The most recent session of Maison & Objet, which ran September 7–11 just outside of Paris, held few surprises. Unlike previous seasons, there was no particular color trend or family that was most noticeable, no one new material to enamor designers. But while there was no “big thing” that generated buzz, we discovered plenty of “mini-trends”, some of which are continuations of looks that surfaced earlier in the year, and some of which are just emerging.

Alt.country
Working with the reduce/reuse/recycle mantra, several companies showed interesting updates on “country” decor—homey but contemporary and not defined by any particular international bias. This look is not overly rustic and in most cases, it’s not nostalgic; it takes the recycling of materials as a necessary component of modern life, integrating old and new, like and unlike for ongoing use. This is less about country in a style-sense and more about country as philosophy: there is value in almost everything and nearly anything can be adapted for a new purpose.

Added Dimensions
Laser-cut, appliquéd, quilted, tufted—these embellishments have been around for years, but what looked fresh at this session was the added dimension designers gave to products that were typically flat. Lampshades bloomed or grew fuzzy beards and plates showed up with holes and patterns punched in them. It was embellishment, yes, but in unexpected places and in unexpected fashions.

Â…And Now For The Windows
Maison & Objet isnÂ’t typically much of a window show. While the January edition included a wonderful high-end fabric section with a few hardware and trimming companies thrown in, September usually offers fairly slim pickings. To our surprise, there were several interesting window-related introductions from names both familiar and new.

For example, ADO France took a large, glamorous stand in the |projets| sector of the show, an area focused on more commercial/contract products. The highlight of its display was a new couture collection inspired by the work of David Hamilton, a fashion photographer known for his frank exploration of female sexuality. Included were double-weaves, casements, velvets, and embroideries that were impeccably crafted. We picked a couple of favorites in hopes that ADO USA might be bringing some of this line here. (No confirmation of this as of press time.) This included Calisto, Chimma, Clea, Perla, Piona and Pura. The story behind the David Hamilton collection, some of his photography for the new pieces, and examples of all the fabrics can be found online: www.ado-international.com/couture/en.

Another familiar German-based company is Nature Deco. The company produces an exceptional collection of fabrics for panel tracks and woven-wood shades, with more intricate, delicate weaves than many typically available in the US. Leather slats for horizontal and vertical blinds are another specialty, again, with beautiful finishing and a wonderful assortment of colors and textures. Natural wood and stone cord pulls and tassels also caught our eye. The samples we requested for photography didnÂ’t arrive before press time, but a very limited overview of the line can be found online: www.nature-deco.de.

A new company we spotted was Venitian.com, a French manufacturer of horizontal and vertical blinds that offers an array of very interesting and unusual slat materials. We saw a great hammered aluminum look, another very nicely done leather slat collection, and fantastically trippy color-changing acrylic slats. From the samples on display, (there was no-one at the stand at the time of our visit) the operational aspects of the blinds were as well done as the slat. www.venitien.com.