Maison and Objet is already known for being the gold-standard gathering for all home decor and design professionals wanting to stay on the cutting edge of their creative field. A stronghold for the design, decor and lifestyle markets, Maison et Objet is the playground for architects, interior designers, and stylists. So this edition’s trend theme- House of Games– is a perfect accompaniment. The die is cast. Get in the game-It’s your turn to play.
What is Maison and Objet’s “HOUSE OF GAMES”?
“Let’s put the cards on the table: the world of design is assisting a new revival. Faced with excessive minimalism, the world is seeing the rise of a new eccentric decorative spirit” Vincent Gregoire
Enter the game, a realm rich in signs, shapes, colors, tales and creation. The playful décor spirit is fed by the aesthetics of board games, games of chance and games of balance. Chessboards, pawns, card games, dices, dominos, tarots, etc. Anything is a reason to have fun. The rules of the game? To bring drama to interiors, to bet on joyous and elegant maximalism, ( woohoo! It’s making a comeback), to play the card of beautiful bizarre.
Sensuous materials and understanding what is precious are a winning bet. The game plays with guidelines, times, styles and genres. Dada -like collages and the juxtaposition of unrelated elements shuffle the cards of unexpectedness. In this new decorative art, the color red trumps all others .
(We saw the trend foreshadowed at the January edition with L’Objet’s Smoke and Mirror collection.Taking pride in globe-trotting artisanal craft, the collection comprises handcrafted and deeply luxurious textiles, porcelain and gold wares. The range explores the mystery of traditional parlor games with a mix of pieces including leather tic tac toe tokens, ebonised mahogany dominoes with fine brass detailing and crocodile playing card holders.
Vincent Grégoire, creative director of Agence NellyRodi is a member of the M&O Observatory and House of Game trend presentation will come to life under his hand this September. Here are 5 questions for him about the trend and how it will unfold.
Why did you bet on the HOUSE OF GAMES theme?
The members of the MAISON&OBJET Observatory and I wanted to pick a theme that related more closely to our living environments. The outline for HOUSE OF GAMES soon became obvious. It reflects a number of signals we’ve picked up in the fashion, contemporary art, luxury and design industries, and even in gastronomy. This HOUSE OF GAMES marks the return of a renewed baroque and dandy style, which leaves ample room for fantasy, eccentricity and appeal. More generally speaking, we are noticing an increasing interest in board games, as well as private clubs, which counterbalance the lonely life we lead behind the screens of our devices and help us restructure our lives around rules we can easily apply. A recent study carried out by NellyRodi for Google into the relationship between the Generation Z and luxury has shown that, contrary to common beliefs, its members have a great capacity to switch off and value the notions of sharing and community very highly.
What have you imagined for the Inspirations Space?
The rules created by combining chance, luck and the collision of ideas are coming into practice in the field of interior design, paving the way to historic and hysterical mix-and-match décors. I have imagined a succession of three boxes, which open to reveal three visions of how we play games. The first one explores board games through a chess set, where every piece is replaced with a design masterpiece. It questions the notion of social position and the strategic concern for appearances in a precious, dandy inspired environment. The second offers a perspective on posture and imposture and the comeback of the dada spirit through an interpretation of roleplaying games.
In terms of style, what are the rules?
To each his own! What matters is the capacity to surprise, to become a sensation. Some experiment with graphic and optical patterns, using chevron and chessboard motifs, as Nendo did for the department store Seibu. In Paris, the 19th-century taste for alcoves and drama is being revived, as evidenced by the private club Castel, the restaurant La Belle Époque, the hotels Mathis and Maison Souquet, where Jacques Garcia has recreated the ambiance of a brothel. Faced with excessive minimalism, the world is seeing the rise of a new eccentric decorative spirit. In fashion, the bold spirit of the style is evident in Alessandro Michele’s latest collections for Gucci shows this colorful contemporary energy, which artfully blurs lines through subverted elements and borrowed references
What are the masterpieces of these living environments?
This theme subtly reveals a new way of designing living spaces. We are seeing the comeback of 19th-century kissing benches and indiscreet seats, for example. The padded Chesterfield chair is once again a must-have. Regarding accessories, the trend is for building a rich décor, evocative of wunderkammers, with display cabinets, fisheye mirrors, trophies, even wall jewelry, like that designed by Michaël Cailloux. There is growing interest for cabinetmaking, precious cases and boxes. Fred Pinel’s chests, chess sets designed by Hermès, Vuitton or Baccarat help create environments that leave no room for unoriginality. Even pool and football tables are being reinvented into decorative objects. Lucky charm motifs, like the eye, are also popping up everywhere for their good vibrations.
What materials are a winning bet?
I favor any material expressing the concept of preciousness. In the spirit of the Belle Époque, satins, velvets, taffetas, lacquer, trimmings and cut crystal are gaining newfound momentum to illustrate a celebration of the senses. A parallel can be drawn between the industrial revolution and the digital revolution. Illusion games, reflection, transparency serve to inspire décors with high narrative content, associated with wallpapers such as those created by Philippe Morillon, collages, or even stained glass panes, such as those crafted by Studio Job. Mixology and the growing interest for kitsch and chic pastries are other expressions of this desire for playful reveling. In terms of colors, red trumps all others; theatre and opera red, but also the red of brothel lights. Halfway between transgression and revelation, red deepens the magic conveyed by these exuberant, joyous and sensuous worlds.
Stay tuned for my blog posts from Paris and Maison Objet this September. – keeping you in the loop. Subscribe to be among the first to see what’s new and what’s next…