During the 5-day exhibition that is Maison & Objet Paris, thousands of new products are launched to market. It’s phenomenal the range and diversity of the genres that are released from forks to fragrance, from lamps to stationery; you name it, it’s all there. I’ve even seen a car in the past. You’ll already have seen my personal thoughts on what’s coming here, and you might also have seen my coverage for the other publication and platforms I write for. Like all interiors obsessives, I’m fully aware of the items that are my kryptonite, my list is always growing, but I’m also aware of my loathings. Harder to define is when at a trade show like Maison & Objet I hit the design fatigue wall. I was just about at that point when some cushions caught my eye. That in itself isn’t necessarily an odd encounter, but the new Super Texture collection from Tom Dixon was compelling me to touch. With lots of extra texture, the cushion seemed to have more in common with a rug than traditional cushion fabric. Thick, woolly and boucle, the Abstract pair of cushions are hand tufted in Northern India by expert craftsmen in 100% New Zealand wool. 
British textile artist Josephine Ortega who graduated from Central Saint Martins was commissioned to create the new cushion design. Which were inspired by rag rug wall hangings from the Seventies and abstracts of urban landscapes. The texture of the cushions are incredibly comforting, I think in part due to the weight and density of the wool combined with the pile at different heights. It’s the kind of surface you could sit and stroke until your fingers go numb. The colour palette is also bound to be a huge commercial success, with its inclusion of the peachy nude hue I spotted throughout the halls of Maison & Objet. These are not delicate, fragile cushions; they are robust and full-bodied items that will be just as much at home on the floor as “floor cushion.” It brings an interesting dimension to the Tom Dixon collection given its propensity for all things metal. So what do you think? Would they be something you’d have in your home? I could see these working particularly well in a teenagers room, a den or in a “dorm room.”
This is not a sponsored post. All images supplied by Tom Dixon Studio.