Milan, Paris, finally again. After a long pandemic-induced pause that put the world into lockdown from March 2020, the international trend fairs - the Salone del Mobile in Milan and Maison & Objet in Paris - returned in September this year and presented themselves in a new guise. How will we live in the future? Two themes seemed to dominate across national borders: Sustainability and craftsmanship.

After a year of deprivation, the longing for beauty was correspondingly great. A long pause during which visions were questioned and new paths sought. Design has brought new themes into focus: the search for a formal essence, a new appreciation for craftsmanship, and the use of natural resources.

Reduction

We interact with objects daily. And since last year, we definitely spend more time at home. Consequently, the desire to make our surroundings pleasant and to furnish them, creating a harmonious atmosphere for a feeling of security, increased. Few and sustainable products were the guideline in presenting the new fair items, with the sensual experience of haptics playing a special role.

Arts & Craft

Long forgotten, craftsmanship has now returned to the focus of attention. Sometimes the best solution does not require novelty but a return to the tried and tested. How familiar materials can be newly and attractively processed was demonstrated by a whole range of designers. For example, in Milan, Paola Paronetto presented her Paperclay collection at the new ADI Design Museum "Compasso d’oro" during the Milan Fuorisalone. The artist titled her exhibition "Metafore," a reference to the beauty of metaphor, which eludes the logic of a rational language. Inspired by the shapes and colors of nature, Paronetto's objects are all unique pieces.

bon ton brought Paola Paronetto to Vienna and offers her works exclusively here.