Day 5, Part II of II: Maison & Ob'jet, Paris

Its the last post for the Fall 2013 Maison & O'bjet Show in Paris, France.

One of our most exciting discoveries of the entire show was made today when we found the French maker of solid copper tables. These tables (and a few accessories) featured multiple patinas and hammered and scored patterns and detailing. Expect to see this collection of perfection in Cabana Home stores in mid-January.

 

Loved this table with a triple legged base that meets at a scalloped top, above.

 

 

The large round Cocktail Table, above, is 50" in diameter, and is not only sculptural, but the textured pattern, below, is hand wrought.

Above: A spherical vessel is detailed with hand tooling similar to the cocktail table. Vessel rests on a smooth, tapered, round table.

The occasional table, above, is poured and cast solid brass.  

 

 

 

We also found some interesting lanterns (to be used indoors or in covered outdoor areas only!) sheathed in off-white underneath a Moroccan motif metal pattern.

 

Organic shapes and textures were often married to more refined finishes such as mat white, gold, or silver.

More glassware in trending colors were half the story, with the other half being mat, or opaque finishes, below:

 

 

The Maison & O’bject show ran simultaneous with Paris design Week, which included and opportunity to see the atelier of famed French architect Jean Nouvel. Nouvel has won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the Pritzker Prize.

 

 

 

Ateliers Jean Nouvel, above. 

 

 

Ateliers Jean Nouvel is one of the largest practices in France, with 140 people in the Paris office. Nouvel is also known for designing consumer goods; he designed a flacon for L'Homme, an Yves Saint Laurent fragrance, in a limited edition, and a pair of utilitarian urban boots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A sleek table and stacking chairs in a corner of Ateliers Nouvel stand in contrast to one another.  

 

 

 

 

Nouvel was awarded the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour, in 2008, for his work on more than 200 projects, among them the bullet-shaped and "candy-colored" Torre Agbar in Barcelona.

 

 

 

The jury of the Pritzker Prize noted: Of the many phrases that might be used to describe the career of architect Jean Nouvel, foremost are those that emphasize his courageous pursuit of new ideas and his challenge of accepted norms in order to stretch the boundaries of the field.


The show is over, but we still had another week in Paris and then on to Rome for more work. We loved the location of our hotel, the Le Pavillon des Lettres, just a-half block off the Rue du Faubourg Saint- Honroe (8^th Arrd.). 
The hotel markets itself as “Literary Hotel”. Each of the 26 rooms were lettered (not numbered) with the first letter of the last name of a significant poet, a writer, an impassioned virtuoso, or genius, whose spirit is carried over in the décor of the rooms and suites. Extracts of their individual work was chosen and printed on the walls.
We found this hotel because it's the sister to The Pavillon de la Reine which was sold out, and is one of our favorites in Paris, located in Place des Vosges, in the Marais district. 

 

Hotel Le Pavillon des Lettres

 

 

 
The honor bar in the lobby of the hotel. Make your own drink the way you want it, and then sign for it. So very civil!

The sitting area in the lobby of the hotel.

 

The back wall of the sitting area in the lobby was poetry (in French), letter pressed into metal. 

 

 

As most of you know, there is great shopping on this neighborhood, and below are pictures from some after hours window shopping. 

 

 

An antique store featured an antique fireplace surround with chamfered brick detail

Models made scary by bad lighting.

Walter Steiger, one of the shoe designers I got to work with back in my Neiman Marcus days, the house remains stronger than ever. The Vladimir bootie in faux zebra, above.

Walter Steiger 'Opportun' pump in brightly colored Python, features the quintessential Steiger heel. 

 

A scary outfit on a mannequin in the window at Pierre Cardin.  

 

 

As I wind down this series, you may be wondering if there was no "Worst in Show" at this, the last day of the Maison & O'bjet Show. Well, wonder no more, because below you will see the last of the "Worst of the Show"!

 

 

"Art" photograph of a green toned gal with Louis Vuitton lips and pierced lips with Vuitton

"bag charms".

Interesting work in copper: Above, dark copper console; Below, shiny copper 'cabinet' on legs.

 

 

Porcelain vase with baby doll arms and legs, below.

 

 

 

See, I didn't forget! Thanks for joining me in this, the 2013 Fall Maison & O'bjet Show series. I have now moved on to the High Point Furniture Market in High Point, N.C. for the Fall 2013 show. The next post will be from the shores of the Carolina's, until then...

 

 

Good night moon.

 

Day 5, Part 1 of 2: Maison & Ob'jet, Paris

Welcome to the 5th and final day of this years Maison & Ob'jet Show! Here is Part I

In other posts on this show, we've looked at the efforts these vendors go to make their "stands" unique and different. Here they're called stands, as opposed to booths as we call them in the US.

Below is an example of going over the top, literally!

The stand, below was certainly acidic in both orange and lemon, but my wife nor I ever figured out what it is they sell!

Another example of the detail a vendor will go: The manufacture of French clay dinnerware, Astier de Villatte, whose main store is in Paris at 173 Rue Saint-Honore.
The photo below is of the store:

 

And, below is their display at the Maison & Ob'jet Show! Kind of fabulous, don't you think?

And the Astier de Villatte, product, next three photographs, below:

The Benoit Tea Pot with Head, above. Most of the dinnerware pieces are offered in two finishes: All white glazed finish (shown left), or non-glazed exterior with glazed interior (shown right). Either way, they're both beautiful. 

Astier de Villatte has a complete dinnerware line, shown above.

 

The detail of an Astier de Villatte coffee cup, above.

 

 

And, just when I thought I'd covered all of the stands with interesting displays, I passed two more:

 

The stand above, sells lighting, but went to great ends to create a suitable "living room" setting with a tight but imaginative budget: Cardboard walls and furniture, painted white then trimmed with black electrical tape!

The stand above, sells jewelry, handbags and small leather goods. They too used cardboard, but painted theirs black and used white paint to create "store windows" and "mannequins" which featured their merchandise. The necklace on the 'mannequin' is a real necklace, though she is one-dimensional, and the red handbags on the upper white shelf are a real shelf coming out of the wall. Interesting way to "fool the eye"! These French are clever I tell you!

A new line of containers for us featured non-fired mat finishes, with glazed interiors so they remain waterproof. We liked the shapes and textures found through out this line, below.

We picked up the four gigantic "cricket baskets" (shown below), which feature glass cylinder liners to hold large votive candles, creating a stunning but natural looking hurricane for outdoor entertaining. 

 

 

 

An over sized pot from France with incredible "dry finish". Dry finishes (looks like unglazed earthenware) is definitely a trend. We're thinking of making it a lamp...what do you think?

 

Chain of glass, below. Each link holds a flower. Blown in the venetian style, these were thought provoking, indeed.

 

Mother of Pearl dish with almost fully formed pearls still attached. This occurs when both the nacre layers of the mother and of the pearl don't separate, creating this phenomenon.   

 

The ocean theme continues with the urchin like texture finish on the vases, below:

New, fabulous and can't wait to get the poured and carved glass vases and bowls, pictured below. Finishes include mat, iridescent-like multi-layer colored, and clear.

 

 

Above: Three layers of colored glass give the look of iridescence, though it is not iridescent.

Dark wine colored glass is carved and blurred to give the soft glow on the hurricanes, above, mounted on sold brass repousse bases. 

Oversized vessel with low sides, above

Wonderful steel blue glass, above.

 

 

Hide rug: An interesting way to join the hides of the Axis (non endangered!)

 

 

 

Before I end today's post, I did manage to find a candidate or two for Worst of Show:

 

 

Patchwork velvet wing chair juxtaposed with a red plastic flower floor lamp.

A scary sight indeed! For those of you who are devotees of MacKenzie-Childs dinnerware and accessories, rest assured that this vendor is no MacKenzie Childs!

And another scary sight (not really scary, just unattractive)! Was not sure why this mannequin was even at the entrance to the stand as we passed by. Most people took pictures of it, and didn't bother to enter into the stand. Actually, I can't tell you what they were selling (or not selling).

Horse floor lamp. Okay, I have to admit that maybe I could see how to use this floor lamp, but it would be very specific. I suggest if your tempted to buy it, rent it instead!

 

And for this Asian man floor lamp, I see no way to use this other than recycling, or is that up-cycling because you couldn't go any lower? :)

 

 

 

That was some day, for sure! All for now. Please join me later this week for Day 5, Part II.

 

 

 

 

Good night moon