Age has no bearing on worth

Identifying new talent has always been in MAISON&OBJET’s DNA. Each year, our Designer of the Year award, Rising Talent Awards, and “Le Off” at Paris Design Week turn the spotlight on international designers of every generation, at varying stages in their career. MAISON&OBJET’s expert talent-spotters are good at getting in early, scouting and encouraging the next generation of designers before they’ve even left school. Whilst the Rising Talent Awards honour relatively unknown but already established design professionals from a guest country that changes with each edition, “Le Off” during Paris Design Week turns the spotlight on around forty young designers with less than eight years’ experience. The Designer of the Year award, meanwhile, celebrates a designer’s ability to capture the very essence of an era.

“For the mesh, I was inspired by cobwebs that capture the morning dew. Nature holds all the answers if you just look closely enough”

This time, MAISON&OBJET joined forces with the prestigious Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) in Norway to present the AHO award that students in their third and fourth years had been working towards all year. In keeping with the philosophy upheld by the Norwegian academy, the competition primarily focused on sustainable development, a crucial issue for the young generation. It was sponsored by Ramy Fischler, MAISON&OBJET’s Designer of the Year 2018, who received each of the candidates individually for a head-to-head chat over the course of two action-packed days. The Franco-Norwegian jury was made up of design experts and manufacturers, who unanimously chose the “Source” project, devised by Emilie Langolf, as their winner. Source is a nomadic object, aimed at populations living in humid areas whose water supply has dwindled as a result of global warming. It resembles a small hangable hive made from polyester and silicone that can be folded away for easy storage. The upper section uses a complex system of mesh to condense water from the atmosphere, which then collects in drops in the lower cocoon-shaped section.

“For the mesh, I was inspired by cobwebs that capture the morning dew, explains Emilie. Nature holds all the answers if you just look closely enough”. What impressed the jury most was this low-tech object’s ability to provide an easy yet vital solution for low-income and isolated populations. Small product, big effect. ‘Source’ by Emilie Langolf will be on display for all to see at Paris Design Week in September. “I just can’t believe it, exclaims Emilie, I come from a tiny Norwegian village and in September, I’ll be exhibiting in Paris!” And there’s a pretty good chance her amazing creation will net itself a manufacturer in the process. Highlighting new ideas, sparking valuable connections, unveiling new talent… for its first edition, this brand new award has ticked all the MAISON&OBJET boxes with real flair.