Maison & Objet 2011: Part One

One of my favorite discoveries was the four-year-old company Eno Studio, which commissions projects from emerging and established designers, many of them French. Here's one of the products they premiered at the fair: storage made from recycled oil drums painted in glossy hues, designed by Fü.

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I especially like this red version.

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Also at Eno: these ceramic kitchen canisters, shaped like gears and bound together with a thick red rubber band.

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Normal Studio created this wacky plant atrium/modular support system, as well as the cork and terra-cotta bird feeder in the foreground.

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I'm including this photo to show what can happen when you turn a corner in an otherwise innocuous row of booths. Some people were going crazy for this booth but it nearly gave me hives.

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Indoor 'urban gardening' quickly revealed itself as a trend this year. I've culled some examples for you. These cute danglers are 'BacSacs.' The company also makes larger modular grids that sit on the ground.

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German company Authentics spotlighted Patric Nadeau's 'Urban Garden' series, which included these softly geometric zip-up canvas planters.

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Nadeau also created these sleek hanging planters.

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Side note: I love this simple, perhaps Japanese-inspired soap dispenser—another new product from Authentics.

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This display was one of the more creative at the fair: vegetables dangling on clear thread, above an array of 'Bacsquares' by BACSAC.

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Another, rougher way to create a vertical garden (the 'Pot Suspendu' from BACSAC).

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Sentou's booth displayed their modern, kidney-shaped table in new hues.

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DCW/Lampes Gras exhibited their classic lamp silhouette in new colors (including a lovely brick red) and new forms, including this version that mounts from the ceiling.

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I loved most things at Muuto, known for their fresh Scandinavian designs. They just unveiled a whole fleet of new designs, including two visible in this photo: their first couch ever, the 'Rest,' which I will attest is incredibly comfortable; and the 'Bulky' tea set, which comes in white, gray, and a bright perky yellow.

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Vincent Van Duysen's ceramic-and-oak bowls aren't new (he designed them for When Objects Work in 2005) but I think they are just beautiful. Seeing them again, especially in such busy surroundings, reminded me of how timeless and sensual they are—and how much I'd love a stack in my kitchen! Stay tuned for the next dispatch from Maison & Objet, coming soon!

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