As one would expect from design fair mainstay Maison & Objet Paris, this year’s edition was overflowing with countless exciting furnishings, accessories and other decoration items. Among the treasure trove of new designs, however, certain shifts in trends clearly emerged.
After touring all the booths, one such trend we noticed is the rebirth of the porcelain. After years of being relegated as a material to be used purely for tea sets, flower pots, and other predictable pieces, today porcelain has made a comeback as the new focus of designers and artists alike, and it’s looking more modern than ever.
Here are creations by five brands that we can’t wait to add to our collections:
Another French company, Faiencerie Georges has created porcelain objects by hand since 1898 and launched a new modern line of dishes decorated with unusual drawings depicting industrial buildings, electrical systems, and other characteristics common to urban scenes. The pieces preserve the techniques and craftsmanship of the past while depicting scenes that are irrevocably contemporary.
Piqueur, the new collection by German artist Stefanie Hering for her eponymous brand Hering Berlin, features pared back forms that allow its material to speak for itself. The finely polished pieces are decorated with simple yet striking illustrations of animals in black and grey, evoking the beauty of wildlife.
French company Petite Friture is well known for its playful and entertaining shapes. With the aim to promote emerging young designers at this year’s fair, the brand introduced a new line by Masha Bakker, which mixes geometric lines, organic shapes and texture for a touch of monochromatic flair to the table.
Dutch design label Vij5 boasts a wide range of interior products characterised by their convenient functionality and minimalist aesthetic. At the fair this year, founders Arjan van Raadshooven and Anieke Branderhorst introduced new items in the Pigments & Porcelain collection, which were created in collaboration with design duo Alissa + Nienke. The focus of the collection is on how colour flows through liquid porcelain, resulting in a series of unique hand-made objects.
Danish design firm Design Letters & Friends creates products with great usability and a strong graphic personality—and its AJ Vintage ABC and Flowers by AJ collections possess both in spades. The lines were inspired by famed Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen: the Flowers by AJ range was based off of a print he designed years ago, while the AJ Vintage ABC range features the designer’s typography from 1937.
