Our roundup of our favorite trends and pieces we loved coming out of Matter and Shape 2025.
The world of contemporary design delivered an exciting weekend of bold designs and fabulous creativity at the new design salon, Matter and Shape, held in Paris’ Tuileries Gardens. Not surprisingly, a consistent theme of bringing an element from the past into a reimagined construction was consistent. It was also hard to ignore the pastel spring themes when faced with visually striking pieces and furniture that double as art. Here’s our best attempt to capture some of our favorites.
Daisuke Yamamoto’s work stood out for its bold use of materials, taking steel that is typically a “behind the scenes material” in construction, and bringing it to the forefront through his innovative furniture design. These pieces were created using discarded scraps of metal from his architecture projects and recycled to have a second life.
The collection called “Flow” uses light gauge steel and holds electricity in the metal, giving it an iridescent hue.
Wintrebert’s free-hand blown glass chandelier was showstopper in both its composition and styling. The rounded glass beads were inspired by those in Marie-Antoinette’s jewelry which was fitting considering the show was held in her gardens (Tuileries Gardens). The chandelier was purposefully hung low enough to touch and enjoy up close with its grand scale and intricate design pulling you in.
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A Belle Epoque style of chair re-imagined and modernized through color. Fassen uses lattice construction and colors are inspired by the tradition of Le Tout Paris (all of Paris) bringing these chairs into Parisian gardens for the festivities to continue into the night with theatre performances. These chairs brought a burst of vibrancy to the show as well as a continuation of a nod to the “good times.”
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India Mahdavi’s classic Oliver chair and pink room was a delightful blend of charm and satire. Cozy and stylish, yet delightfully clever in reminding us about what we seem to value most: digital connectedness. While the collaboration was truly about taking a simple element like an electrical outlet, and turning it into a smiling design element, the aim was to remind us of the playful, joyful things in life.
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Willo Perron is known for many things, including his latest Superbowl sets but at Matter and Shape, his designs brought brutalist style to home. The collection of cast glass fiber coffee tables and mirrors is beautifully simple yet communicates flexibility in design. Each mirror gives the impression of being a sculptural piece that redefines the concept of reflection with the purpose of “democratizing design” according to the designer. These mirrors also encapsulated the pop-up We.Are.Ona restaurant at Matter and Shape.
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Boekhorst’s encased flower stool, while seemingly modern and forward-looking, uses etched, patterned glass to evoke feelings of nostalgia. The idea of encasing not just flowers, but a bouquet of flowers, is meant to represent the idea of a keepsake that would typically wither, but in this case, is able to be frozen in time…and kept, celebrating beauty in a unique form.
Lea Colombo, an artist from South Africa, is putting Red Jasper marble on the map. Her recent collaboration with Bottega Veneta as a furniture designer as well as Cos for her photography showed us that her creativity knows no medium. The intricate patterns on the marble surface tell a story of natural beauty and artistry. Its structural elegance ensures it will stand out as a statement piece while providing a functional surface for daily use. Surrounding the piece is her graphic photography art highlighting bold color and innovative shapes.
Designer Kiko Kostadinov’s collaboration with Soft Baroque is reimagining the showroom space with deconstructed pieces from his collections. “A showroom in fragments” as the brand has called it on their Instagram. The pieces appear to be made of wood but are actually anodised aluminium parts with a texture that resembles rustic wood.
India Mahdavi strikes again with this collaboration with Milanese carpet brand CC Tapis. Their focus on imaginative collaborations gives their collections a global feel. Mixing local weaving and sewing techniques with new tech and new materials to bring a modern appeal to classic shapes for residential rugs.
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Wendy Andreu’s series of beautiful vases are meticulously crafted by welding metal rigs that act as molds for glass to be blown. Surprisingly, the beautiful colors are more function than form as only specific color combinations yield sufficient strength to be supported. Glass blowing itself takes on a form of its own, even within a controlled environment. This self-expression of material is why brings the Squeeze series to life since it’s squeezed out of its calibrated metal cage to become something truly unique.
