Maison & Objet offers toned down designs

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 1/28/2002 12:00:00 AM

PARIS —

Toning down was the message from Maison & Objet this month, as designers subdued their color palettes and their glitter and glitz.

The result was anything but dull and drab. Colors were exuberant, saturated, but a definite step down in intensity from the retro acid and citrus palette of the last several exhibitions.

Across the home fashions world, from decorative fabrics to bed linens to table linens and accessories pieces, plush and lush were the key words, with embroideries, embellishments, exotic quiltings and topical treatments and the everyday elegance of high-quality fabrics.

New looks, especially in bedding, included ticking stripes, fanciful prints and luxurious wovens. Matelasses continued to be a key fabrication, with an abundance of new stitchery effects evident in both bedding and a growing number of window covering applications.

As always, Maison exhibitors moved ahead of the market with decorative pillow creations — both in fabrics, colors and shapes.

And while America focuses on licensed product for kids, some of the most creative stuff was designed for the young at heart.