After this second edition, the show, held in the Parc des Tuileries, seems to have become a must-attend highlight of the design year. In an elegant, uncluttered setting, Matter & Shape showcased the cream of today's design scene. Let's take a look back at six presentations that convinced us.
cc-carpet by India Mahdavi
A singular personality in the world of design and interior architecture, India Mahdavi is collaborating this year with one of the world's most exciting carpet houses, cc-tapis, to our great delight. The result is the playful "Rebus" collection, a range of pieces handmade in Nepal that play with language, displaying a rebus in XXL format. All in vibrant colors.
Escritorio par Natalia Criado
The Colombian designer had already charmed us with her tableware pieces, which echoed her origins and her love of the Bauhaus. For Matter & Shape, the designer brings her world to the office! On the menu: card holder, letter tray, iPad holder, iPhone holder, lamp, as well as two paperweights, letter opener, carafe and ruler. A whole range of boring pieces which, once in the hands of the designer, are given a new lease of life, thanks to their elegant silhouette, but also and above all to their handcrafted execution and the materials they're made of, such as silver-plated brass and a series of natural stones.
NM3
Founded by Nicolò Ornaghi, Delfino Sisto Legnani and Francesco Zorzi, the NM3 design studio will only strengthen your love of metal. Working for Adidas, Off-White, Our Legacy, Sunnei and Internazionale Milano Football Club, the Milanese designers presented a myriad of stunning pieces at Matter & Shape. On the program: NM27, the NMAM_daybed, in collaboration with Alexander May, presented for the first time in its "Pony Air" version, as well as two works in collaboration with 6am, the NM21 CUSTOM coffee table and the SISTEMA lamp, both clad in glass.
Alighieri CASA by Alighieri
While going through a complex period in her life, London-based designer Rosh Mahtani is said to have given birth to her jewelry brand Alighieri. The spark that ignited her imagination came when the French and Italian language student took a course in wax sculpture. Working with this material immediately brought to mind the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. She decided to use the wax to create a piece of jewelry that would pay homage to each poem by the great Transalpine master. Alighieri was born. At Matter & Shape, the designer presented the extension of her brand, designed for the art of the table, Alighieri CASA, with the collection "The Totemic Devotion", which she describes as "an invitation to create one's own universe and ritual practices". Inspired by ancient totem poles and prehistoric rock formations, the collection features candleholders and table accessories. All pieces are sculpted in wax and transformed into gold- and silver-plated brass, using ancestral sand casting techniques.
AALVO Gallery
The Brazilians from AALVO, based in Sao Paulo, are our favorite artists this year. With its "Brasil, America" presentation, the gallery highlighted works that redefine America as a plural territory, and challenges the idea that America is limited to the United States, emphasizing the cultural richness of Latin American artistic production. Among the works that stood out for us was the Jônico desk by the Palma duo, made of fiberglass, resin, aluminum foil and inlaid coins that conjure up a silent, indecipherable narrative. Rafael Triboli's Brazilian solid wood chaise longue and chair were also among the exhibition's standout creations.
Willo Perron for NO GA
Los Angeles-based designer Willo Perron was also among the designers exhibiting this year, with a modular collection designed for Nordiska Galleriet. It includes a series of tables and mirrors designed to be combined in different configurations. Hand-crafted from molded fiberglass, these pieces are then lacquered and polished by hand for a high-gloss finish.
