The “American Party” at Maison et
Objet in Paris this January was held at the Hôtel de Ville, the city hall of the City of Light. It was a treat for so many designers and manufacturers to have the chance to swan through this stunningly beautiful building, which has seen its fair share of executions, fires, and scandals over the years. The decor, in the style of the 1880s, features the work of the greatest sculptors and painters of the day. As attendees air-kissed, their eyes looked onward—not to the next person they might meet, but to the elaborately detailed walls and ceilings around them.

On the fabric front, there was an embarrassment of riches at Déco Off, the off-site event that runs in tandem with Maison. Astounding embroideries and jacquards from Pierre Frey, Dedar, Rubelli, Robert Allen, Manuel Canovas, and Jim Thompson filled the showrooms, while at the fair itself MissoniHome bowled us over with its amazing booth. Our group, which included Alisa Carroll, the editor in chief of our brand-new sister publication, SFC&G (San Francisco Cottages & Gardens), enjoyed informative chats with the hugely talented Isabelle de Borchgrave at Fabricut and the lovely U.K.-based Bernie de Le Cuona, rounding out a major fabric high!

It all made me excited about NYC&G’s upcoming special European Issue, which publishes this December and aims to show how deeply Europe influences New York when it comes to design and architecture. This will be the seventh issue of NYC&G for 2014—up from five when we launched two years ago. The demand from all of you has dictated that we keep growing the number of issues we publish each year, and we are delighted by your enthusiasm.

 

 

(clockwise from top) The stunning ceiling of the Hôtel de Ville. Group Publisher Jennifer Matthews and SFC&G Editor in Chief Alisa Carroll flank me at the entrance to the sumptuous Maison Baccarat. A springy new introduction from Sahco.