Carpet Diem and 1000 Vases Merge Textile, Ceramic and Glass in Paris

Thirty-two textile works and 100 ceramic and glass objects will share one room at Espace Commines in Paris from October 23rd to 25th, 2026. The joint exhibition pairs two international design shows, Carpet Diem and 1000 VASES, under a single curator, Francesco Pirrello. Together they stage a material dialogue across weaving, ceramics and glass within the historic hall.

The numbers are compact but deliberately balanced. Carpet Diem contributes 32 contemporary textile pieces. 1000 VASES adds 100 ceramic and glass works. The total — 132 objects — fills a single volume rather than separate typological zones.

How does the scenography work?

Hervé Sauvage and Jean-Christophe Vaillant conceived the exhibition design, and their signature move is vertical. The layout suspends hanging woven surfaces, embroidered textiles and sculptural fabrics directly above and adjacent to ceramic and glass vessels set on tiered plinths. Nothing sits in an isolated medium-specific zone; fiber hangs over clay, glass rises beside cloth.

That vertical arrangement is the show's core argument, and it rewards a close read. Rather than sorting objects by material, the scenography forces the three disciplines into a single visual conversation inside Espace Commines, a historic Parisian venue.

What's on show in each section?

Carpet Diem focuses on fiber manipulation across a wide technical range. The exhibited works span:

• structural weaving
• experimental surface finishes
• experimental embroidery
• tufting, with hand-tufted rugs doubling as wall-mounted acoustic and visual art pieces
• suspended tapestries and woven wall hangings that float within the exhibition space

1000 VASES takes a different angle on the same material question. It presents sculptural reinterpretations of the functional vase typology, bridging functional design and spatial sculpture. The forming methods vary widely:

• glassblowing
• slip-casting (liquid clay poured into molds)
• ceramic glazing, from rough grog textures to high-gloss surfaces
• wheel-thrown, slab-built and slip-cast ceramic methodologies

Tiered white display blocks provide a neutral ground that lets the colorful ceramic glazes carry the visual weight.

What does this change for craft's position in design?

The exhibition's stated ambition is boundary-blurring. It positions the works at the intersection of functional decor, craft traditions and fine art — a claim the material pairings back up. A hand-tufted rug functioning as acoustic wall art, or a blown-glass vessel read as spatial sculpture, makes that argument in object form.

The three-day run keeps it tight. October 23rd to 25th, 2026, at Espace Commines, Paris, with photography by Sarah Laske. For designers tracking how textile and ceramic practices are converging in exhibition design, this pairing — and its vertical, mixed-material scenography — offers one concrete model.