I spent a weekend in Paris in early January and participated in some activities that may be more “off the beaten track” for some visitors but which were fun and interesting nonetheless. Needless to say, this great city is just as seductive in the dead of winter as at other times of the year.
My first stop was the international trade fair Maison & Objet, a huge lifestyle show held twice a year that is open to the public.
A deep dive into everything art-of-living related, the exhibits, booths, and still-life presentations are the highest standard of chic. Like Paris Fashion Week, M&O calls itself Paris Design Week. It is held in eight exhibit halls at the sprawling Paris-Nord Villepinte fairgrounds near the Charles de Gaulle airport.
M&O upends anything you thought was cool enough to buy at West Elm or Pottery Barn. Billed as a forecaster of the future of living, every aspect of decoration, design, furniture, accessories, textiles, fragrances, tableware, and the world of children is exhibited at the show.
I had a design epiphany while I walked, wide-eyed, from hall to hall, albeit exhausted from seeing acres of design ideas that represented cutting edge, contemporary, and upgraded traditional.
The great part of visiting this trade fair is that it is held in Paris, also one of the world’s culinary capitals, and thus offers the most sophisticated dining options. From trendy coffee bars overflowing with fashionably dressed attendees to incredibly decorated pop-up dining rooms with chandeliers worthy of Versailles and menus to tantalize taste buds, my entire M&O experience was first class.
