Does design have a gender?

In September, Mélanie Leroy, Managing Director of Maison&Objet and SAFI, launched “Women&design by Maison&Objet”, the first international network of women in the world of decor. The goal of this forum is to provide enhanced visibility to women designers and decorators and reaffirm their shared values. In January, British designer Faye Toogood will be named Designer of the Year 2025 for Maison&Objet. “When I started out,” she says, “there were not many women who were recognized in this field. It was a masculine milieu, and it still is.” Faye Toogood has always been committed to paying no attention whatsoever to gender differences in getting ahead. Is this also the case for the female participants in Maison&Objet In The City? All of them advocate similarly for making no distinctions at all. “If you look at key pieces from the past twenty years, you can’t say one way or another if they’ve been designed by a man or a woman,” observes Marie-Bérangère Gosserez, whose two galleries are a showcase for contemporary design. During Maison&Objet In The City, she will be hosting a joint show with Amélie Maison d’Art to create a dialogue between her design collections and the work of artists represented by Amélie Du Chalard. “In art, you can see the differences in the media that are chosen, with women being omnipresent in textile art or ceramics,” remarks Amélie. “In terms of the themes covered as well…a woman may address the body, sensitive or emotionally impactful themes, or memory. Regardless, each artist has a unique voice beyond gender stereotypes, and, above all, collectors purchase a specific piece.”

Thirty-five years ago, Marie Daâge launched her first collection of hand-painted porcelain tableware. The concept was an infinite number of combinations between 120 types of pieces and 68 different colors. “I never faced any issues of legitimacy because I’m French, and the French are famous for luxury,” she says. “Nevertheless, people are always surprised when I wear my Legion of Honor decoration, a distinction that I received a few years ago for my work promoting France overseas, because 95% of our products are sold outside of France. In the popular imagination, this national honor remains quite masculine.” Two of Marie’s daughters, Axelle and Isaure, work alongside her “because we share the same sensibilities.” A community based on shared emotion is also what brings together two sisters, Virginie, and Karine Glustin, who have taken up the mantle from their parents, heading up their Gallery specializing in collectible design from the 20th and 21st centuries. Maison Glustin also produces their own furnishings. “Though we don’t look at design in terms of gender,” says Karine, “with my sister, we really love the style of Gabriella Crespi or Claude Lalanne. Flowers, leaves, birds, curves, animals… So yes, we clearly favor a certain feminine type of style. But what characterizes us is primarily the art of mixing things up. Contemporary structured pieces with a Venetian chandelier or Chinese folding screen…we’re real free spirits.” So, who cares about gender, as long as it has some style?