INSPIRATION: ALL THE TRENDS FROM MAISON&OBJET 2021

Maison&Objet 2021 was all about nature – as inspiration, as backdrop, and for designers espousing the macro-trend of biomimcry – with natural materials of all kinds making a strong showing.

This year, VISI’s visit to Maison&Objet was sadly not in Paris – our very own trends wizard Annemarie Meintjes’ favourite city in the world – but the editor-at-large was delighted to have been able to see more brands virtually than she usually does in person. “This is a visual tour of the favourite movements that will shape our lifestyle in 2021, an introduction to new brands to follow, and products to order online if you fall seriously in love,” says Annemarie. “But all in all, it’s about nature.” mom.maison-objet.com

SEA

1. Ethereal yet substantial, mouth-blown Eternal Snow glasses by Bela Silva for Serax have a genuinely magical appeal. serax.com 2. A hymn to the beauty of the marine world, Porifera is a range of wall decoration plates – each one of them entirely unique.

fosceramiche.it 3. Designed by Piero Mazzotti for Fos Ceramiche, and handmade from unglazed porcelain, this NYMFA centrepiece is part of the Fossilia collection, and is inspired by fossils. fosceramiche.it 4. The Medusa rug from the Botanical collection at Rug’society features an image of jellyfish, the most fascinating and mysterious living beings of the ocean.

The rugs are 100% hand-tufted, and made from natural wool and botanical silk. rugsociety.eu

THE MEDUSA RUG FEATURES THE MOST MYSTERIOUS LIVING BEINGS OF THE OCEAN.

EARTH

5. The Assemble range by destroyers/builders – inspired by weathered pebbles – encourages exactly what its name suggests: there are single seaters, two seaters, corner elements, pouffes and side tables to play around with. valerie-objects.com

6. These very collectable earthenware flower pots and vases were designed in-house by the Serax team. serax.com

7. Tear Drops cement tiles by Îlot Colombo are handcrafted according to a centuries-old French manufacturing process that does not require any baking or heating. ilotcolombo.com 8 & 11. Alentes centrepieces play with function and sculptural forms, and the Femme bowl and Homme display stand are made from an aggregate of marble, stone and cement. alentes.com

9. Archè – Greek for “origin” – is the first of a series of seats designed and handmade by Verter Turroni in fibreglass. The design feels both futuristic and primitive. imperfettolab.com 10. The handles of these Inner Circle stoneware coffee cups by Maarten

Baas for Valerie Objects evoke the imperfection of the human hand rather than the machined circle. valerie-objects.com

CLOUDS

12. Molo products are designed by Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen. Their Cloud SoŒlight pendant is a paper light design concept, lit from within by energy-efficient LEDs that, when dimmed, conjure a stormy atmosphere. It is shown here paired with a Textile SoŒwall – a modern room divider and flexible partition that can be shaped in countless curved or linear formations. When stored compressed, the honeycomb folding wall shrinks to the thickness of a book; from this condensed state, it can expand to an impressive 4.5m (or any length in between). This aluminium textile version is micro-coated with

the metal, creating a lively range of reflected light and shadow play across its pleated surface. molodesign.com

FLORA

13. A ginkgo-leaf sticky note by Korean lifestyle stationery brand Appree brings nature into your home in the simplest and most charming way. appree.net 14. Dutch design firm Pols Potten’s aim is to “make the ordinary just a bit more extraordinary” – and we think it’s mission accomplished with Vase Puyi, which was designed by Roderick Vos. polspotten.nl 15. Marumitsu Poterie’s flower-shaped dishes are inspired by chrysanthemums, the Japanese traditional flower that is also embossed on the country’s passports. marumitsu.jp 16. The flat-packed Paper Vase by Spanish designer Jaime Hayon is adorned with his characteristic illustrations – a perfect match for Octaevo’s obsession with Greek and Roman gods. octaevo.com | hayonstudio.com

CHARCOAL

17. Bioma by Imperfettolab is a unique armchair that appears to be sliced from a burnt tree trunk, but is actually skilfully crafted from fibreglass. The perfect balance between nature and artifice, it was designed by Verter Turroni. imperfettolab.com

18. Somos Design (“somos” is Portuguese for “we are”) represents Domingos Tótora, who was born and raised in the mountainous Minas Gerais in Brazil. The artist embraced recycled cardboard as the key material for his work (as in these Tijuco vases), which falls between art and design, and in which beauty is inseparable from function. somosdesign.de 19. Charcoal Eskimeït’s Hime Sashi Dai Ginko earrings are made from Japanese charcoal in the shape of a ginkgo leaf, teamed with gold. charcoal.eskimeit.com

WOOD

20. TheWab iS a bi wood-and-glass tray collection designed by Dawn Sweitzer for Ethnic ra ft was inspired by the watercolourpainting vista soft he Blue Ridge Mountains. ethnicraft.com 21. These exquisite, hand crafted AOLA Tochi plates are made from Japanese horse chestnut wood, then dyed with indigo, resulting in completely one-of-a-kind pieces. aolaourmission.shopinfo.jp

22. Sünaolab’ sKinoko“mushroom” container, designed by Tomotaka Nagao in cherry, walnut and maple wood options, opens up to reveal a full dinner set for toddlers: cup, bowl and spoon. sunaolab.jp 23. Le Kukku knives by Patrick Evesque of l’Atelier PEV have blades made from an upcycled used circular-saw disc that has been blackened with iron perchloride. The handles

combine gleaned deer horn, recycled leather and olive wood; each piece is unique and made by hand. atelierpev.com

IRON & STEEL

24. Manutti’s San modular sofa by Lionel Doyen draws on Japanese art for inspiration, resulting in a truly clean-lined, minimalist design. manutti.com 25. Muller Van Severen’s new Solo seat consists of nothing more than a strip of leather and a red steel frame. Its visual lightness makes it very appealing – as does the knowledge that the leather will age beautifully as the years go by. valerie-objects.com 26. Restrained and ultra-simple, the Bench Black Andrea was designed by Andrea

Croonenberghs in iron, wood and leather for Serax. serax.com

WOOL

27. A chunky wool blanket by Panapufa is the perfect example of the extreme-knitting movement. It is made from processed merino yarn to be strong, durable, antiallergenic and environment-friendly. panapufa.com 28. Fringing is back! This mohair blanket in white and black melange was designed by Stockholm-based Anna-Carin Stackelberg – and

manufactured in South Africa. stackelbergs.se