The annual Maison & Objet trade show devoted to decoration, design and the art of living attracts thousands of exhibitors from all over the world. The latest event, held in Paris from January 18 to 22, featured over 2,500 brands, of which 60% of were of foreign origin. It offered a great opportunity to discover surprising new creations. Among the curiosities from here and abroad, here are a few that are bound to spice up our home decor and change the way we live.

It's already known for its spaghetti armchairs made from recycled plastic, which produces uniquely patterned colors as the material melts in the mold. The Paris-based manufacturer MAXIMUM − which, as its name suggests, doesn't let any material go to waste − has come up with a stool made from mashed banknotes.

"As these bills didn't meet the Imprimerie Nationale [national printing office] standards, the Banque de France, which until recently would burn them, sent them to us in shredded form," said Armand Bernoud, co-founder of this responsible company formed in 2015 in Ivry-sur-Seine, southeast of Paris. "Our stackable stool stands solidly on its paper legs out of this single recovered material to which we've added no polluting resins because banknotes already contain a little plastic that acts as a binder." And so the legal tender has become funny money. A bistro table and a chair in the same style will be added to this line of paper-money furniture in the spring.

Maximum, 49 Boulevard du Colonel-Fabien, 94200 Ivry-sur-Seine.

Fujii Hat Co., based in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, might have gone out of business with the decline in interest in headwear. That is, until the latest (and third) generation at the helm of the family business came up with the idea of creating small decorative accessories under the Mobje brand, based on the company's long-standing expertise in weaving natural fibers. This led to the creation of imaginative lamps and graceful vases made from woven raffia in delicate pearly hues.

In 2023, three vases made of paper mingled with leather were conceived from a meeting between the Japanese business and Parisian leatherworker Polène, founded in 2016 by three siblings. Paper fibers and smooth calf leather, sourced from the French artisan's production remnants, have been woven together to create minimalist patterns. Strips of leather adorn the bases or necks of the pieces, which can hold fresh flowers or dried bouquets thanks to glass containers hidden inside. This limited edition Polène x Mobje has been entirely created using traditional Japanese hat-making techniques.

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