Maison et Objet 2008 September: Maison et Objet hints

Maison et Obejt 08: A potpourrí about what is coming. Maison et Objet showcases a myriad of styles for enjoying life style deco. French decoration, lovely kitchens, dreamt children's furniture, incredible sculpture furniture,sustainable growth, a source of novelties is waiting to be shown at M&O next September.

Culinaria: The kitchen, at the heart of the home  
 
In 2007, French people purchased some 35.5 million culinary items, such as molds, baking dishes, pots and pressure cookers, for a 2% growth in volume. A recent study by the GFK marketing studies institute states that the growing interest in the world of home cooking has created a favorable dynamic.
The growth of steel and aluminum has had an influence on prices, leading to an 8% growth in value for the market, notably in the pots and pans segment. But materials such as silicone are moving full-steam ahead in the baking molds segment, with 32% of the total volume. 
 
French decor DECOR ECHOES 
Acrila edits chairs by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac  
It is through new encounters that Jean-Christophe and Isabelle Bernard have added new arrows to their quiver. For the past eleven years, the Gironde-region natives have specialized in large format digital printing for advertising. Their encounter with renowned decorators and designers led them to develop their expertise in printing on Plexiglas, “The chicest of plastics".
“A year ago, we got the urge to create a line of furniture by mixing Baroque and contemporary lines", explains Jean-Christophe Bernard, a graphic artist and designer who studied at the Ecole des Arts Appliqués and whose brand and products are already distributed at some 300 points of sale from Shanghai to Dubai. Another fine encounter led to a new adventure. The Galliérock exhibition at the Musée Galliéra in Paris gave Acryla the chance to work with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. The result: a collection of thirteen different chairs showcasing the designer’s supercharged graphics and rockmantic poetry. Lamps, stools and coffee tables will round out the line at the next session.
   
Songes et Rigolades’ wonderful adventure 
Stéphanie Chaussereau should light a votive to Nathan and Jade. It was in order to respond to her children’s needs that the marketing professor made the most of a maternity leave and designed an innovative collection of children’s furniture.
“All parents are overwhelmed by the problem of storing away toys. The child’s room is often just a cut-and-paste version of the parents’ room,” notes the young businesswoman. She invents playful furniture with rounded, colorful forms. “I wanted to give children a much-deserved play area that would be both functional and playful".
BéBé 9 stores were won over by the originality of the Les Petits Flibustiers collection. In January, the Juste le Temps d’un Rêve collection, inspired by the theme of water lilies, won the Discovery Prize at the MEUBLE PARIS trade show. “I worked with the idea of a cocoon’s roundness, with a timeless approach, by creating an island around which the mother can turn".
Despite the benefit of regional aid, Stéphanie Chaussereau admits that creating a business is not a walk in the park. “I don’t daydream and I don’t enjoy myself every day".But her wonderful adventure continues on with a project for innovative products for babies, developed with the designer Elizabeth de Senneville. “To make 21st century objects and bring something new to the child’s world".
 
 
 
 
Jérôme Guime’s sculpture furniture 
Jérôme Guime readily admits, “You shouldn’t expect useful things from me. I explicitly admit that being an artist and aestheticism is the most important aspect". Totems, consoles, lamps and mirrors made from burnt wood are a testimony to the creative riches of this self-taught creator, who is just 26 years old. His cold-struck steel mirrors situate his work in a liminal space, where furniture and decorative accessories morph into sculptures. When he presented his work to Freddy Mankowsky, the founder of the Parisian boutique Bo instantly trusted him. “The console sold right away and I was on a cloud,” admits the designer, who is inspired by the pure lines of minimalism and the search for heightened sensations.
Made from metal or burnt wood, his surprising unique or limited edition pieces play on the contrast between cold and hot, the opposition between the rough and the refined through a bold confrontation of materials. The work of an artist. 
 
Ikea France fights climate change  
The distributor Ikea is devoted to sustainable growth. “We believe responsible behavior toward humans and the environment is a prerequisite for our success,” affirms Jean-Louis Baillot, managing director of Ikea France. A member of the WWF Climate Group, the chain is launching the “Ikea goes renewable” program. The distributor is setting an example by committing to reduce its energy consumption by 25% compared to 2005 and to use at least 60% renewable energy by late 2009.
Solar panels will equip all the new stores. In the future store in Tourville-La Rivière, geothermics will cover 100% of energy needs for heating and air conditioning. A TNS Sofres study found that 86% of French people polled were prepared to change their habits in order to save energy. But 63% felt that the price of energy-saving lightbulbs was not attractive.
To raise awareness among its clientele regarding eco-responsible behavior, Ikea will encourage people to “use lighting differently” during Sustainable Development Week from April 1 to 7. Used incandescent lightbulbs will thus be replaced by a free pack of three energy-saving bulbs. And the distributor is committed to removing all incandescent bulbs from its shelves by late August 2009.
 
Riad Art Expo welcomes the Ateliers d’Art de France   
 
From March 26 to 30, the 4th edition of the Riad Art Expo show will take place as the major trade show for the art of living, design and artisan work in Morocco.
Over the 3,000 m2 of the Marrakech Convention Center, businesses will present their new creations and know-how to professionals and the general public.
For the first time, the Ateliers d’Art de France will be in attendance at the show, which was created by the entrepreneur Youssef Mouhyi and which welcomed over 10,000 visitors last year. In 2007, Moroccan designers participated in Maison et Objet 'sTalents à la Carte show.
From March 26 to 30 2008.
 
 
Convergences brings pewter into the world of luxury   
For Dan Burkhalter, the CEO of Etain & Prestige and Convergences, pewter is a precious metal. “At 15 euros per kilogram, it is no longer possible to create mid-range products. But pewter’s image is old-fashioned and there really needs to be a complete overhaul of available products to make them more attractive on the international scene,” judges the new Swiss holder of the two pewter brands. What is his strategy? Calling on the design world to give the material back some of its lost sheen and glamour. The businessman looked to designers from the Ecole Cantonale d’Art in Lausanne to work on new approaches. Alexandre Gaillard and Martino d’Esposito thus created the splendid Molecules collection with a fruit bowl, a duo vase and an LED table lamp.
All these complex creations are manufactured in the foundry in Thailand, just like the specialized orders made on demand for the luxury industry. This is an activity the entrepreneur hopes to expand to respond to the specific needs of interior designers and international hotels. “The strategy based on the quality of our products, the strength of our offer and our quick turnaround will pay off,” predicts Dan Burkthaler, who plans to continue Convergences’ collaboration with designers.
Three or four equally stunning collections will be presented in September.