Reporting from Paris: Missoni, Moroso get pretty in pixels at Maison & Objet design show

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A kind of pixelated vision is appearing throughout the Maison & Objet design show, running through Tuesday in Paris. Designers including Rosita Missoni and Ron Arad are dreaming in blocky bits of color.

At Italian company Missoni, which is opening its first Southern California boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills in March, both fabric and floor coverings were a blur of multi-colored pixels that were a nice foil for fabrics with a cactus or flowered motif. Designer Rosita Missoni said that the motifs evolved from experimenting with checkered geometric patterns.

“We like to play with patchworks, fractions of colors,” she said of the micro-pixel Lobos fabric, left, with its multicolored tiny blocks layers on a subtle larger check. “We call them pixels but they are born from checks. When you start to play with patterns, it’s an endless game.”

Tel Aviv-born, London-based Ron Arad’s pixelated Do-Lo-Rez collection included both rugs and seating. The rug, produced by Barcelona-based Spanish company Nanimarquina and the sofa, produced by Moroso, can be combined to create a real-life 3-D effect or used separately.

The name Do-Lo-Rez is inspired by the phrase “do low resolution” and Arad’s design in a vibrant pattern of reds, blues or grays is a playful nod to the virtual world of the pixel. Each rug is made in three tones and two pieces that can be fit together like puzzle pieces to customize the look.

More photos after the jump ...

Above: Ron Arad’s pixelated Do-Lo-Rez rug design for Nanimarquina.

Above: The Arad rug design, echoed in the complementary seating pieces.

-- Kristin Hohenadel