I have just returned from my annual winter pilgrimage to Maison et Objet, also known as the Paris Gift Show. For three days I walked the endless halls of the Parc des Expostions with attendees from around the globe. Twice a year thousands of devotees converge here to see the best of new European design. The show caters to all tastes and styles, not just contemporary design, and so is a good general survey of ideas. I attend every January, gawking and surreptitiously snapping photos, as impressed by the logistics of the immense temporary showrooms and visual display ideas as I am by any of the new products.
With more than 3000 exhibitors, many housed in remarkable 5000+ square foot temporary showrooms, it is a spectacle on an immense scale that dazzles and always provides me with inspiration for the year ahead. Also inspiring this year was the decidedly upbeat mood, a noticeable improvement over last winter's show, and virtually all the vendors I spoke to were pleased with their sales.
In this set (gallery) are photos from the show, grouped in no particular order. Enjoy!


