There are few things that make my heart beat faster than Paris in January and House & Item in full swing. From January 15 to 19, 2026, the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition center once again became the epicenter of global design—and honestly? This version had everything.
Organic materials. Sculptural ceramics. Textile art you’ve wanted to touch (and maybe hug). Experimental 3D printed objects. Maison & Objet 2026 felt like a quiet but confident shift towards meaning, materiality and reinterpretation rather than excess.
Here are the standout moments that really stuck with me.
1. Designer of the Year 2026: Harry Nuriev & TRANSFORMATION
📍 Room 3 – Paris Nord Villepinte
Maison & Objet’s 2026 Designer of the Year, Harry Nureyevfrom CROSBY STUDIOS he delivered not just an installation — but a manifesto.
TRANSFORMATION unfolded as a silvery, immersive environment where objects were stripped of context, hierarchy, and labels. Old and new completely disintegrated. Heritage, innovation and the everyday existed on the same level, reframed through a powerful lens: perception.
Nuriev calls us to disengage from the exhausting need to define things as eternal or tendencies. Here, each object exists simply as itself — free, equal, and open to reinterpretation.
Combining art, interiors, fashion and spatial design, TRANSFORMISM explores how history can be revealed through a contemporary gaze. Discomfort becomes a catalyst. Transformation is not through addition, but through reframing.
More than an installation, this was a statement—one that resonates deeply with designers shaping tomorrow’s interiors, hospitality spaces, and cultural environments through storytelling, reuse, and radical simplicity.
📍 Hall 4 – Booths D44 & E43
If there was ever a time I physically stopped and stared, this was it Moheban Milanhis carpets.
Do I single him out? THE Tactile golden carpet (US$13,440).
This piece reinterprets visual art through texture, combining sight and touch into a fully immersive experience. Part of it Tangible capsule collection, plays with layered tones, abstract forms and material depth in a way that feels both grounded and elevated.
Made in India, the rug invites interaction—it’s not just something you look at, but something you experience. A true reminder that flooring can be art, not background.
đź“Ž For the US, the Tactile Gold Rug is available through Artemest.
3. Linda Ouhbi: Ceramics as a way of life
📍 Fine Craft Hall A5 – Booth G15
The Fine Craft department delivered some of the most moving works of the exhibition and Linda Ouhbi stood out immediately.
Born in Casablanca in 1984 and now based in Paris, the Moroccan-French ceramic artist approaches ceramics not as a discipline – but as lifestyle. Each piece bears the imprint of time, touch and material honesty.
It was awarded 2018 Visa Kyoto PrizeOuhbi deepened her practice during a residency in Japan, later exhibiting at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the Oike Horikawa Gallery in Kyoto.
Her work is quiet yet powerful – earthy forms, subtle sheens and an intimacy that only handmade objects can convey. Pieces you don’t just style with, but live with.
4. Omar Antwerp: Arty Textiles with a Belgian Soul
📍 Hall 4 – Stand E116–F115
Bold, joyful and unapologetically artistic-Omar AntwerpHis pillows and plaids brought color and character to the exhibition.
Made in Belgium, these fabrics are like functional works of art. Paint patterns, rich palettes and tactile finishes that instantly elevate a sofa, chair or bed. The perfect proof that soft furnishings can completely transform a space without shouting.
5. Ukrainian Neo-Folklore: The Love Floor Vase by Maryna Pupcha
One of the most poetic moments of Maison & Objet 2026 came from Ukrainian novel booth, edited by Sana Moreau.
The memorial Love floor vase with Maryna Pupcha stopped visitors in their tracks. Maryna who makes *ethno-boho-funk* rugs, textiles and jewelry. Giant, plush and sculptural, the piece combines traditional Ukrainian folk motifs—from Kosiy ceramics and pysanky—in modern forms.
Woven in bright colors on wool rugs and shaped into a floor vase, it feels both ancient and radically modern. A celebration of identity, resilience and craftsmanship—translated through scale and softness.
Available via Galerie Sana Moreau€1750
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Final Thoughts
Maison & Objet 2026 felt thoughtful, tactile and deeply human. Less for the show, more for the substance. An exhibition that reminded us why we fell in love with design in the first place—not for the trends, but for the stories, materials and meaning.
And Paris? Always the perfect setting.
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