At the recent Maison & Objet design fair in Paris, muted olives hues and fleshy pink tones ran rife. Nests of circular coffee tables came endlessly grouped in threes. Brass detailing abounded. In fact, everything was so pleasantly on trend that little was truly compelling, let alone engaging or amusing. Until, that is, I stumbled across the Seletti stand.

A riot of post-pop iconoclasm, the Italian homewares brand had installed an explosive line-up of chairs, bedding, mirrors and tableware in such flamboyantly poor taste as to appear quite rich. Or nouveau riche, at least. It was if Baz Luhrmann had been let loose in a bomboniere store.