Interiors Fair Maison&Objet Amps Up Hospitality Focus During Upcoming Edition

MILAN — The winter edition of Maison&Objet, France’s largest interior design fair, will shine a spotlight on hospitality like never before.

The five-day fair, which kicks off Thursday at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre in Paris, will showcase two new sections: What’s New? in Hospitality and Hotels & Restaurants.

Under the aegis of the overarching “Surreality” theme, Julien Sebban, an architect and designer from the multidisciplinary firm Uchronia, will unveil an immersive space, Hôtel Uchronia, a 2,160-square-foot installation characterized by a dreamlike interior, rich sensory atmospheres, scents and sounds. The space will also feature a hyper-styled master bedroom, bathroom, fitness center, smoking lounge, spa and bar embodying the idea that hotels operate 24/7.

Uchronia is known for its designs for quirky restaurant spaces, apartment interiors, as well as fashion shows for brands like Nina Ricci and a retail space for fashion label Sonia Rykiel.

The fair’s managing director Mélanie Leroy told WWD that the January edition is being groomed to meet the needs of the premium brands that traditionally show during the winter season and to serve the booming hospitality and related industries. “This shift is also one of the reasons why interior designers are on the lookout for the ideas, the services that will make their project unique,” she said.

Hospitality represents a huge opportunity for brands, interior designers and architects because “it’s an industry that speaks volumes. Volume in number of items that can be ordered — think about how many bedside lamps and tables you can place only in a boutique hotel of 25 rooms,” she said, adding that because hospitality projects garner international coverage, “it’s a golden key to success” for exhibitors at Maison&Objet.

In October, a poll by fair organizers of industry players showed that 29 percent of respondents recorded higher sales over the May-to-October period of 2024 versus the same period a year earlier. About 4 percent of them said their sales were higher in that six-month period compared to spring 2024.

Investors continue to demonstrate confidence in this sector, with the number of hotel-related real estate transactions volume reaching 11.6 billion euros in the first six months of 2024 in Europe, a 49 percent increase, year-on-year, Leroy said, citing a recent report from leading corporate real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.

Hospitality companies and founders are rethinking how they use space in general. They are now banking on smaller surface areas that are modular and flexible to better adapt to today’s working environment, which has been shifting over the past four years, Leroy explained.

“One thing’s for sure: specifiers will continue to walk the aisles of professional trade events. Seventy-eight percent of them have said that trade fairs are their top source of inspiration,” she said.

In the September edition of the fair, Maison&Objet started to push the boundaries in terms of creating a snapshot of what’s in store for hotel design. At that time, organizers tapped Belgian interior architect, decorator and artist Lionel Jadot, famous for his zero-waste projects, as Designer of Year Hospitality at the fair. Jadot’s team of designers and others involved in his Zaventem Ateliers collective created a space around the future of hospitality. The dream-like space unveiled new bio-solutions, and creations by new designers like Precious Peel, who created leather made from discarded eggplant skins.

Leroy explained that with designers like Jabot in high demand, hospitality is no longer a race for luxury status, but rather is being driven by an appetite for new experiences, which is why she’s excited about promoting Sebban and his Hotel Uchronia, which she said will be the embodiment of surrealist hospitality. “His colorful and playful touch is very unique and aims at creating a ‘wow’ effect, and I think that is what hospitality buyers will be looking for at Maison&Objet,” she said.