Paris is Always a Good Idea
Why Antique Dealers Should Attend Paris Deco Off, Mega Trends Antique Dealers Need to Know About in Interior Design for 2025, and The Intersection Between Self Care and the Business of Antiques
Today I booked a massage. 1 hour 30 minutes of deep tissue massage to help me recover from Paris. They say Paris is always a good idea, but I have to tell you Paris Deco Off / Maison Objet Week is bloody exhausting. It is non -stop networking, champagne swilling and the hardest part of all… all that smiling. My face begins to hurt after a while.
WHAT IS DECO OFF & Maison Objet?
At Deco Off more than 150 brands in Fabrics, Wallpapers and Trimmings welcome you to their showrooms to preview their new collections, held mostly in Saint-Germain-des-Prés & Saint-Sulpice (which happen to be my old stomping grounds where I lived in Paris in my 20s.) See the pic of my previous front door?
Deco Off is open to the general public and professionals and is simply Fabulous, darling (said in my best affected accent).
Maison et Objet s a major French trade fair for interior design. Held bi-annually in Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center it is described on Wikapedia as "among the 3 most important European events for interior design.¨ I am trying to figure out what the others are… Salone in Milano for sure…. but the other I am not certain. London´s is too small? Frankfurt is boring? What is the 3rd? Anyone know?
For Our Clients at Antiques Diva who have Concept Stores Maison Objet is a good place to source French fripery or finery as the lifestyle show brings together a 360° product offering. Most of our Antique Diva Clients sell antiques with an offering of contemporary objets from decoration & design, furniture & accessories to textiles, fragrances, childrensware & tableware.
Did you know we can help you source artisinal items as well as help you develop your own lighting, textile, wall covering or art de la table lines?
Clients on Antique Diva Tours during this period often book the following tours
one day sourcing at Maison & Objet
one morning at Porte De Vanves to source tabletop & accessories at super low prices
an artisanal tour in Saint Germain going beyond the Deco Off showrooms to some of our favorite glass blowers, porcelain artists and tassel makers
a day at the Puce de Paris- Saint Ouen
as well as be our guest at our Annual Antiques Diva Champagne Brunch.
(picture me and 500 gay men and you´ll clue in on my enduring singledom :)if you are lucky, you are invited to our family dinner in the 16eme arrondisment aparrment of our COO & Director of Trade Operations.
My favorite thing I did this year during Deco Off & Maison Objet - was shop Porte de Vanves. It was so cold my fingers practically could not bend to hold my shopping cart - yes, i brought a granny grocery cart to carry home our purchases.
Porte de Vanves Flea Market - Paris I was helping a client source antique murano ashtrays (10-20E each), murano perfume bottles (20-30E each - minimum mark up here was 10-12 times), vintage Venetian frames (20 E each)… wait where am I?? Did we only buy Venetian vintage in Paris?? I didnt realize this until now. While we normally ship container shipping, this client needed a few accessories to jugsh up a display - and so this time we were doing DHL
BY THE WAY - DID YOU KNOW - WE OFFER THIS ACCESSORY SERVICE? We can mail you monthly boxes of accessories EACH MONTH to help change out your displays. Email me to inquire for more toma@antiquesdiva.com
WHY COME TO PARIS DURING DECO OFF/ MAISON OBJET?
You might be wondering why you as an Antiques Dealer should consider coming to Paris during this design fair? First of all its Paris… And I said it before Paris is always a good idea. A tax deductable trip to Paris isnt bad? Right? Secondly, lets be obvious - sourcing in France is the best thing you can do for your antiques business and your reputation as an antiques dealer.
But most importantly, Interior Designers are the largest buyers of antiques. Targeting interior designs as your client base can be difficult. But coming to Paris during this week gives you an opportunity to meet and make relationships with all the top interior designers. You can attend parties and swig champagne arm to arm with designers which opens up the door later on to sliding into their DMs with seducitive offers of bergers and chaise lounges and buffet en deux corps.
It is also Paris and you go there to be inspired. WestEdge Design in LA offered some incredible tours this year - they took a bus load out to Chateau de Nainville, hosted by Maison Janneau and organized a gorgeous morning at Maison Baccaret.
The top trends coming out of Deco off/ Maison Objet won´t be a surprise for our followers:
-An Earthy Palette was everywhere (remember - Sherwin-Williams called out Grounded as one of their spotlight colors making up 2025 Color Capsule of the Year) As the Palette of my new Chianti Club House is all about ochres and charcoals, carbon blacks, and browns I was feeling very en point.
-Sustainability & Environmentally Friendly Design - Consumers are aware of their environmental impact, and this awareness is driving demand for eco-friendly home decor. From recycled materials to energy-efficient designs, sustainability is a key trend for 2025.
And Let us Not Forget…. ANTIQUES ARE GREEN. As Sustainability becomes increatingly important in design - Antiques will play and larger role in design. #YetAnotherReasonWhyNowIsTheTimeToBecomeAnAntiquesDealer #inquirefordetails on our Antique Dealer Training Program.
-Vintage & Retro Pieces are everywhere as are Artisinal & Handcrafted items. Its all about the mix of inventory - something new, something old, something borrowed, something blue.
-Color Drenching is still hip to the hop. Still Johnson explains to Southern Living, “This is when we take one color and use it on the walls, upholstery, drapery and accessories. We keep it from being too stagnant by using different shades of the chosen color on each element.” BOLD PATTERNs are Huge. As is Use of Organic Materials and Plants.
-Did I mention Dessert Browns are in? I think I said it before with the Earthy Colors and Textures… and This is not just because I have a house in Tuscany that screams for this palette that I am saying this. - but it is ALL about mixing textures to keep it earthy rather than sludgy. Brown Wood is Back. #OnceYouGoBrownYouNeverGoBack. There chocolate browns to eggplant to dusty terra-cottas, these colors are poised to reign in 2025.
-Layered Lighting sets the mood. It is all about Illumination - and vintage or retro lighting adds serious mood. Cue up Marvin Gaye. Lets Get it On.
One of the things that has delighted me in recent years is seeing how Paris Deco Off / Maison Objet is becoming more inclusive. In part, I think Publicity Genuis Tiffany Farny is responsible for making major changes in opening the world of design for more diversity.
Tiffany & Margaret´s AFTER PARTY was the highlight of my Paris trip…. and if I do say so myself I threw a fabulous party this year at MOB HOUSE - Paul Bert Serpette. Our Annual Antiques Diva AJPR Champagne Brunch has become somewhat of an iconic Design Week Event. (more on Mob House & Paul Bert in the next issue or two)
My brunch has taken on a life - and following of its own. Daniel Germaini called me on Saturday in Paris… ¨Darling I havent seen you anywhere?¨ ¨Darling, I am flipping busy, working my a-double-s off this week.¨While it is a week of Parties for most attendees - for me as an organizer in Paris - I am busy as I am juggling - spending time with my employees/team, - most of whom have flown in to attend our Champagne Brunch - #teambuilding - and spending time with my clients, making sure to get a little one on one time with the people spending $$$ - and seeing old friends from my days living in Paris - plus, networking to make new business relationships.
It is a full on week and by the end of the week I am pouring from an empty cup. Normally when I return from a business trip I get an adrenalin dip. An adrenalin crash. But I have learned a HACK that helps prevent burn out.
On the day I return home I go to bed early. Hot tea in bed with the cats. The next day - I wake on schedule - and do office work/catch up work/ slowing down gently so the adrenalin fades. And on the 2nd day home - I book a massage.
WHERE SELF CARE MEETS THE BUSINESS OF ANTIQUES - This is my mojo. I have learned as a small business owner that it is ESSENTIAL I take care of myself so I can help others.
I am firm believer that a massage should be a business expense for entrepreneurs. Especially if you are an antiques dealer. This is physically arduous work. I walked 15K steps each day in Paris. My body is tired. But moreover my mind is tired.
Studies have shown that massage therapy can reduce the levels of stress hormones in the body, such as cortisol. When cortisol levels decrease, it produces a cascade of positive effects in the brain. After a massage you may feel a sense of relief, improved mood, and increased mental clarity. (Hmmm… better clarity and I can pop out this substack for you at the end the of the day post massage)
For me the effects of meditation and massage therapy are similar in that they get me into a relaxed and restful mindset. It is sort of a “rest and digest” state of mind that is helpful for my brain to be able to unwind and be less stressed.
Jeff Waren explains to Forbes, ¨“When the mind gets quiet and drops out of the usual thinking patterns it makes itself available to surprising new connections. Do the same things, get the same results. Sit down, sit still, reroute your thinking brain and see what happens. Strange ideas from the depths bubble up, offering new associations and possibilities. Getting quiet is arguably one of the best practices for creativity.” Being active all day keeps your brain in a mode of thinking and doing, chattering away in words and actions. But the calm that meditation brings can help move this to one side, opening possibilities for breakthroughs, discoveries and new ideas.¨He goes on to explain, ¨You get clearer about what’s important and sometimes the things you thought were urgent turn out to be not so urgent, so you can end up making more space in your schedule.”
One of the things I noticed this January in Paris is that my priorities have shifted. I sometimes think maybe at 51 I have finally grown up. But that is a topic for another day.
WEBINAR REPLAY AVAILABLE
In the meantime, if you missed our webinar filmed in Paris on 5 Reasons Antique Dealer Fail email me toma@antiquesdiva.com to get a WEBINAR REPLAY.
XOXO
Toma
(Closing with a gratituous selfie becaus I look cute in this pic - note I lost an eye lash in the taxi en route home.)
