Lacquered furniture returns at Maison&Objet Paris 2025
Maison&Objet Paris has long been the global bellwether for interiors, and the January 2025 edition reinforced that standing with a striking pivot toward glossy, jewel-like pieces. Across the exhibition halls at Villepinte, lacquered surfaces defined the mood, appearing on consoles, sideboards, cabinetry, dining chairs and small decorative objects. The trend signals more than a nostalgic nod to chinoiserie or mid-century glamour. It reflects a renewed appetite for tactile depth, reflective light play and crafted finishes that elevate everyday rooms.
For Australian designers, retailers and homeowners who have spent recent years pursuing bleached timber, limewashed walls and pale upholstery, the resurgence arrives at a moment of stylistic recalibration. Lacquered furniture, with its saturated colour, mirror-like sheen and deep historical lineage, offers a counterpoint to the muted palettes that have dominated local showrooms from Sydney to Perth. Maison&Objet gave the format a contemporary passport, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern silhouettes suited to compact apartments, coastal retreats and heritage terraces.
The revival of high-gloss surfaces
Lacquer is hardly a new material. For centuries it has been linked with Chinese imperial workshops, Venetian cabinetmaking, Art Deco Parisian ateliers and the polished consoles of mid-century Italian houses. At Maison&Objet Paris 2025, however, the finish was applied with fresh ambition. Brands presented lacquered dining suites, beds, lighting bases and modular storage systems, signalling that high-gloss surfaces have moved beyond the occasional hero piece into a complete design language.
Colour was equally assertive across the stands. Saturated oxblood, forest green, deep aubergine, ink black and marine blue appeared on sideboards and screens, while softer neutrals such as cream, mushroom and oat offered quieter alternatives. Many makers paired lacquered carcases with brushed brass detailing, smoked glass and stone tops, demonstrating how the finish translates from period silhouettes into contemporary settings.
Standout exhibitors and trends
Several established names anchored the lacquer revival. Italian makers extended their lacquered programmes beyond traditional case goods, presenting high-shine dining tables and sculptural seating. Portuguese and French ateliers showcased hand-finished cabinets in jewel colours, while designers from Vietnam and the Philippines brought Asian lacquer techniques into dialogue with European silhouettes. The trade fair's Designer of the Year award and several signature installations leaned heavily on lacquer, confirming that the finish had become a central, not peripheral, theme.
Beyond case goods, lacquer migrated into unexpected categories. Lighting designers unveiled pendants and table lamps with glossy ceramic bodies, while textile houses proposed cushions and wall coverings in shades pulled directly from lacquered pieces on nearby stands. The result was a fully orchestrated trend, where colour, finish and form worked together across entire room schemes.
Comparing lacquer levels and their best uses
Not all lacquer is mirror-bright. Furniture makers offer a spectrum of sheen levels, each with distinct aesthetic and practical qualities. The four most common finishes shown at Maison&Objet Paris 2025 each bring their own characteristics, helping designers and homeowners choose the right gloss for the right piece.
| Finish |
Appearance |
Light Reflection |
Cleaning |
Best For |
| Matte |
Soft, velvety, no shine |
Low |
Easy; shows fewer smudges |
Bedrooms, study nooks, relaxed coastal interiors |
| Satin |
Subtle silkiness, gentle glow |
Moderate |
Easy; minor marks visible |
Side tables, dining chairs, family-friendly living rooms |
| Semi-gloss |
Noticeable shine, smooth surface |
High |
Requires gentle wiping |
Buffets, occasional cabinets, feature joinery |
| High-gloss |
Mirror-like, deep colour saturation |
Very high |
Demanding; smudges and dust obvious |
Console tables, decorative screens, statement sideboards |
Within the trade fair, the high-gloss and semi-gloss levels dominated the most photographed pieces. For Australian interiors, satin and matte lacquers often prove more forgiving, particularly in sun-bleached coastal homes around Byron Bay or in open-plan spaces facing north-west windows in Melbourne's inner suburbs. Choosing the right sheen early in the design journey avoids disappointment once the piece arrives and starts interacting with natural light.
Lacquered pieces in the Australian home
Australia's housing stock is unusually diverse, and lacquered furniture adapts to many of its forms. In Sydney's heritage terraces around Paddington and Surry Hills, a single lacquered console in a narrow hallway can transform the entry sequence, bouncing light from the front door down a long corridor. In Melbourne's Victorian and Edwardian houses, lacquered sideboards frequently replace heavier timber dressers in formal dining rooms, restoring period proportions without darkening the room.
Brisbane's subtropical climate invites indoor-outdoor living, where lacquered pieces need to handle humidity and salt air. Furniture makers using marine-grade substrates and moisture-resistant sealants have begun offering lacquered outdoor cabinetry, a relatively new local category that bridges interior polish with alfresco entertaining. Across Adelaide and Perth, where mid-century homes often feature lower ceilings and abundant natural light, lacquered dining chairs and slim-profile sideboards provide colour without visual weight.
Styling lacquered furniture with confidence
Lacquered furniture rewards thoughtful styling. A single high-gloss piece reads as a focal point, so surrounding elements should be restrained. Designers at Maison&Objet Paris 2025 paired lacquered buffets with textured jute rugs, unglazed ceramics and linen drapery, creating contrast that amplified rather than competed with the polished surface. The same approach translates easily to Australian interiors, where natural materials and relaxed textures already form a familiar counterpoint to bold finishes.
Layering lighting also matters. Lacquer reveals everything, including the room's light sources, so combining table lamps, picture lights and concealed LED strips brings out the finish's depth. In homes with strong directional sun, such as apartments in Sydney's eastern suburbs, sheer curtains diffuse harsh rays that might otherwise highlight imperfections in a high-gloss surface.
Caring for lacquer in Australian conditions
Australian conditions present specific challenges for lacquered furniture. Intense UV exposure along the eastern seaboard can fade or yellow some pigments over time, while coastal humidity in places like Noosa or the Mornington Peninsula may compromise unsealed edges. Positioning lacquered pieces away from direct afternoon sun, and maintaining stable indoor humidity between forty and sixty percent, helps preserve both colour and finish.
Day-to-day care is straightforward. A soft microfibre cloth removes most surface marks. For deeper cleaning, a damp cloth followed by a dry buff restores shine without streaking. Furniture makers generally recommend avoiding solvent cleaners, silicone polishes and ammonia-based products, which can dull or cloud lacquered surfaces. Following these few simple habits keeps a high-gloss console looking pristine for decades.
Sourcing lacquered furniture across Australia
Australian access to lacquered furniture has expanded considerably. Sydney's design districts around Surry Hills, Alexandria and Paddington host several showrooms specialising in imported European pieces, while Brisbane and Melbourne offer strong selections of Australian-made lacquered cabinetry from local workshops. Retailers such as Cult Design in Melbourne, Space Furniture in Sydney, and Hub Furniture across multiple capitals now carry lacquered collections from international brands shown at Maison&Objet Paris 2025.
For custom work, local makers including furniture studios in Fitzroy and Brunswick produce bespoke lacquered pieces, allowing Australian homeowners to specify colours matched to specific interiors. These workshops can adapt standard silhouettes into particular dimensions, a useful service for Sydney apartments with compact floor plans and Melbourne terraces where original Victorian proportions demand careful detailing.
Australian consumers can also meet the makers directly at design events such as Melbourne Design Week and DENFAIR. Both fairs now feature lacquered furniture prominently, with local ateliers demonstrating hand-applied finishing techniques and discussing durability in Australian conditions. The growing visibility of these makers signals how strongly the trend has resonated domestically.
Visit the showroom floor, browse the lookbooks and bring samples home before specifying a finish that will define a room for years to come. The current lacquer revival invites bold choices, and Australian homes are exceptionally well placed to make the most of them.
