In English

Event
Conference : The Retail Lab at Maison & Objet

https://vimeo.com/358765425

“A brand is established on a territory, with its history, its logo & a well-defined color… but what is its material? In the age of digitalization, the allure of the point of sale & the creation of an experience are new challenges for brands.”

Our founder and president Albert Benguigui presented a conference at the beginning of September on “Materials and Brand Identity in Luxury Merchandising” at Maison & Objet in their dedicated Retail Lab conference program. With the dematerialisation of brand identities, due to a rise in online retail, he addressed the issues of materiality in-store and at the point-of-sale. Tracing the history of brand identities through colour, merchandising forms, shop windows, and the new possibilities of Material Identity, he highlighted several projects we have worked on and presented some key materials in our Material Library.

Maison & Objet’s Retail Lab conference program was set up to “explore best practices, studying emerging trends and sharing experiences and cutting-edge debates / workshops conducted by retail specialists.”

Enjoy the conference above, and check out the program's full archives, documented online at Maison & Objet HERE

In English

Design
All Work and No Play?

Maison & Objet took up residence once again in Paris’ Parc Des Expositions for their September edition, with an interior focus on natural feels, replete with wildlife and animals and a new dedicated section investigating the ever blurring limitations between work and home with WORK! by MAISON et OBJET. As our offices imitate our living spaces, and our living spaces become infiltrated by work, new challenges arise for product designers and interior experts to ensure both job and home satisfaction. To compliment this they conducted a survey and produced a paper with Les Echos & Le Parisien, which is downloadable here, entitled: Designing The Future Of Work. 

The Parisian architect Laura Gonzalez was chosen as Designer of the Year, after a prolific few years which has seen her stamping her signature style all over the French capital and beyond, working notably across the network of Cartier retail stores, and recently renovating the iconic 18th century Laperouse restaurant on Paris’ left bank to great acclaim. With a focus on noble materials, artisanal production and a love of decorative arts, her own furniture line can be ordered in bespoke colourways to suit your interior.

The Rising Talent Awards this time focussed on upcoming designers from the US featuring Bailey Fontaine, Alex Brokamp, Green River Project, Harold, Kin & Company, and Rosie Li. 

We took a tour of the salon, selecting some of our favourite stands above and alongside this, our founder and president, Albert Benguigui, gave a conference in M&O’s dedicated Retail Lab, which you can see in its entirety here. 

In French

Story of the Month
The Retail Lab at Maison & Objet Paris

American Supply a le plaisir de vous annoncer que M. Albert Benguigui, le fondateur et directeur général de la marque, tiendra la conférence “Matiére et identité de marque en merchandising” à la prochaine édition de Maison & Objet en septembre 2019 –  le très avéré salon international de la décoration, du design d’intérieur, de l’architecture et de l’art de vivre – dans leur Retail Lab. L’objectif de ce cycle de conférences est “d’explorer les meilleures pratiques, d’étudier les tendances émergentes et de partager des expériences et débats pointus ainsi que des ateliers organisés par des spécialistes de vente au détail.”

La conférence pose la question : 

Une marque est établie sur un territoire, avec son histoire, son logo, sa couleur prédéfinie… mais qu’est que sa matière? A l’ère de la digitalisation, l’attrait des points de vente et la création d’une expérience est devenu un réel challenge pour les marques.

Notez que la conférence aura lieu le dimanche 8 septembre à 14h. Visitez le site Maison & Objet ici pour plus d’informations, et connaître l’agenda de toutes les conférences.

In French

Materials
Alucore


Alucore est un panneau composite aluminium constitué de deux feuilles fines et d’un nid d’abeille utilisé usuellement dans l’aéronautique, l’architecture et l’industrie de la construction comme un matériau de structure. Il est réputé pour être à la fois léger et extrêmement résistant. Fait de 100% d’aluminium, et 100% recyclable, Alucore est durable et écologique. Nous avons ré-imaginé le potentiel de ce matériau versatile, manufacturé par notre partenaire industriel 3A Composites, leaders dans l’industrie de matériaux composites, de manière innovante et hors de leur contexte habituel.

Tout d’abord, nous avons expérimenté la sérigraphie sur ce support, imprimé digitalement à l’encre noire, permettant aux surfaces métalliques de briller, et de donner une nouvelle profondeur à notre impression en demi-teintes graduées. L’application adoucit la surface, soulignant les côtés et angles bruts de la matière.

Notre seconde application implique de le couper en tranches afin de les superposer de manière sculpturale et d’exposer son coeur en nid d’abeille peu visible habituellement, dévoilant alors une nouvelle perspective au matériau. La lumière se réfracte alors différemment car les surfaces brutes, ternes et polies s’entrechoquent lors du processus de tranchage, révélant une surface unique jusqu’ici imperceptible. Les possibilités sculpturales de cette application ne sont limitées que par notre imagination!

Pour se renseigner sur Alucore, cliquez ici.

In English

Story of the Month
The Retail Lab at Maison & Objet Paris

American Supply is pleased to announce that our Founder and CEO Albert Benguigui will conduct a conference: “Materials and Brand Identity in Luxury Merchandising”, at the upcoming September 2019 edition of Maison & Objet – the self-confessed international authority for home decor, interior design, architecture, and lifestyle culture – in their dedicated Retail Lab. The aim of their Retail Lab conference program is to “explore best practices, studying emerging trends and sharing experiences and cutting-edge debates / workshops conducted by retail specialists.”

A brand is established on a territory, with its history, its logo, well-defined color… but what is its material? In the age of digitalization, the allure of the point of sale & the creation of an experience are new challenges for brands.

Please mark 14h00 on Sunday September the 8th in your diary, to ensure that you don’t miss out! For more information, and to take a look at the full conference schedule, visit the Maison & Objet website here.

In English

Materials
Alucore


Alucore is an aluminium composite panel consisting of two cover sheets and a honeycomb core used primarily in the aeronautic, architectural and construction industries as a structural material, it is renowned for being both lightweight and extremely strong. Made from 100% aluminium, making it 100% recyclable, Alucore is durable and ecologic. We have been re-imagining the potential of this versatile material, manufactured by our industrial partner 3A Composites, leaders in the composite material industry, in innovative ways and out of its usual context.

Firstly, we experimented with it as a print support, digitally printing on the face in matt black ink, allowing the unprinted metallic surfaces to shine, and giving a new depth to our graduated halftone print. The application softened the surface, emphasising the raw industrial edges.

Our second application involved cutting it into slices and piling it sculpturally to expose it’s lesser-known honeycomb core, celebrating this new dimension to the material. The light has a complex refraction in this manner, as the raw, dull and polished surfaces collide in the process of slicing, giving us a unique new surface material. The sculptural possibilities in this application are limited only by our imaginations!

To enquire about Alucore, click here.

In French

Story of the Month
Beau, Luxueux, Durable.

“Ne me dites pas que la lune brille, montrez-moi la lueur de la lumière sur le verre brisé.”

Anton Tchekhov

Terrazzo a été le premier exemple au monde de revêtement de sol durable, communément attribué aux travailleurs Vénitiens, qui ont récupéré des fragments de marbre de leurs travaux de construction et les ont mélangés à de l’argile pour créer le revêtement de sol dans leurs intérieurs. Historiquement, nous pouvons voir des exemples de type terrazzo comme revêtement de sol en Turquie qui remonte à près de 10.000 ans ! Avec l’engouement pour le travail du groupe Memphis fondé par Ettore Sottsass dans les années 80, il a été l’un des produits de base des designers d’intérieur les plus cool de ces dernières années.

Notre Terr-Glazzo est une interprétation agglomérée contemporaine, utilisant des fragments modernes incluant :

Du verre et de la porcelaine recyclés, du quartz, de la poussière de granit et des mosaïques de verre cassé inutilisables pour créer une version nouvelle de ce matériau traditionnel. Tout comme son ancêtre emblématique, Terr-Glazzo est recyclé de 60 à 70 %, utilisant un minimum de résine PE et de pigments pour le lier et le colorer.

Disponible en finitions de surface brillantes ou mates, conforme aux normes alimentaires, il répond aisément à un usage commercial ou domestique. Les plaques sont disponibles en différents formats et peuvent être coupées et usinées comme les carreaux de céramique.

In English

Story of the Month
Sustainable Beauty


“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

Anton Chekhov

Terrazzo was the world’s first example of sustainable flooring, commonly attributed to Venetian workers, who salvaged marble fragments from their construction jobs and mixed them with clay to create the flooring in their private homes. Though, historically, we can see evidence of types of terrazzo as flooring in Turkey that dates back almost 10,000 years! It has been a staple of the coolest interior designers in recent years, after the resurgence of appreciation for the work of the Memphis Group founded by Ettore Sottsass in the 80s.

Our Terr-Glazzo is a contemporary agglomerate interpretation, using modern waste including recycled glass and porcelain, quartz, granite dust, and unusable broken glass mosaic tiles to create a new iteration of this classic material. Much like it’s iconic sustainable ancestor, Terr-Glazzo is 60 – 70% recycled, using a minimum of PE Resin and pigments to bind and color it.

It is available in polished or matt surface finishes that are suitable for both commercial and domestic use and certified food-grade so that it can be used for the preparation of wet foods. The sheets come in various dimensions and can be cut and machined like any other ceramic tile.