Philippe Brocart, Managing Director of Maison&Objet, discusses why the world’s leading interior design fair (and cousin of FIAC) expanded to Singapore and Miami Beach and how art is key to its success

Maison&Objet is the largest and most prestigious international trade exhibition for high-end interior design. Originating in Paris, M&O recently expanded to both Singapore and Miami Beach. Randian met Philippe Brocart at this year’s September Paris show to discuss why M&O has opened in Asia-Pacific and the place of art in the fair (one of the parent companies, Reed Exhibitions, also owns FIAC and Paris Photo).

Founded in 1990, M&O is 50% owned by Ateliers d’Art de France a trade association and 50% by Reed Exhibitions, the world’s largest trade exhibition company. Reed Exhibitions organises some 500 exhibitions worldwide yearly. Brocart has been with the group for most of this time, becoming Managing Director of M&O in 2012.

In 2014 Maison & Objet expanded to Singapore. As Brocart explains, “We wanted to do an exhibition in the region and doing business [in Singapore] is quite easy—there are great connections; there is Singapore Design Week; Singapore is a regional hub; and there are many visitors to the city, including many from China.” As we walked through the Special Projects and Design pavilions, Brocart greeting exhibitors and visitors alike, discussing the myriad details of the exhibition and why design is important, his enthusiasm never paused.

Maison&ObjetParis is vast. Spread over nine pavilions, it attracts over 70,000 visitors each show, covering everything from bespoke furniture to futuristic billiard tables. In Paris 65% of visitors are retailers, whereas in Singapore 60% are interior designers, property developers or hotel/restaurant owners. “In Singapore we focus on interior design projects. There are many exhibitors from the region and we aim to provide new talent, home-grown designers their own M&O platform in Asia.“ This is different to Paris and Miami Beach—“Design Miami is more an ‘art fair’ than a ‘design fair.’” Visitors to Singapore are not only hotel owners, architects and interior designers but also art and design collectors—high-net-worth individuals. This May, Maison&Objet launched in Miami Beach, home also to Art Basel Miami Beach and it appears the once relatively separate worlds of art and design are converging. Art took a prominent position at Paris this September too. Chinese sculptors Xiang Jing and Qu Guangci exhibited under their X+Q brand. The special project “Floating Flower Garden” was a massive interactive installation by teamLab composed of 2,300 fresh orchids from Holland, and the biannual Trend Forum “Precious” included numerous exhibits by designers, artists and prominent galleries such as Galerie Perrotin and Galerie Karsten Greve. As we parted, Brocart summed it all up, “Actually it’s not surprising. The collectors who want the greatest art also want the best design.”