'A shifting and rolling salon' Matter and Shape is back for its second edition in Paris.

‘I used to say that fashion has never been more fashionable than in the last 20 years,’ notes Dan Thawley, artistic director of the design fair Matter and Shape. ‘I'd say that design has never been more fashionable than now.’ This is the second year that Matter and Shape is breaking boundaries between the two, bringing design to the heart of Paris at the same time as Fashion Week.

For its inaugural year in 2024, Matter and Shape welcomed more than 8,000 guests in four days. Thawley says they hope to double that number this year, while evolving ‘in a way that's organic and comfortable.’ The space has grown from 3,000 to 5,000 m2, spanning two pavilions rather than one, and showing some 60 exhibitors, around twice what they showed last year.

This year's salon also comes with a theme: the centenary of the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, the Paris Exposition that gave its name to the Art Deco movement. ‘That sort of set Paris on fire in the roaring twenties,’ says Thawley. ‘It gave us the onus to think about our place in that world today as a salon. We use the word 'salon' more than design fair or trade show, because we want it to be a place of exchange, a place of ideas, and of course a place for commerce.’

He adds that while some pieces are extraordinary, the idea is not to show €100,000 cabinets. ‘We are trying to advocate for a world where there is a middle ground, where design can touch the lives of interested parties.’

Canada's Willo Perron once again did the pavilion design, with an Art Deco-esque reflective black facade. Perron also debuted his first foray into furniture with No-Ga at the fair. A pop-up restaurant by WE ARE ONA (recent Wallpaper* Award-winners) with London-based chef Imogen Kwok combines performance art and gastronomy.

Thawley has spent the past year traveling the globe from Canada to Japan, believing it's important to bring new voices, to make this a ‘shifting and rolling sort of salon.’ He's included designers from Ukraine (amorphous furniture by Faina) and Palestine (blown glass by Hollow Forms). ‘I've had more challenges trying to bring South American and African talent to Paris than I have with those two war-stricken countries, due to proximity,’ he admits. ‘And I don't want to be an advocate for convincing people to cross the planet with tonnes of marble.’

Matter and Shape's offerings run the gamut from textiles to furniture to glassware. There are even electrical sockets, as designer India Mahdavi uncovered the fun in function with fluorescent yellow "Smiley" outlet faces for Canada's 22 System. At the salon, she has embedded multiple yellow sockets into her pink Oliver armchair.

Three jewellery houses are nestled in a special showcase curated by two former gallerists from Monaco, under the name Joya. A pair of semi-circular steel pavilions designed by architects Christ & Gantenbein carve out an area for the antique jewels of Italy's Gioielleria Pennisi, the delicate pearls of Japan's Shihara, and astonishing animal forms based on La Fontaine's fables by German designer Gabrielle Greiss.

Heritage brands at the salon include the 200-year-old Viennese crystal glassware house Lobmeyr, who was present at the 1925 Paris exposition. The company has re-edited several of the original 1925 pieces, such as a super-fine "muslin" glass spherical candy dish on a stem. Today, Leonid Rath runs Lobmeyr along with other sixth-generation cousins, and says, '1925 was the cradle of modern luxury as we know it. I think it's time for a new luxury that's more playful and accessible.' The stand reflects this philosophy, with huge sugar cubes as pedestals, designed by Gohar World (who also hand-painted drinking glasses with bows).

Saridis of Athens is a Greek company established in 1867. Once considered among the best cabinet-makers in Europe, it has now come back from a period of dormancy, and is showing furniture from the "Klismos" collection designed in 1958-1961, based on archaeological records and ancient drawings. Twenty-six pieces are handcrafted in the same Greek walnut and leather as six decades ago. Zois Spiliotis represents the family's sixth generation and calls the brand's presence at the salon ‘a hopeful comeback,’ saying ‘this is not just furniture, it's like historical monuments that can be part of everyday life.’

The 75-year-old heavy hitter Vitra has been re-editing designs by modernist design icon Jean Prouvé since 2002, and came to the salon to unveil a collaboration with young Swiss-French designer Julie Richoz. She has recontextualised two classic Prouvé chairs with Dedar fabrics, contrasting textiles in rich pumpkin and canary shades with the industrial modernity of powder-coated metal.

Smaller, newer brands are not tucked into a corner of Matter and Shape, but presented alongside the more established houses. One of these is Daisuke Yamamoto's three-year-old studio. The Tokyo designer turns steel panels from demolition sites into futuristic seating and Charlotte Perriand-inspired shelving, 'painted' with a reflective pinkish glow from an electrolytic treatment.

Fassen is a French design brand founded last year by sculptor Sébastien Gschwind, who revives archetypes from history. He has brought a cubical armchair originally designed by couturier Paul Poiret, which fits in perfectly with the salon's Art Deco theme. Man Ray wrote about these 'colourfully painted chairs,' and Gschwind has reimagined them in an eye-pleasing combination of coral and green.

Istanbul's multidisciplinary practice Sanayi313 is celebrating its 10th anniversary and the first anniversary of its furniture collection. Founded by two brothers, Enis and Amir Karavil, it is housed in a converted auto shop in the industrial Maslak district. Enis says the furniture is inspired by the neighbourhood and his childhood memories of luxury car interiors, combining leather, steel and masterfully shaped ash burl veneer. In addition to low-slung chairs and tables, Sanayi313 is taking advantage of Matter and Shape to introduce a folding screen, a floor lamp, and more affordable pieces such as stackable trays (sold at the salon's onsite shop). ‘I like to be in curated environments, where a design team chooses the exhibitors,’ Enis says. ‘To be here is a great chance for us to explain ourselves. Coming from Turkey, it's sometimes difficult on Instagram or online. We are very proud to show this craftsmanship in Paris.’

Matterandshape.com