Jennifer Sheahan: Five design ideas from Maison et Objet 2026 for our homes
Alabaster rechargeable light by Luppichini.
My feet are sore, and my head is buzzing from spending a few days wandering the halls of Maison et Objet, one of the biggest decorations and interiors trade shows in the world. There is so much to love here, with the biggest names in international design (plus stunning up-and-coming talent) putting their best foot forward to showcase drool-worthy furniture and gorgeous pieces to decorate your home with. Here are five things I loved most this year.
In the past few years, the move towards natural materials such as wood and stone in interior design is one I’m happy to see. You can never go wrong — they always look great, and they’re durable. With this move has come an embrace of the sophisticated neutral look, and I like that too, but I’m a colourful gal at heart. So I was thrilled to see a range of pieces in colourful materials that would usually be associated with semi-precious gems, such as quartz and jade.
The beautiful colours and textures within these materials feel timeless because they come from the earth itself. It’s the perfect way to introduce colour into otherwise neutral palettes without overwhelming them.
This trend translates beautifully to Irish homes, where we’re often dealing with soft light and neutral backdrops. Colourful mineral pieces — a stone bowl on a console, a coloured marble side table — can add personality without undoing the calm. A reminder that neutral doesn’t have to mean colourless!
If you’ve ever spent time lovingly choosing a backsplash, wall finish, or slab of stone, only to punch a white plastic socket straight through it, you’ll understand why this trend excites me. These are switch and socket plates that are designed to disappear entirely into their surroundings. Plates made in the same material as the wall or cladding — marble, stone, wood — so that they visually melt away.
This is the kind of detail that really elevates a space. It’s not cheap, and wouldn’t be needed for every single electrical point in your home, but for areas such as kitchen backsplashes, it would be well worth it. I would love to see more of this available and accessible in Ireland, because once you notice standard sockets, it’s very hard to un-see them. Statement sockets remain a great option too, for a pop of colour or a metallic accent, but the invisible option is excellent for the more understated look.
I’ve been banging the rechargeable lighting drum for years now, and I won’t be letting up any time soon. This category has matured beautifully. These are no longer novelty lamps with weak light and questionable battery life — they’re genuinely good lighting solutions.
In the past few years, the move towards natural materials such as wood and stone in interior design is one I’m happy to see. You can never go wrong — they always look great, and they’re durable. With this move has come an embrace of the sophisticated neutral look, and I like that too, but I’m a colourful gal at heart. So I was thrilled to see a range of pieces in colourful materials that would usually be associated with semi-precious gems, such as quartz and jade.
The beautiful colours and textures within these materials feel timeless because they come from the earth itself. It’s the perfect way to introduce colour into otherwise neutral palettes without overwhelming them.
This trend translates beautifully to Irish homes, where we’re often dealing with soft light and neutral backdrops. Colourful mineral pieces — a stone bowl on a console, a coloured marble side table — can add personality without undoing the calm. A reminder that neutral doesn’t have to mean colourless!
This one felt personal! I came across the Kiyola piano, a collaboration between the electronic piano maker Roland and the Japanese design company Karimoku, and immediately loved it. Closed, it looks like a slender and elegant side table. Opened, it reveals a full electronic piano. It comes in a range of gorgeous colours, all with that signature Japanese restraint and attention to detail.
It immediately resonated with me because I’ve done something similar in my own home. I had a custom desk made by Borian Studio, where the lid lifts up to reveal my Thomann electronic piano underneath. I didn’t have space for both, so this was a genius way of keeping the instrument accessible while giving me a desk to work at during the day.
If you don’t have space for a full-sized piano, but don’t want to haul a keyboard out and set it up every time you want to play it, the gorgeous Kiyola is your answer.
This trend has been bubbling away slowly for a while now, and I have seen some nicely re-designed games in the past few years, but it seems to have exploded this year, and I’m here for it. By games I mean the classics, re-designed — chess, backgammon, or anything you can set up on a table and play.
I’m sick of watching TV every evening, and a lovely alternative is to spend some time playing a game. Anything — Scrabble, chess, tic-tac-toe — it has to be better for our brains and our eyes to switch off the screens for a while and, you know, actually talk to each other. I think others are feeling it too. We’re craving analogue experiences and things that encourage connection rather than distraction.
I was particularly taken with the range from Hector Saxe, a French company based in Paris. These are not games you hide in a cupboard, by which I mean you don’t have to bother putting them away if you don’t feel like it. Beautifully made, gorgeous colours and materials, and wonderfully inviting.
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