In The City: the essence of design lives in Paris

Within the whirlwind that is global design, visitors to Maison&Objet are invited to discover, in the heart of Paris, all the unique qualities that are the quintessence of the French decorative arts. Each address on this circuit is meant to be discovered in a small group, to savor its authenticity. In Saint-Germain des Prés, interior designers with a true Left-Bank spirit will be showing furniture that they’ve designed. Chat with India Mahdavi on rue de Bellechasse, Thierry Lemaire on rue Bonaparte, and Maylis and Charles Tassin, as well as Jean-Pierre Tortil, on rue de Lille…all of them are neighbors. Other decorators have set up shop on the Right Bank, gathered together near Place des Victoires. Pierre Augustin Rose on rue Hérold, Philippe Hurel just a step away, and Pinto on rue d’Aboukir. On rue Coquillère, Galerie Jacquemin Sablon offers exceptional artisanal furnishings, designed by luminaries that include Tristan Auer. This year, Pierre Gonalons has chosen to present his creations at a gallery that specializes in 18th-century furniture and objets d’art; the artistic dialogue promises to be simply brilliant. 

In the 6th arrondissement, artisans and galleries are cultivating the art of elevating decorative settings. On rue de Beaune, you simply must make a stop at Galerie Vauclair to admire the ceramics and collectors’ rattan pieces in a typically Parisian Napoleon III style. Then, step through the doors of Moissonnier, where this venerable cabinetmaker has recreated the precious world of a dandy. Ulgador on rue Bonaparte are the masters of metal leaf, whether it’s gold, silver, or copper, to illuminate mirrors and folding screens as your heart desires. 

In The City also offers an overview of today’s design, with the most brilliant projects, the newest trends, and emerging names. At the Hôtel Drouot, where auctions are held, the auctioneers from Maison R&C are setting the tone by holding a contemporary design auction on January 18th. Near Bastille, the French Design Gallery will be showing a selection of French projects created overseas and awarded the French Design 100 prize, which recognizes the names that are making French design shine all over the world. On passage de la Bonne Graine, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance invites young designer Nicolas Verschave into his studio. Both of them are advocates of “site-specific” design, in other words, closely tied to the environment it is created in. And à propos, such is the very concept behind Maison&Objet In The City: discovering the French art of living, within its natural “habitat”.