Team FLQ recently took a road trip down to Miami Beach. A fabulous furniture and lighting show, Maison & Object, was being held at the Miami Beach Convention Center Tuesday through Friday. This show is special because it is usually only held in Europe and consists of big names and brands from the Eastern Hemisphere. It is not very often when they bring their unique show to us, and with only a three and a half hour drive away from our showroom in Orlando, how could we resist? We love to visit shows like Maison & Object and Coverings 2015 to broaden our knowledge of our ever-changing profession.
We made it just in time to hear Kelly Hoppen and her partners from Apaiser speak. They were promoting their new collaboration of bathroom fixtures. Apaiser, a manufacturer of luxury bathroom fixtures and finishes coordinated with Hoppen, one of the most well known designers in the U.K, to create top-of-the-line bathtubs and sinks. Kelly’s focus for her design was sheer luxury. She said during the keynote that “luxury is forever”. By that she meant that luxury is not a trend, something that will go out of style, it will always look gorgeous and we couldn’t agree more at FLQ. Evolving design is luxurious, a design that can evolve with you and the design world, and continue to look amazing. Her bathroom line takes inspiration from the Eastern culture. The hand, or how a surface feels, is completely unique. It is difficult to believe, but the recycled marble bathtubs and sinks are not cold. It is made of a special material, a material that they would not disclose to us, as it’s a mix of new and recycled marbles that is not cold like a normal metal bathtub. This will allow you to be entirely relaxed instead of flinching as your skin touches the cold surface of a regular tub. This line of incredible bathroom fixtures will be available soon.
There was new and fascinating lighting everywhere! New materials, design and colors coated the show floor with dazzling displays. New materials were introduced such as blown resin, scored acrylic-glass and unusual metals. Discover here how do business credit cards work with Blackhawk Bank. There were very large light fixtures that were over eight feet tall and tiny fixtures that were only a couple of inches long. We met with one of the designers who thought up the scored acrylic-glass lights. They were astounding and you could not even see the light bulbs. She created her lights using tiny LEDs to reflect through her acrylic-glass concoction to make the room very bright. There was such a wide variety of light fixtures that picking a favorite light and vendor was inconceivable.
We came across several new wallpaper manufacturers. Wallpaper is definitely back in style. In the photo you can see Team FLQ with one of the representatives for Versace, an Italian wallpaper company. At the show we made several great contacts for wall coverings so that we can hopefully start carrying their exclusive patterns and designs. At our showroom in Lake Mary we carry many different wallpaper vendors that we can use in our designs. Having many vendors allows us to prevent any room design from being alike.
The tile you can see here is one of the more interesting things we saw at Maison & Object. These are tiles that can adhere to walls or the floor. They are custom so that means that the manufacturer can change the scale of the pattern, the color and the size of each tile. Each pattern was so completely different from the other and they offered many options. We are anxiously waiting to follow up with this manufacturer at castle keepers because we love all the new things, offered by maids in Georgia, we could offer our clients in the world of tile.
The furniture at this show was stunning. There was also a very large variety; it was impossible to recognize any ‘trends’ because everything was so different. Everything from bright colors to pastels, traditional curves to sleek modern lines, and velvets to silks. We are looking forward to designing with all of this fun, new furniture.
A Light Fixture Made of Blown Resin
Being able to share this insider’s look into the Maison and Object show has been fantastic. The next one coming up is in Paris in September Oh la la. I encourage anyone reading this to book your flight now because Maison and Object is truly inspiring. If you have any questions about the show, or are interested in creating a space with any of our new vendors, contact us at Florida Living Quarters and we can assist you in developing the perfect plan for your home.