Matter and Shape returns to Paris with 76 exhibitors. The 2026 salon explores scale and how objects, from chairs to textiles, can have both personal and public impact.
There are two pillars driving the design industry forward in 2026. First are sector heavyweights – from the Brianza-based family firms churning out high-end furniture to German and Swiss brands producing practical, industrial pieces – accounting for nearly 15 per cent of the world’s furniture market (valued at some €470bn in 2024). Second are collectable works made by small studios, ateliers and skilled craftspeople, which are experiencing record sales (a François-Xavier Lalanne hippo-shaped bar sold for €27m late last year). Both will be represented at the third edition of Matter and Shape in Paris, the business-focused design salon that kicks off this Friday and coincides with the final days of the city’s fashion week.
Artistic director Dan Thawley has centred this year’s iteration around the idea of scale. “It’s a playful yet pertinent umbrella, referring to the size and proportion of, or relationships between, objects, bodies, spaces and time,” said Thawley. “It invites visitors to consider the micro and the macro, the minute and the monumental, the immediate and the historical.” His editorial direction speaks to the industry’s two pillars, with everything from one-of-a-kind collectable pieces to industrially produced objects on show. What unites these works is their ability to have a significant impact on a personal and public scale.
On a micro level many of the pieces presented at Matter and Shape can influence human behaviour: colourful textiles by industrial powerhouses such as Marimekko might dictate our mood, while Tavares 1922’s bespoke jewellery – a demonstration of Portugal’s craft legacy – might elevate our sense of self. On a macro level the works drive cultural and economic activity. Tiles produced by ceramic manufacturer Mutina strengthen Emilia-Romagna’s industrial economy, while Finland-based Studio Kukkapuro’s chairs (pictured above) and furniture from VandaVee (pictured below), a London-based design studio making work that blends Middle Eastern craftsmanship with Western minimalism, speak to the visual and aesthetic cultures of the people who create them.
The benchmark for good design, whether industrial or bespoke, should be products that lift our spirits, local economies and a region’s sense of self. Matter and Shape’s 76 exhibitors will be grappling with this dual responsibility. Every chair, textile and tile carries this weight – a reminder that design matters at every scale.
Nic Monisse is Monocle’s design editor and will be reporting from Matter and Shape this week, which is open to the public from Friday 6 March until Monday 9 March.
