Maison&Objet
Paris
22-26 January
Review by Johnny Tucker

Fungo by the Campana Brothers for Lasvit

Brought in to create a light for Lasvit, Brazil's Campana Brothers were so taken with the fungus they saw growing on a glass-blowing mould at the manufacturer's facility that they ended up creating a second light to their own brief.

Candy Sphere by the Campana Brothers for Lasvit

The first pieces they produced were the exuberant Candy collection of a chandelier and table light - glass looking like boiled sweets. The second, unscripted piece, Fungo, is a wooden chandelier oozing glass, with a kind of left-field elegance. 'Our main purpose is to create a shock between the formal rigidity of the chandelier's wooden structure and the pieces of glass that seem to spontaneously germinate from the wood,' says Humberto Campana.

Stellar Oval low table by Jake Phipps

Stellar Works presented itself inside a steampunkish metal cage designed by current creative director Neri&Hu. One of the standouts of the show, Stella Works added more than 20 pieces to its range including Neri&Hu's Ming tables and chairs and Dowry collection of cabinets. There was also a collection from Yabu Pushelberg exploring 'modern masculinity', including a very strong chaise among other pieces.

Bolt by Steve Jones for innermost

On the droller end of design, the UK's innermost and Italy's Seletti, continued doing what they do, very well. Among the innermost highlights were the YoyWall light and the industrial up-and-down lighter, Bolt, designed by Steve Jones, which looks like a girder poking out of the wall.

Kartell fragrances

Seletti's highlights included a hook-up with fashion brand Diesel Living to produce what it humbly says is 'a visionary and poetic tableware collection inspired by the universe'. And also doing what he does best, Jake Phipps continues to mine his pixilated/geode seam, this time producing new pieces for his Stellar Oval collection, including a low table and mirror.

The Diesel Living collection by Seletti

Away from the furniture launches, Kartell made its first foray into the fragrance market, though it still concentrates on its core plastic creativity with a series of sculptural room perfumers, colour-coded to their scents. And finally the Arita 400 project loomed literally large at the show. Arita is an area in Japan famous for producing fine porcelain and has been doing so for 400 years.

James by Yabu Pushelberg for Stella Works

This is being celebrated in Arita 400, where a host of household names have been asked to work in the material. Four welcoming features in the outer walkways, by Kengo Kuma, Kitano Takeshi, Kashiwa Sato and Ken Okuyuma, were complemented by a large stand in the main design-led hall, with eight porcelain houses showing their visions for the future.