Paris, France’s semiannual design fair, MAISON&OBJET, announced that this year’s theme is “reinventing the office,” and will not only emphasize our evolving relationship with work, but also help help office designers take a fresh workspace approach with their furniture, decorative objects, and the expertise of their partners.
According to fair organizers, “our new relationship with work, driven by social change, is reinventing the office. Digitization is making us more mobile and liberating us from traditional work settings. Work is now nomadic. Collaborative and participatory tools have led to the rise of co-working spaces, which offer a more enjoyable and
interactive way to work. ln the age of social media and rugged individualism, employees are taking ownership of their workspace and personalizing it.”
To adapt to these new influences, the trend charters suggests that manufacturers, distributors, space planners and fitters are turning to residential design to give workspaces more personality, and make them more comfortable to help companies retain talent.
With Paris being the heart of Europe’s economic region — housing 7,700 start-ups, 216 incubators and 171 co-working spaces — MAISON&OBJET can tap into a healthy stream of architects and stylists who are involved in office design projects (85 per cent of France’s largest firms, according to MAISON&OBJET, currently assign 41 per cent of their office space to communal work areas).
Curated by Chantal Hamaide, and staged by Philippe Boisselier, exhibitors will showcase furnishing for today’s office and workspaces in a dedicated 1,000-sq.m zone. The exhibit’s “What’s New” zones will highlights some of the many furnishings, items and accessories that can help add personality to a new workspace.
MAISON&OBJET also plans to gather those responsible for finding office design solutions face to face with manufacturers and designers in business meetings.
This year’s trade show, from September 6th to 10th, includes a conference program presented by market experts dedicated to WORK! The program gives visitors the opportunity to discover exemplary projects with an international emphasis.