Top image: BD Barcelona and nanimarquina

After much anticipation, the inaugural Maison&Objet (M&O) Asia opened its doors last week at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands. A total of 272 brands were there with ones from Asia having strong representation – 30 per cent of all exhibitors came from the region. With a strong focus on luxury homewares and decor, Maison&Objet offers an excellent complement to Singapore Indesign.

Tribu

The trade event, which spanned 6,000sqm, may have been much smaller than the Parisian show, but this was not so surprising considering that it was M&O’s first time in this part of the world. Several brands we spoke to such as Gessi, Apaiser and Schema expressed their satisfaction with warm visitor response at their booths, while Nani Marquina, whose eponymous studio had a booth, offered up a personal observation that while M&O Paris focuses on decorative designs, in Singapore “[it appeared that] people were looking for more design objects”.

Artwork on the eye catching apaiser Sentosa art bath was commissioned by Australian artist  James Reka who hand painted his dynamic character work over 4 days especially for the event.

Missoni

Here, we pick out some of the highlights from the inaugural show.

From Asia…

Schema

Schema – lampshade made out of wire

Schema was a crowd favourite and it was easy to see why. The brand from the Philippines uses metal wire to create complex and intricately patterned, handcrafted lamps and decorative products with a modern aesthetic.

Ong Cen Kuang

Ong Cen Kuang – Alur lamp

Another company with a focus on craft, Ong Cen Kuang is from Indonesia and this is their first time exhibiting their work in Singapore. The studio is led by Budiman Ong, who is known for his material experimentations and love for origami.

Grafunkt

Grafunkt

Lap Table

From Singapore, exhibitor Grafunkt displayed several of its latest design pieces, such as the Lap Table, Neon Coffee Tables and Parachute Lampshade.

Kenneth Cobonpue – Filipino Stand

Filipino stand

Filipino stand

A case of strength in numbers? The works of M&O Asia ‘Designer of the Year’, Kenneth Cobonpue and other leading Filipino designers could be found under the umbrella of the Filipino stand. It was hardly surprising that this was one of the livelier booths. See our conversation with Cobonpue.

Asian Rising Talents

(Left) Works by Melvin Ong – Desinere, Singapore. (Right) Works by Lo Yu-Fen, Taiwan

M&O had a small area at the back of the hall dedicated to emerging regional talents. This was a tightly curated space with just six designers – each from a different country. They included Denny Rasyid Priyatna from Indonesia, Lilianna Christina Manahan from the Philippines, Lo Yu-Fen from Taiwan, Melvin Ong from Singapore, Mike Mak from Hong Kong, and Sittichai Ngamhongtong from Thailand. As was perhaps intentional, the products on display were very diverse, ranging from jewellery to furniture, home accessories, lighting and textiles.

International brands…

Tom Dixon

Tom Dixon – Etch Lamps

The man himself was in town to give a keynote speech on the first day of the fair. His stand displayed some of his latest work, such as his Beat Light Brass and Etch pendant lamp in black. Catch our interview with Tom Dixon, out soon.

Nanimarquina & BD Barcelona

nanimarquina – a rug montage

The two leading brands from Spain took up positions side by side at M&O and we have to say, their characteristically bold and colourful designs made for a good pairing. See our interview with Nani Marquina.

MisureEmme

MisureEmme – Margareth bed

Italian brand MisureEmme presented the latest collections of Mauro Lipparini including the elegant Ermes and Opera armchairs and the Margareth bed.

Seventhirtyam

Seventhirtyam – David Trubridge lamps shown here

Yet another busy booth, Seventhirtyam from Hong Kong was here with brands from New Zealand and Europe offering products for the ‘entire home’. These included David Trubridge, Casalis, Latitude 22N and more.

Melogranoblu

Melagranoblu – Hydra Lamp

It was hard to miss the Melogranoblu booth, what with the striking blown glass shapes of the Hydra lamp collection cascading down from the ceiling. Founded in Verona, the company now has a presence worldwide.

Bathrooms…

Gessi rainshowers

Antonio Lupi – Sofia sinks

Bathrooms had a strong presence at the fair. Gessi’s stand was one of the most memorable, with its live water demonstrations and wide range of both existing and new products on show. Also of note, apaiser from Australia, which has just opened a new showroom in Singapore; Antonio Lupi and its innovative Sofio sink; Kaldewei, which brought in its very latest product, Classic Duo Oval; and of course, Axor and its presentation of the ShowerLamp – a collaboration with Oki Sato of Nendo, who was also in town for the fair.

Axor – LampShower by Nendo