MAISON&OBJET Americas
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/503691
a s i a A photography display at Maison&Objet Paris. The official announcement of Singapore as the frst destination in Maison&Objet's expansion was made in June 2013. The strategic objective was to broaden the fair's impact in the international design community, expanding its global reach as never before. Shortly after the press conference detailing the plans, the Maison&Objet team, led by Managing Director Philippe Brocart, began an "Asian Road Show" with the goal of attracting top players in the design feld to the new fair, a journey that began in Bangkok, contin- ued on to Manila and Hong Kong, and ended in Ho Chi Minh City. In 10 days, the Parisian team and its Asian partners generated so much interest in the proj- ect that the buzz reached well beyond Asia to other parts of the world. The frst Maison&Objet Asia, held in March 2014 at the Marina Bay Sands Resort, surpassed even the most optimistic projections, with over 10,000 visi- tors exploring the exhibition hall during the day. More than 270 exhibitors showcased their work alongside that of local designers, bringing together some of the most remarkable and promising talents in the Asia- Pacifc region. Maison&Objet Paris's Designer of the Year, renowned British designer Tom Dixon, opened the fair with a keynote speech and shared the lime- light with colorful pieces from the Trame collection, created by Kenneth Cobonpue, the first Designer of the Year for Maison&Objet Asia. Although far from Paris, the Asia show nonetheless evinced the special quality that char- acterizes the French fair and makes it the ultimate conversation starter for all that is new in home design and l'art de vivre. Maison&Objet's singular esprit was seen in the opening lifestyle forum, fea- turing 20 conferences (divided into fve themes) that included trend forecasters, renowned architects, retail experts, and design-school representatives. The Lifestyle Summit invited visitors and exhibitors to challenge contemporary thought on design with a stellar cast of influential industr y personalities, including Paola Navone, André Fu, Kelley Cheng, and, of course, Designers of the Year Cobonpue and Dixon. The Rising Asian Talents awards honored emerging creatives from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Singapore, who shared the spotlight with Manila's Cobonpue, acclaimed for his masterful blending of traditional craft and ground- breaking technologies. After studying at New York's Pratt Institute, Cobonpue returned to Manila so he could "invent an alternative to the Western defnition of design," a goal he achieves with deft skill by pair- ing locally sourced organic materials with innovative manual production techniques. His designs populate a one-of-a-kind universe of spaces and objects, inspired by the shapes found in nature. The more than 270 brands represented at the Singapore fair exhibited in one of three catego- ries: Luxe, Design, or Interior Decoration. Luxury is a fitting theme for Singapore, as the city-state is well- known for the strong presence of high-end brands, making it a popular shopping destination in the region. International luxury labels have increasingly branched out into home design, and the fair hosted a number of them, highlighting the design, craftsman- ship, and tradition that these established names are carrying into interiors. With its eclectic assortment of stylish and innovative offerings, the Design section demon- strated how vast, varied, and inventive design can be, with exhibitors reaching far beyond the traditional to provide a real glimpse of what the future holds for furniture and home décor. Whether crafting pieces for interior or outdoor living spaces, designers fre- Kenneth Cobonpue, Designer of the Year for Maison&Objet Asia 2014, wants to invent an alternative to the Western defnition of design. photography by anne-emmanuelle thion m&O 34 m a i s o n - o b j e t. c o m