Maison & Objet - fall 2025

The biggest interior design fair of the season took place in September. Here is the full review.

The September edition of Maison & Objet (M&O) in Paris arrived with its usual mix of rain and sunshine, setting the tone for a fair that felt both familiar and slightly unexpected. Attending M&O is never straightforward—there’s always so much to take in that I felt a bit like Rodin’s “The Thinker,” a fitting connection given the collaboration between the museum and the fair this season. Quirky, fun, and slightly surreal.

This year, M&O introduced a significant change: instead of the traditional eight halls, the layout was condensed into four. As a result, some of the bigger brands opted to skip the September edition. Yet, the fair gained fresh energy through what they called the “design district,” showcasing newcomers and fresh concepts that gave the event a different kind of excitement.

The focus this time was less on grand exhibitions or celebrated guests of hours and more on what the exhibitors themselves had to offer. Official numbers—51,000 visitors and 2,125 brands—suggest the fair remained roughly the same size as last September, although notable absences included German and American participants.

The main conversation point of the fair was undoubtedly the new layout. Should scented candles sit next to textiles? Could the quirky exhibitors of former hall 3 really fill the vast space of hall 7? Opinions were divided—people seemed to either love or dislike the changes. Personally, I appreciated the attempt at innovation, though navigating the new layout could be tricky. You lose a bit of efficiency, but gain the joy of stumbling upon unexpected discoveries.

Overall, the September M&O felt like a fair in transition—refreshing in parts, slightly confusing in others. It’s not perfect, but the willingness to experiment suggests interesting directions for future editions. Rumours say that the fair will go back to it’s full glory in January.

Rating: 3/5

Trends

So, time to look at some trends. What’s cooking, goodlooking?

Red

Picture above is from VIP lounge “Le Club”. Reds everywhere. And so also at the fair. It is a pretty strong red. And dominant. Non apologetic.

Red tables. Here at Portuguese brand House of Capricorn.

Red lamp foot with a retro lampshade to enhance the retro feel. Manufactori.

Perhaps this combination with yellow and blue also enhances this strong retro vibe.

Red candle holder at &Klevering.

Sculptural wood

Wood as a material is still very much on trend. Now with softer curves and a more sculptural feeling.

Norwegian star Signe Knutson.

Pia Scheiber

At Boon Room.

Cyber romance

Especially in the city – at Paris Design Week – I found that a lot of the exhibited projects had an almost sci-fi esthetics. And a bit romantic. Don’t you agree? This, and the lamp below, are from upcycled. We’ve seen it before. But that glass shade has something nostalgic and romantic to it. By Alexandre Veillon.

These smashed glass bowls with metallic surface are also a bit sci-fi. By Marieta Tedenac.

Mirror with almost alien parts… by Anais Borie.

And classical upcycled project but with romantic and nostalgic decoration to it. By Lucie Gholam.

These crystallized vases and candleholders also feels a bit “out of this world”. By Mineral Series.

More colours

There is a lot of colours. We are definately not in the pastels. I think my colour experts would say that the colours are very “chromatic”, meaning that they have a lot of pigment in them. Here at Serax.

This greenish yellow is dominant. Also with orange and turquise. Here at Maegen.

Less orange and more brown at Suite 702.

Pillow from House of Capricorn.

Brown and orange with more petroleum blue

Tiles in the city.

Salt and pepper mills at &Klevering.

Surrealism

We have seen surrealism for a while now and it continues. Here at Bloomingville.

A candle that burns a woman in half… At the only arty installation at the fair.

Only for kids… Spare parts from the factory at Donna Wilson made into “pillows”?

Chunky toothpaste mirrors at &Klevering.

One of my absolute favourites from the design event. Lola Mayeras. First is a vase, then a stack of shirts that could be a table and below the same shirt made into a dinner plate. Love.

This is actually not necessarily surrealism. But I love it too. This designer used only local material and local craft skills to make a whole room. The ladder doubles as a lamp – and in that sense is almost a surreal object. But super lovely. By Florian Meca.

A stool or an animal?

Ichendorf is getting more and more surreal. These champagne glasses… Fuuuuuun!

Details

Here are some details and comments of things I believ will grow and become interesting for the design scene.

It feels like faces are coming back. We have seen it before, but a second run should be around the corner.

My trend fellows are talking about how historical prints are coming. Not sure what the evolution of this will be. Perhaps like this. Pillow from House of Lyria and plates at Serax.