Sculptural seating shaped by rocks, moss and fallen trees. Dreamlike rooms connecting East and West that evoke themes of family and belonging. These are just some of the creative imaginings of Hong Kong and international design luminaries such as Patrizia Moroso and Ann Chan – as part of a cohort of 16 renowned designers – for the Maison&Objet Intérieurs design fair as it returns to the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre from December 3 to 6.
Ann Chan. Photo: courtesy Maison&Objet
Following its debut in 2024, this second edition, held under the theme “Crossroads”, aims to cement the city’s status as Asia’s design switchboard.
Split into three zones, the fair includes Design Factory, an inspiration hub featuring four pavilions exploring sustainability and material innovation, and Le Club, a sectioned-off lounge for high-value networking.
The main event, however, is the Design Showcase, a discovery zone of seven immersive interiors. Curated across seven design capitals, from Seoul to Paris, the showcase interprets the “Crossroads” theme by exploring the hybrid spaces needed for modern living, working and recharging.
Alfred Lam. Photo: courtesy Maison&Objet
A Paris-Hong Kong pairing sees designer Hubert Le Gall and interior designer Alfred Lam tackle a traditional Beijing siheyuan (courtyard home) with a refined Parisian lens, while Dubai’s Kristina Zanic presents “Beyond Majlis”, a futuristic take on the traditional Middle Eastern gathering space, bridging desert-neutral palettes with holographic projections.
Kristina Zanic. Photo: courtesy Maison&Objet
From New Delhi, Aparna Kaushik’s “Rooh Dilli” is a serene, symmetrical lounge channelling the Indian capital’s imperial core, blending European geometry with hand-carved Rajasthani stone and intricate rugs.
Aparna Kaushik. Photo: courtesy Maison&Objet
Carpets also make an appearance at local heavyweight Steve Leung’s design for “Connect”, an immersive pavilion that takes visitors through a bamboo forest. Pure white poles create a layered framework, grounded by a custom Tai Ping carpet and featuring a “Taihu rock” centrepiece woven entirely from woody grass.
Steve Leung. Photo: courtesy Maison&Objet
Shanghai-based designer Wu Bin presents “Hybridization: Garden Wanderings”, a multisensory urban escape where visitors traverse a textured path of reclaimed materials, guided by subtle scents and flickering projections.
Wu Bin. Photo: courtesy Maison&Objet
Representing Hong Kong, “Shifted Mirrors: Fragments of a Dreamed East”, one of the pavilions in Design Factory, is perhaps the most conceptual. Chan, CEO of Hero Design Group, designed the exhibition in collaboration with Clélie Debehault and Liv Vaisberg, co-founders of Collectible Brussels and New York, to unfold more than 10 scenographies inspired by traditional East Asian interiors as seen through a Western lens.
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“By immersing guests in the crossroads of identity, memory, heritage and new possibility, the exhibition invites them to experience design as a living dialogue,” says Chan. “The hope is that visitors leave the exhibition feeling both moved and inspired, carrying with them a sense of curiosity about their own place in a changing global landscape.”
Maison&Objet Intérieurs, Hall 3C, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, December 3 to 6. Free admission upon registration. Visitmaison-objet.com
