Maison ・ exhibited at ・ Objet ・ Paris 2026

Maison ・ exhibited at ・ Objet ・ Paris 2026

From September 10 to 14, 2026,we participated as part of the “Tokyo Handicrafts” booth at the international trade fair “Maison & Objet” (Maison ・e ・Objet),as part of the “Tokyo Handicrafts” booth.

Maison ・ ・ Obje is an international exhibition where people involved in interior design and design gather from all over the world.

For this event, the Takakasa Mounting store exhibited “calligraphy panels,” “washi paper panels,” “hanging scrolls,” and “mirror screens.”

Our first overseas exhibition

Our first overseas exhibition. In fact, we had only just participated in our first domestic exhibition this past June, so we were severely lacking in experience…

We agonized over what to exhibit, but ultimately decided to showcase products that would highlight our store’s strengths as much as possible. By leveraging our mounting techniques and focusing on pieces that would complement modern spaces, we arrived at this lineup.

Products ExhibitedThis Time

We exhibited one large calligraphy panel and two small ones. The calligraphy was penned by calligrapher Kisen Katsutani.

I’m not sure what kind of image people overseas have of “calligraphy,” but this time we deliberately created vibrant, pop-style panels that differ from traditional mounting styles. Our aim was to offer visitors a sense of novelty, even if only a little.

We also displayed the washi panels that we had exhibited at a domestic exhibition this past June. We aimed to create pieces that convey a sense of “Japanese tradition” through the colors and textures of the washi and fabric, while also making them easy to incorporate into modern living spaces.

For the hanging scrolls, we re-framed some older pieces that had been in our store’s collection for a long time. We kept the overall color scheme monochromatic, aiming for a design that, while remaining a traditional hanging scroll, would also blend well with contemporary spaces.

From “Making to Order” to “Creating Our Own Products”

Until now, our work has consisted entirely of made-to-order production: we would receive pieces from customers, listen to their requests, and mount them as hanging scrolls, framed artworks, folding screens, or panels.

This time, however, we undertook a new experiment: we took a work written by a calligrapher, mounted it exactly as we envisioned, turned it into a product, set the price ourselves, and featured it in our catalog.

Unlike our usual work of creating pieces to meet specific customer requests, we had to grapple with questions such as what kinds of works and designs would be well-received and what price range would be appropriate. these was a completely different challenge from our daily work, and we spent a great deal of time deliberating and thinking it through.

We also produced an English-language product catalog.

Incidentally, in conjunction with this exhibition, we also produced an English-language product catalog for Takakasa Mounting.

In addition to showcasing the hanging scrolls (・), framed artworks (・), panels (・), and folding screens we’ve created to date, we’ve also included visual renderings of each piece displayed in contemporary spaces.

Using photos of the actual works, I used AI to generate images of them displayed in modern interiors. We really live in a convenient age, don’t we…?

The English text was also generated by AI. However, unfortunately, since I don’t have the English proficiency to judge whether that English is truly correct, I’ll keep the contents of the catalog private (laughs).

We also screened videos of the work process at the booth

Information about the Takagasa “mounting” shop was posted throughout the booth, and a video of me performing the mounting work was also being shown.

(I couldn’t get a good shot because of the glare…)

The video wasn’t just about the finished products—it also featured the backing process and the steps of cutting and assembling the materials. It was edited so skillfully that it made me look like a top-tier artisan (lol).

In addition, product information for Takagasa Mounting Shop was featured in the “Tokyo Handicrafts” Maison ・ and ・ art object brochure.

Feedback and Lessons Learned at the Event

At the venue, people from all over the world—not just France—came to view the works. It was a very refreshing experience to see how reactions varied depending on the country and culture.

Some visitors spoke very highly of the products we exhibited, and we sensed a promising opportunity that could lead to future business deals.

On the other hand, through conversations with visitors and observing the exhibits at other booths, there were moments when I thought, “Perhaps products like this would have been better received,” or “It would be better to change this part,” and I learned a great deal.

If I have the opportunity to exhibit again, I think the product lineup will be completely different from this one.

That said, having the items I crafted displayed at the venue in Paris and seen by people from various countries was truly a valuable experience.

I would like to continue exploring new possibilities for mounting while applying the lessons learned from this experience and the feedback received at the event to future product development.