Maison & Objet

The dream of escaping from metropolitan worries, and instead heading toward the peace and quiet of the countryside is what’s on tap at the 2011 Maison & Objet. De Castelli show in Paris, where Frassinago and Il Casone bring this dream to life, setting the stage for an exhibition that embraces pure nature and a strong sense of imagination.
From the end of the 17th century, the concept of wonderment has become more and more strategic and artistic for exhibition halls. In French culture, Descartes himself was among the first to have put to paper his impression of the sudden surprise with which the soul looks intently at things that strike it as rare and extraordinary. Well: inside the exhibition halls, the garden is both horizontal and vertical. Pre-oxidized and stainless metals – both untouched and varnished, reign supreme. Stone strips replicate the look of wood flooring and the change in color is enhanced by the different tones of the sandstone and the combination of the contrasting surfaces, finished with different degrees of roughness. The floating flooring is made from large, rectangular or square slabs.. The tiles on the walls present a cubed pattern with copper sheets, patinated green on one side, along with natural green panels. Lightweight box-shaped frames in various sizes, coated with a clear varnish, one inside the other, offer shade from direct light. Their subtle tubular covers and sides, overlapping one another, create shadows which are replicated on the ground, emphasizing the color of each material. Just beyond the verandas, you can almost catch a glimpse of Claude Monet’s poppy field in Giverny… just as in the open-air dog kennel, you can almost hear the dogs offering a welcoming bark to guests.
With a good mix of more than 70,000 French and international visitors, the Parisian exhibition of interior and exterior objects and accents for the home , gained attendees on each of the five days it was open this year.