designboom’s guide to paris design week 2023: what not to miss in and out of maison & objet
DESIGNBOOM GUIDE TO PARIS DESIGN WEEK 2023
Paris Design Week, the must-attend event for design enthusiasts and aficionados around the world, returns to the French capital for its 2023 edition. Organized by Maison & Objet, the event runs from September 7 to September 16, offering a journey filled with the latest trends in design. Guests can explore an array of galleries, prestigious institutions, and unconventional venues.
In this guide, we unveil our curated selections to help you make the most of this exciting experience. Read below to find out more about this year’s Maison&Objet, as well as the must-see exhibitions, installations, and cultural events in the run-up to Paris Design Week 2023.
image courtesy of Maison et Objet (head image courtesy of Paris Design Week)
Maison & Objet
Maison & Objet (find more here) is one of the world’s leading trade fairs for the lifestyle, interior design, and design industries. Each edition brings together some 2,300 exhibitors, promoting new contacts and emerging talents, and highlighting current and future trends. Taking place at the Parc des Expositions of Paris-Nord Villepinte, Maison&Objet 2023 is on a ‘quest of pleasures’, proudly displaying colors, extravagance, audacity, and humor as many added values of this new edition.
Amid the numerous participants, guests can find Masquespacio’s Home exhibition featuring a range of ceramic objects created in-house combining 3D technology and craftsmanship. The objects boast the signature playful design and vibrant colors of the Valencia-based creative studio.
In addition, Japanese designer Hiroyuki Murase introduces his new project Creation as Dialogue, which aims to connect the cultures of craftsmanship between Nagoya and Europe. In collaboration with three established designers, Sawako Furukawa, Daisuke Hirabayashi, and Kodo Nawa, and ten Nagoya-based companies, the project launches a collection of products that embody the synergy between the two cultures.
For more dedicated coverage of the 2023 edition of Maison & Objet, check here.
PARIS DESIGN WEEK FACTORY
The Paris Design Week Factory (find more here) is a space for emerging designers to showcase their work and connect with potential clients and collaborators. The initiative is held at two locations: the Espace Commines houses an exhibition of gallery design under the curation of an expert while the Galerie Joseph Froissart presents a panorama of the young French and International design scene. The Factory will host a variety of events, including exhibitions, workshops, and talks. with the goal to create a vibrant and collaborative environment where emerging designers can develop their skills and build their networks. Among the participants of the Factory, visitors can see Prisca Razafindrakoto’s Mullca 510 school chair (find more here) which swaps its plywood back and seat for inflated, flame-colored copper.
image courtesy of Prisca Razafindrakoto
india mahdavi
On the occasion of Paris Design Week 2023, India Mahdavi spotlights her latest collaboration with Gebrüder Thonet Vienna. In response to their invitation and for the second year in a row, the designer delved into the Austrian brand’s unique savoir-faire to unveil a lounge chair called Mickey. ‘The Mickey chair is high and comfy, but also embracing, colorful and kind. A friend to cherish and with big ears, who listens to all your fears,’ India Mahdavi says. The pieces will be on view at 29, Rue De Bellechasse, from September 7th to October 7th, 2023.
image courtesy of India Mahdavi
BATIIK STUDIO
Rebecca Benichou and Florence Jallet of Batiik Studio (find more here) present their first design collection at the 2023 edition of Paris Design Week. The series, titled Dans le sillage de Nérée (In the wake of Nereus), is inspired by the god of the sea and his descendants, and it features a series of furniture pieces with a summery feel, made from natural materials such as wood and rattan. The collection can be found at the Élitis showroom, 5 rue Saint-Benoit, from Thursday, September 7th, 2023.
image courtesy of Batiik Studio
Feu! by MEET MET MET
At the Paris Design Week 2023, the MEET MET MET collective (find more here) presents its first exhibition, Feu!. The exhibition brings together 20 designers from France and around the world to explore the iconic and timeless object of the ashtray. Founded by designers Helder Barbosa, Thibault Huguet, and Jean-Baptiste Anotin from the studio Waiting For Ideas, the MEET MET MET collective aims to promote a new wave of independent and often self-published creatives. The exhibition is an opportunity for these designers to experiment with the ashtray form and materiality, and to showcase their unique visions of this humble object.
pure polished mirror aluminium seat by Waiting For Ideas | image courtesy of MEET MET MET
paf atelier
Paf Atelier has realized the scenography for the Parisian edition of Itinerance Design, the traveling show dedicated to the new guard of design. Directed by the founders and co-curators Jean-François Declercq, Marie Godfrain and David Herman, the show focuses on a multidisciplinary experience dedicated to the reinvention of lifestyles, and can be discovered from September 7th to September 10th at Electric Paris.
image courtrsy of Paf Atelier
kimsooja presents ‘to breathe’ at GALERIES LAFAYETTE
At the invitation of Galeries Lafayette (find more here), Korean artist Kimsooja (find more here) has installed a site-specific, light-oriented artwork To Breathe in its Paris Haussmann. Kimsooja has applied a special film to the historic building’s iconic glass dome, causing the light to disperse into a spectrum of colors. Throughout the day, the exterior surfaces and interior spaces of the building become iridescent, ever-changing landscapes. ‘To Breathe’ is the first installation of its kind in Paris at this scale, and it invites viewers to contemplate the sensory and meditative qualities of light. See designboom’s previous coverage of the installation, here.
