House style

New ideas hot from Paris

LUXURY TRAVEL and far-off lands were among the style influences at Maison & Objet and Déco Off in Paris last month – the first design events of the year, and as such key indicators of the trends to come.

The Orient Express was the inspiration for Fromental, whose exquisite, art-deco-style wallcoverings – in handcarved and painted velvet, and winered lacquer – were used to recreate a cabin echoing the legendary train. It was also a starting point for Ligne Roset, whose new sofa designs came with intricate stitching and panelled backs in velvet or textured bouclé.

At de Gournay, American interior designer Alessandra Branca created an opulent winter-themed fantasy roomset for Catherine the Great, with hand-embroidered wallcoverings, deep velvet sofas, verre-églomisé (glass decorated with engraved gold leaf or silver leaf) tables and gilded window frames – a luxurious detail that also, as Branca explained, would help to bounce light back into the room during the darker months.

Elsewhere, the theme was decidedly hotter. In general, a warm palette of terracotta, pale olive-green and mustard could be seen across furniture and fabrics, reminiscent of sun-baked Tuscan terraces, and interspersed with touches of blush pink and burgundy.

The trend for woven furniture and accessories was also very much in evidence – again calling to mind exotic climes. Cane and lacquer chairs, arched screens, oversize rattan lampshades and bamboo sofas could be seen everywhere, along with basketry. The most beautiful examples were at Atelier Vime, which has its own rattan workshop in Provence, and furnished its Saint-germain apartment showroom entirely in woven pieces, from tables, chairs, lighting and tableware to a stunning scalloped daybed.

The vogue for house plants was also still going strong, and at Maison & Objet they were displayed in a variety of ways, most notably suspended from the ceiling in oversize planters. Combined with the aforementioned wicker and a warmer palette, it’s a fresh way to bring an exotic flavour to interiors in 2019.

From top The Phileas sofa, coming later this year from Ligne Roset (ligne-roset.com), was inspired by the Orient Express’s interiors (centre left), as were Fromental’s new wallcoverings (centre right) – displayed at Maison & Objet in a roomset resembling one of the train’s cabins. Hanging planter, £45, Nordic House (nordichouse.co.uk). Atelier Vime’s woven pieces