Going to the max
Judging from what she saw, oversized furniture is poised to be a major trend for 2011, suggests Corinne Robertson-Brown, owner of J'Adorn, a home-decor boutique in Kincardine, Ont. "The magnification of scale made everything in Paris seem larger than life," she says. "I saw sofas and chandeliers as big as my car." Case in point: the decidedly impressive eight-foot-long sofa (above), called Chambord, by Gustave & Louis ( www.gustavelouis.com). Is the post-recessionary design world shifting back into maximum overdrive?
Burlap dancing
When Renée Desrochers first went to the Maison et Objet show five years ago, the lighting fixtures were laden with crystals and the Bergère chairs coated in gold leaf. "This time," says the owner of Pamper & Soothe, a decor store in Thornbury, Ont., "those same Bergères are being upholstered in burlap and hurricane lamps are covered in moss and lichen." This desire for simplicity and rusticity – perhaps as an antidote to the season's grandeur of scale – was also evident in the use of wrought metal, fabrics in muted earth tones and birch bark. "A theme is definitely au naturel," adds Desrochers, citing this burlap-wrapped armchair by Belgium-based Bxl Deco ( www.bxldeco.com) as an example. "Neutral-coloured fabrics are the new black."
Statement lighting
Say goodbye to lampshades: The new statement lamp, a major trend in Paris, is a piece of furniture in itself, crafted to look like sculpture. "Lamps are no longer just functional," says Kendall Williams, an interior designer with Toronto's Kendall & Co. Design and Decor. "The ones we saw in Paris are focal points on their own." Germany's Suzusan ( www.suzusan-shibori.com) specializes in such lighting, offering sinuous fixtures made of lightweight materials. Well-known Suzusan clients include Calvin Klein, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto.