Maison&Objet 2027: Inspiration Awakens

A new vision of contemporary creation

More than just a trade fair, Maison&Objet aims to offer a renewed experience, where creative worlds meet, craftsmanship is passed on and ideas open up new perspectives.

For this January 2027 edition, Paris reaffirms its role as an international crossroads for design, decoration and the art of living, bringing together designers, brands, influencers and professionals to explore the sector’s major developments.

Between heritage and innovation, exceptional craftsmanship and new technologies, the fair champions a multifaceted vision of contemporary creation. This ambition is part of a rapidly changing international landscape, where boundaries between disciplines are fading in favour of new forms of expression, collaboration and development.

Rediscovering What Matters Most

Conceived with the NellyRodi agency, the inspiration theme Sensory Shift invites us to rethink our relationship with spaces and objects in a world saturated with images, stimuli and information.

Faced with this constant acceleration, a desire is emerging: to slow down, to feel and to reconnect with a more sensory experience of our surroundings. Materials are taking centre stage once again, textures engage the sense of touch, colours influence emotions and spaces are transformed into refuges conducive to well-being.

This sensory approach reflects a profound shift in the art of living. Interiors are no longer simply aesthetic compositions: they are becoming places of balance, personal expression and reconnection with oneself. Design is therefore placing greater emphasis on emotions, uses and the quality of presence that an object, a piece of furniture or a space can offer.

Through Sensory Shift, Maison&Objet highlights an essential contemporary aspiration: to inhabit spaces differently, giving greater importance to sensations, the authenticity of materials and the emotional dimension of creation.

Seven Worlds

Spread across seven halls and structured around seven major sectors, Maison&Objet offers a rich panorama of contemporary creation. From design to crafts, from decoration to well-being, each world reveals new ways of living, entertaining and shaping everyday life.

This diversity is also expressed through spaces and initiatives that encourage connections between disciplines. Signature Collection, Maison&Objet Connect, Creative Nations, Haute Décoration, Smart Interior, Curatio and Pet Square illustrate this desire to bring practices, markets and sensibilities into dialogue.

These are all areas for exploration that showcase emerging talent, highlight exceptional craftsmanship and support the sector’s transformation. Here, creativity reveals its full richness: a source of inspiration, a driving force for innovation and a lever for professional growth.

A Reimagined Experience

For January 2027, Maison&Objet structures its approach around three verbs: Inspire, Meet, Elevate. This signature reflects the fair’s new momentum and its determination to bring together inspiration, encounters and professional visibility.

Inspire, to discover distinctive worlds, explore trends and enrich one’s creative vision. Meet, to encourage encounters, build connections and generate new opportunities among international stakeholders. Elevate, finally, to gain perspective on market developments, showcase expertise and give talent greater visibility.

Beyond discovery, this approach places exchange and the transmission of knowledge at the heart of the experience. The fair thus aims to be a vibrant space where inspiration can lead to concrete collaborations and where creativity meets the economic realities of a constantly evolving sector.

Open to the World

In a constantly evolving creative landscape, where international exchanges are reshaping the contours of design and the art of living, Maison&Objet reaffirms its role as a platform for encounters and discovery. Beyond the five days of the fair, its influence continues through MOM, its phygital ecosystem dedicated to sourcing and professional connections, which supports industry stakeholders throughout the year.

By combining physical experiences with a digital presence, Maison&Objet encourages the circulation of ideas, brings creative scenes closer together and opens up new perspectives for brands, designers and professionals. This international dimension reflects a broader ambition: to bring cultures into dialogue, celebrate craftsmanship and support the transformations of a sector seeking meaning and renewal.

For its January 2027 edition, the Parisian event therefore aims to go beyond simply presenting trends. It invites us to rethink our relationship with spaces and objects, rediscover the richness of materials and place emotion back at the heart of contemporary living. At the crossroads of cultures, artisanal traditions and emerging aspirations, Paris reaffirms its role as an international stage where design reveals itself as creative, sensitive and resolutely forward-looking.

Among the creative scenes contributing to this international dynamism today, China is attracting increasing attention. Driven by a new generation of designers, it combines artisanal heritage, technical expertise and aesthetic innovation while bringing new expressions of contemporary design to the fore.

At the press presentation on 24 September, Airs de Paris met with Vincent Lhoste, Managing Director of SAFI.

An Interview with

Vincent Lhoste

How do you explain the rise of the Chinese art and design scene, and what role does China now play in the international landscape of arts and crafts and contemporary creation?

China holds a particularly important position among the most dynamic and emerging markets. Maison&Objet is an international platform that helps bring these creative scenes to light and give them greater visibility.

At the September fair, we notably welcomed Wubin, who exhibited at the Palais-Royal. It was a first, almost on a global scale, to present an installation of this kind in such an iconic location. Thanks to the Centre des monuments nationaux and Emric, we were able to bring a truly exceptional project to fruition.

What stands out is the energy demonstrated by an artist like Wubin, but also by the entire ecosystem surrounding him: his teams, digital players, social networks, industry professionals, media and press. There is an absolutely remarkable momentum. We had already witnessed this in Milan, during a dinner organised with Wubin to announce this Parisian event. The energy emanating from the Chinese art scene is simply impressive.

Several factors explain this rise. First, there is a wealth of craftsmanship and technical expertise deeply rooted in Chinese history, particularly in the arts and crafts sector, which is experiencing considerable growth today. This millennia-old tradition is reinventing itself, especially in design, with a move upmarket, increasingly high quality standards and a remarkable capacity for innovation.

We are seeing many Chinese artists emerge who are exploring innovative materials and techniques. Some, for example, create carbon-fibre chairs that are extremely lightweight and combine them with lacquer finishes.

We are witnessing exceptional pieces that demonstrate outstanding quality and remarkable mastery of the arts and crafts. This new generation of Chinese artists is particularly bold, creative and flamboyant.

Our role is also to showcase these new workshops, emerging talents and richly diverse creations, particularly in China, where artistic and creative activity is especially vibrant today.

How are consumer expectations regarding design and interior decoration evolving?

The trend is very clear. Today, in China as in Europe, we are seeing the emergence of a new category of consumers seeking distinctive places and spaces with a genuine identity.

The idea is no longer simply to buy what a catalogue has to offer, but to take an interest in products with meaning, artisan craftspeople, unique pieces, as well as vintage items and collectibles.

This shift is particularly visible in China. Chinese consumers are increasingly drawn to places that reflect who they are, interiors that express a personality, a sensibility and a story. This translates into a mix of new and old, greater freedom in the use of colour and growing interest in materials.

How do you plan to strengthen your presence in the Chinese market?

As I mentioned, we are seeing an increasingly strong response and growing momentum in the Chinese market, particularly in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Shanghai is an especially strategic and dynamic location for us.

We will therefore organise an event in Hong Kong at the end of November, followed by a dinner in Shanghai, specifically on 8 December.

These events are part of our commitment to strengthening exchanges with local stakeholders, building bridges between creative scenes and generating new collaboration opportunities. The aim is to continue this international dialogue by showcasing the talents, craftsmanship and initiatives that contribute to the influence of contemporary design.

Through these encounters, Maison&Objet reaffirms its role as an international platform capable of bringing cultures closer together and facilitating the exchange of ideas. This momentum confirms China’s growing importance in the evolving geography of creativity and opens up new prospects for arts and crafts and design.