Aanyoung Yeh

2016: Our very first Maison & Objet!

Published: 14 January 2026

2016 has quietly become shorthand for before everything got complicated. And so, collectively, we keep posting our 2016 memories, nostalgic, hopeful, younger. On my way to Maison & Objet Paris this year, one of the most important moments of the year for Doing Goods, I realized something: 2016 was our very first Maison & Objet. It was 2016. Me, not knowing what was coming for us. Or for me.

For those who don’t know, Maison & Objet is a major international trade fair for interior design, home décor, and lifestyle. It takes place twice a year in Paris and welcomes over 70,000 visitors per edition. It’s huge. It’s intense. And it costs a fortune to participate, while the outcome remains very much a question mark.

Back in 2016, we decided to roll the dice. We went for the smallest booth possible: 9 square meters.

So small, in fact, that when a client stepped in, we had to politely step out and stand in the aisle. With no budget for extra electricity, the lights in our booth would switch off every time we made a coffee. The coffee machine, strategically hidden under a bench. I still remember silently hoping no one would ask for a coffee.

Luckily, the dice rolled in our favor. We received 19 orders in total, one of them so big that it made us pause and think: Could this brand actually become something?

Flash forward to 2026.

It did. Over the years, we added a few square meters to our booth each edition. Mostly thanks to my husband Jan, who always goes in head first. Today, our booth is bigger than most serious Amsterdam apartments.

Is success a given now? God, no. Maison & Objet remains one of the biggest investments of the year, and I’m nervous every single time. I have great faith in our team and in the collection, but the success of a trade show depends on so many things beyond your control.

The state of the world.
Whether it snows.
Whether there’s a railway strike.
Our position in the hall.
Which brands are next to us.
It all matters.

The first day usually sets the tone for the rest of the week. And after a successful first day, we can finally breathe again. Trust me: a glass of cheap trade-show prosecco has never tasted better.

Since 2016, we’ve attended Maison & Objet twice a year, not just as a brand, but as a team. The show lasts five days, ten hours per day, plus three days of build-up and the inevitable breakdown. It’s intense. It’s exhausting. And it brings us together like nothing else.

We love seeing our existing clients and meeting new ones. The fun and the misery are very real. On busy days, we survive on chocolate bars because there’s no time for lunch. Or for peeing.

In the early years, we did everything ourselves. We drove to Paris with two big vans, carried massive panels, built walls, painted them, and set up the entire booth with help from fathers, brothers-in-law, nephews, neighbors, anyone we could shamelessly ask.

After three days of build-up, covered in dust and completely exhausted, we’d put on nail polish, wash our hair, and step into nice clothes as if none of that had happened.

These days, things are more comfortable. We work with a great booth builder. When we arrive, the walls are already up, and our job is to style the booth in the best way possible.

Because how the light hits a product matters. Where a product is positioned matters. Everything matters.

At first, we memorized a few French sentences. Then people started responding, and we had absolutely no idea what they were saying. So now we hire three interpreters and welcome clients from all over the world.

The thing about these shows is that we all feel the same, clients and exhibitors alike. Overwhelmed. Overstimulated. Tired of talking. Too warm or too cold. Lost in a maze of halls. And yet, we all still love what we do. We have inspiring conversations. We meet people from all walks of life. And we get to share our love for the brand with so many. We hope to meet new clients or partners who might change the course of the year. They hope to find a brand, a product, or a feeling that transforms their store, or amazes their head buyer.

So if you’re starting a brand and wondering whether this investment is worth it? Who can really say. Come have a look first. Get a sense of the show. Come meet us.

I’d say: go for it. At the very least, you were the one who showed up and tried. And that alone deserves an applause, right? And who knows, maybe in 2036, you’ll look back at yourself in 2026, not knowing what was coming for you.