Hi decor8 readers, I’m Mary and I am delighted to be part of decor8 team as a foreign correspondent. For the trade shows Holly cannot attend, I’ll be bringing you news from these shows and locations across Europe. Holly and I both have young boys, which makes it impossible to be on the road attending every fair out there, so she wanted to hire on someone like me who can visit fairs she can't, because decor8 is more and more becoming a source for readers to find the latest trends in Europe - and so together with Holly, we want to continue bringing those to you.

I sometimes refer to myself as a trade show veteran, and I’m not referring to my age! I’ve been reporting and trend hunting for more than 10 years at trade shows across Europe, with Maison & Objet Paris being the first I ever visited outside of the UK.  I do, in fact love interiors fairs. There is a thrill I get from spotting something new, unique or particularly well crafted. I’m a fan of color, form and function and get very excited if I come across all three in a product. I love meeting the faces behind the brands and hearing them share their passion for the products they create and produce. Trade shows are also remarkable places to network and geek out with fellow like-minded design lovers.

Just last week I was at Maison & Objet in Paris for their January edition of the trade show. If you’ve never heard of it, or been, it’s BIG. With over 3,000 exhibitors showcasing the latest international home wares, furniture, accessories, and lighting in 8 halls. It’s easy to clock up double-digit miles walking through the aisles.  Having a plan and knowing where to look to find the kind of products you’re after is essential at trade shows this large, but I always like to go a little off-piste to find new things.

The design influences I think we are going to be seeing more of in 2018 are; Rich earthy and berry colors, more velvet, curved shapes, cane work and rattan and monochrome being the new minimalism.  So with that in mind, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite finds from this edition of the show. Some of them you may well have spotted already on social media and others will be filling the pages of magazines by this summer.  

1. CC-Tapis

CC-Tapis is an Italian company, which produces contemporary hand-knotted and hand-woven rugs which are created in Nepal by expert Tibetan artisans.  Known for it’s contemporary design and fashion-forward color they’ve collaborated with design luminaries such as Patricia Urquiola as well as many up and coming designers. They always deliver a knockout stand that’s like a warm hug of color.  The newest releases for 2018 are predominately soft toned representing the new neutrals, which are extremely calming and utterly feminine. I’m a big fan of the “face” as it reminds me of the Miller Goodman Faces blocks.

2. Casalto

Casalto is referred to as the Interior Jeweler by its mastermind, Architect Eric Willemart. That alone was enough to stop me in my tracks and ask a few questions. It’s more like a mix and match configuration game, than a traditional home furniture and accessory line. Made up of 27 individual pieces shaped like cones, cylinders and disks they can be combined in a number of ways to make unique pieces for your home – tables, lights and vases for example. What was so impressive was that each element is handcrafted and it’s so striking in black and white with metallic accents. Completely new to me and a really fun concept.

3. Rina Menardi

Italian ceramicist Rina Menardi is always a must visit stand, as her vast collection of elegantly shaped and colored ceramics are all inspired by nature. The color palette is always so beautiful, the baked stoneware incredibly tactile and the shapes are incredibly versatile. I’d love to own one but with a small child, I might have to wait a few years. 

4. WOUD

I have a soft spot for Danish brand Woud, mostly because it’s so easy to live with. Holly has written about them here from her visit to IMM last year, and she had used their chairs in the decor8 booth that she designed for the fair. Each time I see them at a trade show they are never shy with color and seem to be masters at color blocking. They excel at wall hanging storage/shelves but it’s their cute little wooden animals that without a doubt melt my heart.

5. Eno Studio

Eno Studio always creates at least one item that catches my magpie eye, when I’m stomping through the halls of Maison & Objet. This spring edition was no exception. Not only are they clever with color; they also have a fine tuned radar for alluring finishes – think warm metals and lush jewel toned velvet.  I loved the abundance of deep red hues and dusky pinks and the Vega pouf in the brass finish was definitely on my lust list.

6. Ay Illuminate

It was impossible to miss the organic, ethnic-inspired trend of cane, wicker, rattan, straw, and raffia that has developed from the Boho and 70’s trend across the halls of Maison & Objet. Dutch based Ay Illuminate were one of my favorites; inspired by nature and different cultures, they use natural waste materials to produce their collections. Their Buri range of pendants and baskets are made of palm leaves utilizing local handicraft expertise in Asia.

7. Ham

Jo Ham is the creator of Ham, which was born in 2011. A design led homewares and paper goods range following the incredibly cute life of a contented rabbit on his daily adventures.  The range of prints, mugs, cards, wall stickers and pins have featured in Paris’ Collette store and in Vitra’s advertising campaign for Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s Corniches wall shelves. I’ll also happily admit to having a Ham bunny myself.

8 Petite Friture

There are understandable a lot of French companies that exhibit at Maison & Objet, one that is particularly playful and gathering a bit of a following is Petite Friture. I really liked their new black and white wallpaper by illustrator Lisa Laubreaux, which to me evoked the artist Keith Haring.

9. Sklo

Sklo designs and manufactures hand blown Czech glass. With a gorgeous range of lighting and accessories, they unveiled new colors of their WRAP collection. These hand-blown tubes are turned into effortless knots by Sklo craftsman and look amazing on top of a stack of books or styled in a table vignette. The new opaque colors of celadon green and apricot and the new clear version turquoise were my favorites.

10. Vitra

Not strictly at Maison & Objet as they were showing in the center of Paris, but Vitra had an accessories showcase at their new store which was impeccable styled. The peach wall with Alexander Girard Metal wall reliefs was an absolute delight and it’s a color I think we’ll be seeing more of in 2018. From the new collection I was particularly taken with the new Trays and High Tray by Jasper Morrison simply because a shot of color is always a good thing in my book.

What do you think? Any favorites? I came back with lots of inspiration and a “little” list of things that I covet. See you soon again with fair coverage and other finds, nice to be here! - Mary.

(Text/Photos: Mary Middleton for decor8)