Paris Deco Off 2026
directors notes from a whistle stop tour.....
So lovely to kick off the new year by whizzing around Paris, catching up with friends, clients and suppliers, and hunting for inspiration. It was such an affirming, worthwhile trip that I kept asking myself, why haven’t we come before?
Paris Déco Off started in 2010 with a simple, brilliant idea, turn the city into a décor tour. Fabric and wallcovering studios opened their doors and curated one-off events and exhibitions, not just for the trade, but for the public too. The aim was clear, making décor a big, public-facing moment in Paris, for lovers of fine craftsmanship. Since then, it has grown into something much bigger. Boutique brands take over cafés, guest appearances happen in showrooms, collaborations pop up all over the city, and it is now where many brands launch their newest collections.
It also offers the perfect counterpoint to the more corporate atmosphere of Maison & Objet, where we’ve exhibited before. It runs alongside Déco Off but sits a little further out of the centre. Paris Déco Off feels lighter and more intimate. Crucially, it gives decorative brands a platform to be seen all in one place, in a more personable way that’s genuinely unique to this event.
As my company grows, I’m constantly searching for new ways to be seen and discovered. As a small brand building in the age of social media, it’s incredibly competitive and genuinely challenging to find the right platform, in the right format, at a cost that makes sense. You’re always looking for opportunities that don’t break the bank, that somehow put you on a level playing field, but those opportunities are rare.
Building and running a business from scratch means constantly assessing and reassessing what you reinvest, and where. It’s so important to be able to tell your story in person, to communicate who you are beyond a screen. But the trade-offs are real. Choosing between excellent photography, an extra pair of hands, a trade show, or simply developing new product is exactly the kind of decision you’re forever making. Each one comes with a real cost, not just in money, but in time, energy and momentum.
So yes, our visit provided a wonderful and encouraging insight for me & I left Paris feeling excited and inspired on so many levels not only from a marketing & business perspective. I could see our place in the world of decoration more clearly. I could also see that what we’re trying to communicate is different. Our voice, and our personality within decorative design, is distinct, and should be very welcome.
We were only there for two days, but Emily ( my creative assistant ) and I saw some incredibly beautiful things, and left brimming with ideas for what we might try to achieve in future visits, in the hope of perhaps running our own event…. it was so lovely to see others taking on the challenge and seeing what would be possible… from the conversion of a cafe ( yarn collective) or the complete transformation of a gallery space in floor to ceiling snake skin ( house of hackney) making you feel as though you were enveloped by the vision of their brand.
My favourites were the ones I didn’t really photograph, because I was too caught up in the warmth of conversation. But other highlights were, of course, Liberty, the paper company Antoinette Poisson, and La Lelièvre, the iconic couturiers of the interior world. Experiences like that make you lift your eyes and think bigger. They sharpen your ambition, and they make you want to show up more boldly with what you do. I came home feeling even more proud of our design ethos, our beautiful patterns, and our British-made embroideries and weave, and excited about where we could take them next. 2026, we are ready for you.
