In January 2026, Maison&Objet Paris reaffirms its status as a leading platform for observing the profound evolutions of contemporary design. The fair highlights a creative approach that transcends mere effect and immediacy to reconnect with essential values: materials, craftsmanship, and time. This edition is part of a broader reflection on the transmission of know-how and how the past informs the forms of tomorrow.
At the crossroads of raw materials and contemporary design, the pieces presented at Maison&Objet 2026 assert a quiet strength. Furniture is no longer conceived as a mere functional object, but as an extension of artisanal skill and the inherent memory of materials. What emanates from these pieces transcends aesthetics: it is a presence, an aura, a narrative inscribed in the material. Each creation seems to belong to an organic continuity, the result of a slow and embodied transformation. Maison&Objet thus celebrates a design that is lived in, imbued with meaning and history, where the past becomes a springboard for imagining the future.
It is within this dynamic that CURATIO takes shape, a curatorial project conceived by designer, interior architect, and artistic director Thomas Haarmann. Designed as a gallery at the heart of the Signature sector, this space offers an experience deliberately different from that of a traditional trade fair. Following a successful first edition in January 2025, CURATIO returns in January 2026 with a refined approach, in partnership with AD France.
In its first edition, CURATIO was primarily a reflection on the context of creation. Thomas Haarmann wanted to extract objects from their usual framework in order to make them fully visible, freed from brand narratives and commercial logic. The scenography, reduced to its essentials, played an active role: distances, scales, and placements subtly guided the gaze, without ever imposing an interpretation. The works coexisted without hierarchy, creating a space conducive to slow and attentive observation. The visitors' behavior, more measured, sometimes contemplative, confirmed the relevance of this restraint.
Conceived as a parenthesis within Maison&Objet, CURATIO establishes a monochrome, intimate, and tactile atmosphere. The space invites visitors to slow down, to pause in the pace of the trade fair. The surfaces and materials, far from being neutral, bring a depth and presence that fully contribute to the experience. The overall effect is a kind of inhabited serenity, a profound calm that allows the artworks to exist fully without being absorbed by the scenography.
The 2026 selection brings together around fifteen international brands and designers, mostly European, chosen for their demanding approach to materials and manufacturing processes. Zieta's sculptural mirrors are displayed alongside Imperfettolab's fiberglass pieces, Johan Pertl's glass engages in a dialogue with the assertive design of Samuel Accoceberry Studio, and Zoé Wolker Studio's lacquered furniture is showcased.
CURATIO does not seek stylistic harmony, but a coherence based on the sincerity of the gesture and respect for the material. Functionality meets artistic expression, fragility engages in dialogue with the sculptural.
