The streets of Paris buzzed with creativity and inspiration as the January 2025 edition of Maison&Objet brought the city to life, despite the chilly winter weather. Held at the Parc des Expositions de Villepinte from January 16-20, 2025, this bi-annual design fair attracted over 70,000 visitors from around the globe. The event also extended beyond the exhibition halls with immersive activations across Paris, titled “Maison&Objet In The City,” offering a city-wide celebration of design. This year, the fair showcased 2,377 brands, over half of which were international, including 594 new exhibitors, making it a truly global gathering of the furniture and design industries. The event was a testament to the power of design to bring people together and inspire new creative directions.
The theme of Maison&Objet 2025, “Sur/Reality,” was a nod to the 100th anniversary of the Surrealist Manifesto, published in 1924. Surrealism, a movement born out of the turmoil of World War I, sought to explore the subconscious mind through art, literature, and poetry. Maison&Objet’s interpretation of surrealism was all about embracing creative freedom and the otherworldly, while maintaining a sense of cohesion and subtlety. The theme encouraged designers to push boundaries, blending the ordinary with the extraordinary in ways that felt both unexpected and harmonious. This approach was evident in the many exhibits that combined functionality with a sense of wonder, inviting visitors to rethink their relationship with everyday objects and spaces.
One of the standout collections at the fair was the Jogak Light Collection 02 by Studio BooBoon, a Paris-based design studio founded by Jisu Yun and Richard Bone. The collection drew inspiration from “bojagi,” a traditional Korean fabric practice, where fabric offcuts (“jogak”) are carefully trimmed and assembled into larger pieces. The result was a series of lighting sculptures, including desk lights, floor lights, tall lights, and pendant lights, available in four sensual colors. Each piece was a testament to the beauty of transformations, turning waste into something both functional and visually striking. Studio BooBoon’s work has always explored the intersection of tradition and modernity, finding inspiration in the small details that shape our daily lives. Their designs often feel like puzzles, where unexpected elements come together to create something cohesive and meaningful.
Another highlight was the Pantalica Outdoor Collection, a collaboration between Milan-based designer Elisa Ossino and Molteni&C. Named after the Pantalica nature reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sicily, the collection was inspired by the meditative and restorative power of nature. The pieces, made from sustainable polypropylene, included a daybed, coffee table, stools, and a rug, all crafted to harmonize with the great outdoors. The collection’s wavy, sculptural shapes evoked the natural world, while its minimalist aesthetic ensured it could seamlessly integrate into modern, mindful living spaces. Molteni&C’s commitment to redefining the culture of living well was evident in the collection’s elegant, versatile designs, which offered a fresh perspective on outdoor furniture.
Berlin-based designer Milena Kling’s Seaglass Light Objects also captured the essence of the “Sur/Reality” theme. Each piece in the collection was mouth-blown in free-flowing glass, shaped by the slow, unceasing forces of nature. Kling spent countless hours on beaches, searching for shapes that reflected the beauty of slowness, which she then translated into glass objects with a smooth, matte finish. Available in various sizes, shapes, and colors, the lights were both minimal and sensual, creating a sense of harmony and atmosphere in any space. Kling’s work often feels like a dialogue between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design, resulting in objects that are as much art as they are functional pieces.
Finally, Maison&Objet 2025 also celebrated the work of British designer Faye Toogood, who was honored as Designer of the Year. Her installation, “Womanifesto: Ceci n’est pas une chaise,” was a surrealist space that invited visitors into her creative process. The installation was a dreamlike setting where industrial pieces and limited-edition designs coexisted, blending art and functionality in a way that felt both eclectic and avant-garde. Toogood’s work has always challenged the boundaries of design, encouraging us to see the world in new ways. Maison&Objet 2025, with its diverse range of exhibits and its “Sur/Reality” theme, was a reminder of the power of design to transform the everyday into the extraordinary. As a barometer for future trends in furniture and hospitality, the event left no doubt that 2025 will be a year of creative exploration, where the ordinary and the surreal intersect in unexpected ways.
