Paris Fever

If you’re lucky enough to heading over to Maison & Objet, you’re in for a treat as it’s so much more than a trade fair. Editors, bloggers, buyers and trendsetters – even Gwyneth Paltrow is a fan – flock over in their droves to ogle over the latest interior designs.

I haven’t been for a couple of years, but trust me it’s worth the trip. Unlike London or Milan Design Weeks, which are sprawling, huge affairs and scattered across the cities, the Paris show mostly takes part in one massive exhibition centre. Imagine walking through eight football fields and you’ll get an idea of the huge scale of this enterprise. That makes it sound kind of hideous, but truly it’s a treat. Of course you’ll come across acres of vileness like life size ceramic tigers – eyes down, just keep walking – but nestling among the design fiascos are amazing launches from the international design world’s best known names. Tom Dixon, Maison’s Designer of the Year 2014, is launching his new accessories collection and has also collaborated with Jean-Louis Costes to create Eclectic, a new brasserie on the Seine. It’s a lovely opportunity to catch up with old friends and make the odd purchase or two ?.? A few years ago, I interviewed Kilian O?Sullivan, a delightful Irish designer based in Paris. He was so charming that I had a rush of blood to the head and commissioned one of his sleek white lacquer coffee tables. A couple of months later I arrived home from work to find a gigantic crate in the hallway. ?What’s this?? my bemused hubby demanded. ?No clue,? I lied. It’s taken a bit of a bashing over the years – pup Marnie uses it to sharpen her incisors – but it still has pride of place in our sitting room. Maison opens today. Wish I was there ?.

@AMACochrane

MAISON & OBJET, January 24-28