As minimalism infiltrated media en masse, the mainstreaming of its aesthetic left interiors feeling ‘blah’ and the concept conflated with fashion’s genre of quiet luxury. Through this lens, only homes with neutral furniture, whitewashed walls, generic decor, and immaculateness are considered stylish and tasteful. At a moment when pop culture edges past hushed tones, Maison&Objet’s September 2025 edition arrives as design’s own answer to this cultural pivot.
Under the artistic direction of Amélie Pichard – a designer known for subverting conventions and fusing craft with irony – the show celebrates renewal through six curated sectors, the newly inaugurated Design District, and the bold, immersive “Welcome Home” installation.
What I appreciate most is Maison&Objet’s positioning of home furnishings, or the object, not as a discreet accessory but as a manifesto. Emerging talents, experimental practices, and cross-disciplinary dialogues push past restraint toward a new decorative eloquence where tradition meets AI, where ceramics become statements, and where homes are staged as laboratories of imagination. In contrast to the pared-back anonymity of quiet luxury, this year’s fair embraces design as expressive, layered, and alive in a response that invites viewers to revel in the materiality, emotion, and vitality of the spaces we inhabit.
Join us as we reminisce about the Paris fair and enjoy the following selection of 10 disparate designs that can inject energy, play, and experimentation back into the home.
The Puglia-born, Milan-inspired Paolo Santangelo nurtures unrelenting joy with his Euclidea and Cartesiana collections. These high-contrast ceramic forms are hard to resist with their jumbo detailing, unique silhouettes, and bold use of color.
Mobiles exist in this liminal space between sculpture and traditional hanging art, which is rather enchanting. Here, Flensted Hanging Art – a Danish brand and family business – has managed to balance whimsy with highly-graphic, smart design.
Artist and design duo Haus Otto bridge two home furnishing typologies with their supersized, chunky knit neon rug, which doubles as a daybed. The jumbo weave is hyper-minimal while remaining ultra cozy, showcasing traditional weaving techniques at a visually accessible scale.
Aptly named, the Halo Lamp throws bright light through colored discs for a heavenly glow. Rayon Vert Studio’s design allows users to experiment with up to 27 possible combinations for a truly unique fixture that can be altered to satisfy your every passing fancy.
This wooden speaker’s unique composition is non-electric and an eco-sensitive design that applies the principle of resonance to amplify sound from your smartphone. And the bell or cone, available in a variety of colors, helps the tiny device punch up above its weight class.
Designed by Joe Parr for Design House Stockholm, this abstract wall clock blends beauty with a whisper of utility for a design piece that can hold its own against any other artful objects in the home. And its monochromatic quality helps articulate the unique form.
Like a few other offerings from Hooge Land, the Catharine Starter Kit commands the power of thinness with its skinny taper candles and ultra-thin base, yielding a high return on minimal material investment. The bright colors and matching metallic holders add a bit of whimsy.
The Bow Tie Corkscrew, available at Addison Ross, is the perfect marriage of form and function. The silhouette is informed by utility while the contrasting color detailing speaks to the design savvy.
Mimo Studio presents Spiri, a collection of two-town graphic vases with wavy lines that makes modularity a little more playful and floral arrangements a lot less formal. It encourages the practice of enjoying simple, fresh flowers rather than extravagant bouquets only on occasion.
&klevering’s vanity mirror is a study in contrasts, chunky and soft in form yet somehow petite and strong in stature. This statement accessory is slightly unassuming but somehow immediately caught our eye. It’s a selfie-worthy mirror that’s hard to resist.
Photography by Joseph Sgambati III.
