The first Maison & Objet of the year was a visual safari as always, and an overwhelming trend surfaced that has us exploring our wild side.
Botanical prints, natural fibers and oh so many creatures showed us that the design rules are out and the law of the jungle is in.
Welcome to the trend of the moment: Wild Whimsy.
Geometric Shapes
January’s Maison was a lush bouquet of colors in intense hues and fun combinations. While every color was on display, the Pantone Color of the Year was clearly a point of inspiration for the saturation and depth of some of the more popular palettes.
For example, feast your eyes on the pop art, high-contrast color extravaganza that was the Maika Home London booth. Their design team used a more saturated version of Pantone’s Classic Blue to anchor the wild, rollicking colors of their display. 
The standout booth in the color department was Missoni Home, whose rich textures and color patterns visitors could spot a mile away. The theme for their booth this year was “DAYDREAM: A hymn to nature, art and precious materials”, which perfectly sums up the color palette of this trend.
The standout booth in the color department was Missoni Home, whose rich textures and color patterns visitors could spot a mile away. The theme for their booth this year was “DAYDREAM: A hymn to nature, art and precious materials”, which perfectly sums up the color palette of this trend.
Les petits animaux
If you’re anything like some of the members of the KBFA team, you love an animal motif. While we do a good job of finding them in almost any design scheme, we were delighted to see we didn’t have to search to spy a menagerie of creatures on display at Maison. The stars of the show were without a doubt the adorable “dabbing” penguins made by Venetian ceramics workshop, Bosa. Of course these black and white cuties blew up all over social media, but they were far from the only critters that caught our eye. 
Keeping things natural
Those of you who read our Maison recap from last September may recall that a major trend of Maison et Objet this past fall was natural fibers. Back then we saw it as an interesting contrast to the plush, the gold accents, and the Art Deco embellishments on display, but this time around we saw more cohesion. Our old friends straw, rattan, and jute added texture and a touch of the unruly to tablescapes and booths that embodied the fun, natural look of what we’re calling Wild Whimsy.
The booth at January 2020’s Maison that absolutely nailed the maximalist potential of these materials was by decorative group Rock the Kasbah. This company’s pieces made by Tunisian artisans add an additional world traveler narrative that naturally complements the trends we saw as a whole.
A more understated option for where to take this natural fiber trend, we thought the booth of Taller de las Indias had the right idea. Adding in natural materials doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition, and we think their display at Maison showed how to mix and match beautifully.
A more understated option for where to take this natural fiber trend, we thought the booth of Taller de las Indias had the right idea. Adding in natural materials doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition, and we think their display at Maison showed how to mix and match beautifully.
After the close of Maison, we asked some members of our art consultant team
to recommend some artist pairings to go with the trend we’re calling Wild Whimsy.
Below are our top 3 picks for artists we think compliment this trend:
Paula Lobos
Illustrator 
Karen Gossart
Fiber artist @oseraiedelile 