched, including this piece titled Amazonia.
Melogranoblu srl makes dramatic lighting statements with blown glass beads strung on a bright orange chandelier, right, and with larger globes accented with orange coral, above.
Neutral shades were interpreted across categories, including tabletop, as in the tureen from Collection Regards that combines lacy filigree with a matte grey taupe finish.
Emilio Robba's dramatic permanent botantical designs show well in the contemporary screen he designed for customers who want a statement piece that can be changed with the seasons or the mood.
SIA captures the black and white mood in accessories and background and accents it with silvery accents and bold botanicals.
Daum Crystal created a series of vases inspired by nature for Emilio Robba's dramatic botanicals. The vases are exclusive to Neiman-Marcus in the United States.
Inspired by nature but over the top in imagination are the jellyfish lamps constructed of papier mache by Geraldine Gonzalez.
The glamour of skyscrapers lend an urban touch to the metal lamps of Leo Irai.
Rich tones of brown and copper jump to life with gold embroidery in this top of bed ensemble from Filli Graziano.
Slabbinck, a family-owned Belgian company, combines white and grey for contemporary bed linens. Slabbinck plans to create a larger presence in the United States next year.
Wood tones turn silvery in contemporary and traditional pieces, including the three-drawer chest by Chic et Champetre.
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