For example, take the shantung silk wall coverings created by Kyoto Izumi, continuing the use of ancient Japanese techniques. Or a dressing table whose classic form is covered with an elegant dark grey shagreen, the soft appearance contrasting with the steel structure, an emblematic piece by British manufacturer RV Astley. Or light fixtures like jewels, bold pendants in alabaster and brass, from Tonicie's. Precious materials are a recurring theme at Maison&Objet. A theme that remains subtle, despite the attributes of these luxurious substances and the extraordinary effects they create. 

“Precious materials are the hallmark of our projects,”

Oscar Lucien Ono

“Precious materials are the hallmark of our projects,” says Oscar Lucien Ono, founder of the Maison Numéro 20 interior design agency. He has used them in Parisian hotels, restaurants and even private homes. Bronze, polished gold, delicate embroidery, straw marquetry, varnish... The designer, who is finishing a new hotel in Saint-Barth, explains that he uses these exclusive materials primarily to “elevate and frame a decor”. They thus feature on lowered ceilings and in recesses, their sometimes frugal proportions imposing constraints that encourage creativity and force him to invent precise cadences to preserve the overall harmony. Oscar Lucien Ono’s beloved panels and screens are creations and bespoke pieces on which he collaborates with artists and artisans like painter, sculptor and designer François Mascarello and wallpaper and wall decor designer Solène Eloy. While making exquisite use of these materials in his designs, he also believes in “generating echoes of their patterns and appearance in the fine details of the decor”.

Furniture, carpets, textiles and decor objects are all part of the eclectic offering. Vases, bowls, candle jars and candlesticks by oOumm are exclusive ‘hooks’ that serve the purpose perfectly. Often made from marble or hammered brass, their creations also diffuse exclusive scents. The collaboration between the Italian companies Iris Ceramica Group, a ceramics specialist, and the equally renowned Pablo Castelli company resulted in Seventyonepercent. This glorious collection includes an enchanting mirror and washstand ensemble bringing together ceramic, gold, brass and leather. Sycamore, varnished wood, patinated steel, corrugated metal... Hervé Van der Straeten, who also creates jewellery, excels in dreaming up these unexpected elements that “elevate” a decor, to use Oscar Lucien Ono’s term. Maison Gala has enthusiastically adopted a playful technique derived from the Japanese kintsugi tradition, using the finest veins of 24-carat gold to create ‘repairs’ in its ceramics. As for the light fixtures created by the iron craftsmen at Maison Pouenat and combined with alabaster, and the mini-structures in brass with white carrara or deep black marquina marble devised by Englishman Bert Frank, the soft light they emanate makes them even more precious. Like the baby alpaca fibre used in Inata’s fabrics, throws and rugs, they show that precious materials are also desirable for the sensations they generate.

“We often reinterpret natural materials using new techniques, a new characteristic or a new texture.”

Stéphanie Coutas

The flexibility, malleability and possibilities offered by precious materials are a source of infinite reinvention if we maintain an attitude of curiosity towards them. For Stéphanie Coutas, this is the crux of her work. Creating designs for luxury private residences, hotels and yachts in France and abroad, she sees her agency as a laboratory of ideas. She explains, “We are constantly looking for new textures, atmospheres and accents. We use monochrome colours a lot, starting from a white tone, for example, which means working on textures.” She is passionate about exploring these effects, which she uses to create contrasts and enhance the decor with original touches and surprising sensations. “We achieve this by using different types of wood with high-gloss varnishes, for example, and experimenting with resins. We often reinterpret natural materials using new techniques, a new characteristic or a new texture.” She plays with selenite worked into straw marquetry, loves wallpapers adorned with mother-of-pearl or gems and explores raffia and straw with gifted artisans. The possibilities seem endless to Stéphanie who comes to Maison&Objet with no fixed goals or limits and an open attitude to finding new, precious materials that will inspire her future creations. And she is already considering a new collaboration after discovering the creators of the magical glass orbs at the last edition of the trade fair. Precious food for thought!