The (Re)Generation! of Maison & Objet January 2020: Part I
Bonjour tout le monde, ça va? I hope your holiday was magnifique. I guess we’re all winding down after the chaos that inevitably comes that time of year. Personally I’m ready to move into 2020 with a clear vision and focus on the future while enjoying every present moment!
With The Paris Apartment, I’m slipping into a new phase too. Of course we’ll still be about all things luxe, French, boudoir et belle, but promoting what’s sustainable; natural products that are reusable, recycled, up-cycled, made by hand and creative. Equally exciting is we’ll be meeting the créateurs et créatrices behind the ideas; the innovators who dream up and bring to life new products as well as those who’ve been walking a holistic path for years, paving the way.
The best way to find them all in one place is at the Maison & Objet. It’s the world’s chicest home and accessories trade show. The events are held twice a year at Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre. It’s an enormous venue with multiple halls, thousands of exhibitors from all over the world, art, installations, conferences, workspaces and interactive events. This year’s dates are January 17-21, 2020 and September 4-8, 2020.
There’s a lot. The map below will definitely help.
As it turns out, Maison et Objet event planners and exhibitors are on the same trajectory as so many of us. Take a look at their theme this month:
2020 Theme: “(RE) GENERATION!” Playing the nostalgia card is out of the question! So, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, MAISON&OBJET is looking to the future and, in its upcoming January and September editions, will set out to analyse the attitudes, desires and expectations of Generation Y and Z’s digital natives. A whole year’s celebrations will be devoted to these committed millennials who, confronted with the many current crises, are looking for a better world, changing the rules and revolutionising consumer behaviour in both the home and lifestyle sectors.
I started digging around the Exhibitor List and got lost in the story of Plantes & Parfums. It’s hard not to charmed by this pure and natural business…
where they work
their instagram!
their philosophy
their blog…see what I mean? And that is just the beginning.
Anyway there’s a huge push in the sustainability movement and everyone’s into it, including the designers who received talent awards this year. They’re inventors, designers and progressive thinkers who are rethinking outmoded objects and ideas.
RISING TALENT AWARDS
maison-objet.com/rising-talent-awards-january-2020
The Paris-based duo Natacha Poutoux and Sacha Hourcade is intent of revolutionizing the world of household electrical appliances and to bring design to fields where it is often ignored. The pair both graduated from ENSCI Les Ateliers and then trained with some of contemporary design’s most iillustrious names—the Bouroullec brothers and Stefan Diez for Natacha, India Mahdavi for Sacha. They founded their own firm in 2017.
“Nowadays, technical or electrical objects are generally conceived by engineers, whereas we’d like to approach designing them in the same way as you would a chair. We also want to introduce different savoir-faire and materials. At present, companies tend to make everything out of plastic.
Sacha: For example, we’ve created an air humidifier, in which the water container is made of glass. That brings up new questions about its life cycle. What do you do with it afterwards? And do you place it somewhere visible or do you continue to hide it like most other humidifiers today?”
After studying at ENSCI Les Ateliers in Paris and the University of Arts in Berlin, Adrien Garcia worked for five years for an interior design practice specialized in wellness and spa projects. He set up his own firm in 2019 and is currently in the process of developing his debut furniture collection.
“All the materials I use are more or less natural. If not, they’re either recycled or repurposed by an artisan. I have a really, really big aversion to plastic. I can’t stand it. Instead, I prefer to use oak and have my own trees in the forest on my property.”
Nominated by the director of the Ecole Camondo, René-Jacques Mayer.
Laureline Galliot trained as a dancer and as a textile colorist before taking a degree in design at ENSCI-Les Ateliers in Paris. Using an iPad and virtual reality software initially developed for the animated film industry, she creates objects by sculpting with color. Four of them have already found their way into the French National Design Collection at the Centre National des Arts Plastiques in Paris.
“I’m really passionate about the way industry has distorted things, even in the food sector. There’s a standardization of forms, with only shapes that can be easily molded. We’ve ended up producing vegetables in that way. They all have to be perfect geometrical forms. There’s no longer a place for anything misshapen. I want to reeducate people’s eye to things that are less industrial and more organic, where the ultimate goal is no longer a sort of perfect rigor.”
Whew!
Last but not least for today’s deep dive is a list of cool places once you’re outside the fairgrounds and back in the heart of Paris. It’s some of the great restaurants, work and hybrid spaces that are embracing the philosophy of zero waste and conscious living. From the M&O website: THIS IS PARIS!
Connected, veggie, vintage, ethical, collaborative, and activist: the next-gen Parisian lifestyle in fifteen inspired spots.
Though the “(RE) GENERATION!” theme of the fair gives you the keys to understand this new context, Paris is already living in tune with the latest consumer trends. Here’s our ideal tour of the city. (this is an abbreviated list…get the full monte here:
L’Abattoir Végétal
Does a funky take on healthy tempt you? Ava Farhang advocates for the concept of a healthy mind in a fun environment. Yes, you can like healthy seeds and grains and good home cooking, too, and this is just what this new spot on the Left Bank wants to show us. Chef Jenny Boniton cooks up delicious, cross-cultural vegetarian or vegan cuisine by taking inspiration from the many flavors of the world. And here’s some good news: you can dine all day, from noon to midnight, and small bites to share (kaho pad sapparot, baba ganoush, and more) can be savored alongside stunning cocktails such as the Goji-berry and litchi Spritz.
Open Tuesday-Saturday 12:00-00:00, 9 rue Guisarde, 6th arrondissement Paris. www.abattoirvegetal.fr
Deskopolitan
Resolutely in the category of all-purpose venues, here’s a place that’s a co-working space, boutique hotel, restaurant, gym, rooftop vegetable garden, speakeasy, and barber shop, all in one! It’s an urban campus that’s one-of-a-kind in Europe, dedicated to work and to personal development. The interior design was a creation of London-based architectural firm MoreySmith, which has, in particular, crafted the design of Primark’s offices.
226 boulevard Voltaire, 11th arrondissement Paris. deskopolitan.com/
Maif social club
A hybrid space for co-working, having a cup of coffee, and getting in some culture, with an innovative, multidisciplinary program of events (exhibitions, shows, debates, workshops, etc.) that raise questions about the new ways we consume, the housing of the future, sustainable development, activism in the era of the social web, or the ecological transition. A 1000-square-meter space at the heart of the Marais that’s free and open to the public…what a dream!
Monday-Friday 10:00-20:30 and Saturdays 10:00-19:00, Le Maif Social Club, 37, rue de Turenne, 3rd arrondissement Paris. Tel. +33 (0)1 44 92 50 90. Free access.
Jours à venir
This is THE new eco-friendly boutique in the Abbesses area! Alice and Léa tested their finds online before opening a shop IRL. They’ve selected around fifty brands focused on direct distribution, recycling, and organic products. With, as a bonus, workshops on-site to help you learn to make your own cosmetics and decorative or lifestyle accessories.
Monday through Saturday 10:30-19:30, and Sundays 13:00-18:00, 2, rue Androuet, 18th arrondissement Paris. www.joursavenir.com
La Recyclerie
A social space dedicated to eco-consciousness, La Recyclerie is constantly showing a new face. You might meet up here to have a bite to eat, fix something at René’s workshop, do some gardening at the urban farm set up in the former rail yard of the Gare d’Ornano, or attend a talk. It’s the essential spot to find out more about zero-waste living, recycling, permaculture, or collaborative consumption.
Open Monday-Friday 8:00-00:00, Saturdays 12:00-02:00, and Sundays 11:00-22:00, 83 boulevard Ornano, 18th arrondissement Paris. www.larecyclerie.com
To travel is to take a journey into yourself
Bonjour tout le monde, ca va? If you’re here you probably want to talk about our favorite topic: Paris of course! It’s just an obsession for some of us, isn’t it? How is it that Paris never gets old? It’s one of the few places you can go over and over again and never see it all.
If you’re anything like me, you love to think about WHO created Paris…the vision that the people all had to have shared to build a city that would still be the benchmark for beauty and culture. And they did it dressed to the nines. With no electricity, just their imagination and determination they erected a place that we stroll sometimes without a second thought. But there are some of us who still want to see the Paris of the Parisians of the Past and experience what they had in mind for future generations to enjoy.
I’m talking about the Paris where you feel at home. Not going to monuments but instead going to the special parts of the parks, to the homes of artists, visiting the ateliers and workshops where they lived and worked and sweated and created. It’s like going to visit old friends for some of us. Maybe we were there together in a past life!
image: Parc Monceau by Adam Gopnik
What about you? Is Paris on your bucket list? Maybe you’ve gone once, or even twice. I hear a lot of people say they just didn’t get it, that it didn’t resonate with them. Or that it’s changed. That’s because they didn’t get to see the real Paris. The intimate, exquisite, quiet, elegant and usually overlooked Paris. I continue to explore, and it seems the more I do the more there is to discover. Maybe the fact that you can never finish is part of the allure.
Even with my blog there are so many topics to get into that sometimes the vastness of its depth and beauty is incomprehensible. From the parks and gardens and passages to history, architecture, cabaret and follies, fashion, photography, food, shops, cafes, music, galleries, art, perfume, culture, wine, chocolate, cinema, museums, picnics, parks, gardens, ateliers, brocantes and of course the flea markets, there’s so much to see and do and taste and touch it’s like a banquet of beauty. In fact it’s a moveable feast, Hemingway was so right! And the buffet is endless.
And so, once again I’m heading back in September and have been putting together some new adventures, and you’re invited to come along. I like to share a different Paris than the one in the guide books, one that’s beautiful and serene. One that the Parisians of the past knew well and where they went to get away from the crowds to stroll and languish, paint, write and get inspired.
Lately there’s been interest in a lot of activities along with the usual trek to the fleamarkets, including off-the beaten path places like the vineyards of Montmartre, cooking in a private apartment, walking tours, jazz clubs, thrifting for designer fashions, restoration techniques, and lots more! We’re combing a little of each into our trips, creating an experience you won’t find anywhere else.
So take a look at what we’ve got simmering. If you’d like to join us, contact us and we’ll set it up. I want you to experience the Paris you’ve always dreamed about. Our trips can either be booked one on one (flea market shopping) or with a group which includes airport transfers, hotel or apartment, transportation to events, tickets and more. If you’re interested, contact me and let’s discuss your dream trip this fall. Below are the cliff notes and just a fraction of what’s in store. You’ll get a detailed itinerary with specific events and destinations when you book.
Sept 1-6
First Timer’s Trip
Joachim Hiltmann / Getty Images
I can’t begin to tell you what this trip entails but suffice it to say you’ll see a Paris that’s beyond magical. All the little streets you’ve seen IG’d, the picnics, the day trips, the cobblestone alleys and of course the places that can’t be missed, but from an angle that’s unexpected and unusual.
Sept 6-12
Decor Tour:
image: Connaissance des Arts
This incredible week will be filled with treasure hunting and shopping for home decor. We’ll take you to find everything from mantles and doors to chandeliers and textiles at the flea markets. We’ll also go to the world famous trade show, the Maison et Objet. You’ll go inside auctions and warehouses in and out of the city. It’s the perfect trip if you’re decorating a home, stocking a store or stocking up for shows and want to find linens, decor and home accessories at wholesale prices.
Sept 13-19
Artist’s Ateliers & Workshops in Paris:
If you love going into private homes and workshops of artists who lived in Paris, this is the one for you. Parisians have had incredible foresight to keep certain places just as they were when the artist in residence lived and worked in the city. Many of these homes are tucked away right in the center of Paris. We’ll go on our tour to explore these homes and it truly feels like we’re going to the visit old friends and acquaintances from the past.
September 21-26
Parisians of the Past – Salon Hostesses:
We’ll visit the homes and haunts of the women who made Paris the center of the universe in the Age of Enlightenment. When there was nothing but dirt and oppression, these women decided they’d create a new world for themselves filled with beauty, culture, manners and etiquette. They designed clothing and interiors and gardens that are still the benchmark for good taste today.
Together we’ll walk in their footsteps enjoying the homes and salons that still stand in commemoration of their epic legacy by day and have evenings in our own modern salons that include cooking, music and dance.
Well that’s it for the moment! Bottom line is there’s a Paris that’s just for you, not a cookie cutter tour but an adventure that’s full of fun and discovery. A journey and experience that will leave you with a new appreciation for this truly magical place that’s just waiting to be rediscovered…by you!
If you’d like to schedule a day together in July, email claudia@theparisapartment.com. Et alors, ciao for now…à bientôt!
in my other life
hello guys! hope your week is winding down and the weekend is shaping up. it’s been a long day and i’m about to call it a night but just wanted to thank my girl katie of the neotraditionalist and founder of matchbook magazine for including me in the latest issue. how she does it i’ll never know but it’s filled with gorgeous picks and people so if you get a chance, stop by!
katie asked me what my readers would be surprised to know about me. i could have gone down some random roads but went with my ‘green’ side. i think maybe some of you do know about my crusades but seeing this today made me gather my thoughts and start looking at how i can turn some of my obsessions into my reality.
now that i’m officially settled down in miami, the plan is to become a part of the community and propose some of the ideas i’ve been mulling over. i’m hoping miami beach is small enough to make some noise and get something done. so tonight i’ll pretend i’m on the committee and get started. my first proposal is to green the tops of all the buses.
electronic-recycling-vending-machines
after that i’d like to put recycling machines every place from starbucks to the supermarket. have you seen these machines? the one above is a kiosk that pays you when you turn in phones, cords etc. and the one below compacts plastic bottles. each of these is also a business opportunity for the person who sets it up so it’s good for the community and creates jobs.
next i’d like to propose a new beach cleaner, one that sifts the sand instead of just turning it over. this one is state of the art and is sustainable as it produces zero emissions and has a hybrid engine.
next i’m proposing a green roof to the building i look down on from my window. right now it’s just empty and stained and since green roofs are so easy these days, why not see if they’ll take the bait?
finally you probably do know about my passion against the CFL bulbs. i’m advocating that florida move in the direction that south carolina, texas and new zealand are going which is to BAN the CFL bulbs, not the innocent incandescent.i’ve been researching the pros and cons for almost 2 years and have devoted a blog to the cause. it’s s touch fight cause CFLs have become the symbol of green yet they’re just the opposite. just say no to them before regular bulbs are outlawed and sign the ban on the ban at my other blog if you get a chance.
stoppingatthegreenlight.wordpress.com
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/111/hr6144/comment/3135
well, that’s about it for tonight, i’m burnt out! what are you doing in your green life?
the paris apartment 