Insider Look at Paris Deco Off 2024
Paris Deco Off is to the interior design industry what Paris Fashion Week is to designer couture. Attending the conference has been a long-time goal, so when I received invitations to events hosted by some of the French design houses that we source products from, I decided it was time. Along with Dani and two other interior designers we set off for an absolutely packed week of lectures, tours, showcases and receptions at iconic venues around Paris. We came home with a vast store of new inspiration as well as access to new collections and vendors that usually aren’t available to American designers.
For interior designers, viewing new collections, sourcing new products and finding inspiration is the role of regional design centers, such as New York Design Center. Here we meet with company reps, tour showrooms and pick up samples. While this is a valuable practice, Deco Off takes this experience to a totally new level. At Deco Off, company executives present and unveil the newest collections. During presentations you not only get to see the product, but you get to meet the management and learn the philosophy and history behind each brand.
Products that we source, whether upholstery or wallpaper or furniture, are a significant investment for our clients. We don’t take these choices lightly so the opportunity to learn the artisanal practices and better understand the approach is critical.
Some of the highlights were events by Manuel Canovas, Samuel & Sons and Schumacher. Pierre Frey, however, stood out because of the quality of their presentations. As one of the oldest design houses in the world, Pierre Frey has an enormous array of upholstery, wallpaper and other products, but recently, as I learned, they have added even more to their repertoire with a series of acquisitions including Zuber. Zuber is the oldest hand printing and hand blocking wallpaper manufacturer, dating to 1802. They are known for their panoramic wallpapers, and it was one of the first to create this style of wallcovering, long before Gracie or de Gournay came on the scene. We are excited that the rich history of Zuber will now be more readily available through Pierre Frey, and I look forward to using it in future projects.
In attending events of a number of brands, it is interesting to note some of the common themes across the collections this year. Passementerie, which is the French art of making trimmings (ribbons, cords, fringe, tassels) was everywhere in every style genre. From the most modern applications to the most traditional styles everyone had a strong focus on a collection of passementerie. We saw bullion fringe made of jute and some amazing leather cording and tassels.
