Swing time

Maison & Objet, the biannual design show in Paris, held earlier this month, has become one of the world’s leading showcases for outdoor furniture. At the Outdoor Indoor Hall, scouts for CB2 ogled brightly colored, scalloped-edge folding steel tables made in France by Matiere grise. Dutch designer Jeroen van de Kant turned heads with inflatable Chesterfield sofas and armchairs. Perhaps the most appealing: a partially vine-covered swing from the Amelkis Secret Garden collection by Talocci Design, working for the Italian company Foppapedretti Atelier. It recalled the front porches and swing sets of days gone by, and it was as easy to imagine in a backyard as in an airy urban loft. For information on pricing and dealers where the design will be carried, e-mail atel ier@foppapedrettiatelier.com.

-- Kristin Hohenadel