For its 27th edition, PAD Paris once again transforms the Jardin des Tuileries into a global stage for collectible design. From April 2 to 6, 2025, this prestigious fair gathers the world’s most influential collectors, curators, and design aficionados—from Italy to Japan, the UK to the US, with stops in Africa and Scandinavia. This year’s exhibition is a dynamic conversation between past and present, where tradition meets the avant-garde. With 15 new galleries joining its roster of established names, PAD Paris (https://www.padesignart.com/en/paris/) expands its creative reach—from 20th-century design icons to experimental sculptures and hybrid objects that blur the boundaries between art and function.
Ori Orisun Merhav and Marlene Huissoud for Sarah Myerscough Gallery, PAD Paris / Courtesy of the artists and the gallery
The lineup reflects the richness of contemporary design. Carpenters Workshop Gallery (https://carpentersworkshopgallery.com) presents sculptures teetering on the edge of artistry and utility, while Sarah Myerscough Gallery (https://www.sarahmyerscough.com) delves into the organic, tactile beauty of wood. Galerie Chastel-Maréchal (https://chastel-marechal.com/en/) honors design history with tributes to Jean Royère and Serge Roche, while Giustini Stagetti (https://www.giustinistagetti.com) reinterprets the golden age of Italian furniture through a contemporary lens. Objects With Narratives (https://objectswithnarratives.com) takes a conceptual approach, curating pieces that challenge the notion that function alone defines an object—each creation tells a story, inviting viewers to engage, question, and be provoked.
The title for Best Contemporary Booth was an undisputed win for French gallerist Pierre Passebon (https://galeriedupassage.com), who transformed his space into a tribute to Richard Peduzzi, the legendary opera scenographer. Peduzzi’s furniture carries the theatrical spirit of stage design—a coffee table with cleverly articulated moving parts, and an occasional chair dressed in harlequin-style velvet diamonds of turquoise, pink, and yellow.
Elsewhere, Tom Dixon’s sculptural chaise longue, designed in 2008, stood out as an industrial marvel. Crafted from a single sheet of perforated steel—a technique borrowed from submarine construction—the piece was part of a limited edition of 12. Originally created for England’s Sudeley Castle alongside a matching swing and armchair, the chaise longue came with a price tag of €38,000.
One of the fair’s most romantic highlights was a 1970s fantasy: Maria Pergay’s iconic four-poster bed, first designed for the last empress of Iran. With its gleaming chrome structure, this 1973 version by Maison Jansen paired metal with soft, handwoven linen curtains. It sold within minutes of the fair’s opening.
Opera Gallery (www.operagallery.com) dedicated its entire stand to Israeli-British designer Ron Arad, where his monumental bookcase, America, Made in Africa, took center stage. Constructed in Senegal from repurposed oil cans, the bookshelf was a riot of blue, red, and yellow—nearly four meters long and 2.2 meters high. At €200,000, it made a bold statement in both scale and sustainability.
The past met the present in Paavo Tynell’s Snowflake ceiling light from the 1950s, a true rarity given how few authentic pieces have survived the decades. A flawless example, measuring 53 inches in hanging height, was on view at Modernity’s booth specializing in 19th- and 20th-century design. Despite its €450,000 price, it sold within the first hour.
Philippe Gravier (Paris) presented a striking pair of lacquered console tables by Kengo Kuma, fresh from 2025. Limited to just five pairs, each set was priced at €70,000, offering a minimalist yet poetic take on contemporary design.
Andrea Branzi, the visionary of the 1970s and ’80s Milanese design movement, was posthumously celebrated at the fair. Known for blending nature and technology, Branzi infused homes with organic elements—metal, glass, branches, and stone. His legacy is now being carefully curated by Luna Laffanour, the 28-year-old daughter of veteran Parisian dealer François Laffanour. Among the standout pieces she assembled was a 2006 cabinet: a backlit mirrored box with clear glass shelves and bamboo racks, priced at €45,000.
Following the success of PAD Paris 2025, art and design enthusiasts can look forward to PAD London, scheduled from October 14 to 19, 2025, at Berkeley Square in Mayfair. Attendees can expect a refined setting that fosters eclecticism and connoisseurship, making it a must-visit for collectors, art consultants, museum curators, and design practitioners.
