Bienvenue à Miami: Maison & Objet Americas delivered a truly international exhibition May 12 to 15 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. With more than 350 exhibitors, notable interior design firms in attendance were as diverse as France's 11&11, the Czech Republic's Anna Torfs and Austria's Antique Design, which shared space with lighting, furniture, kitchen and bath, children's, textiles, art and decor manufacturers and firms. (Check out the full list of exhibitors here.)

Panelist and conference contributors included Paola Navone, Karim Rashid, David Rockwell, George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, Kelly Hoppen, Dror Benshetrit, Will Meyer, Piero Lissoni, Todd Davis, Alehandro Gonzales from Arquitectonica, Clodagh, Peter Sallick, Lee Mindel and Craig Robins, while moderators included Cindy Allen from Interior Design, Richard Cook from Wallpaper, Spencer Bailey from Surface, Kendell Cronstrom from NYC&G and Hamptons C&G, Taissa Buescu from Casa Vogue, Pamela Jaccarino from Luxe Interiors + Design, Carly Sullivan and Frank Ballabio from Dering Hall, and Michael Stein from Houzz.

Colombian artist Ramon Laserna was part of the Rising American Talents Exhibitions at M&O

Some of the fair’s highlights included a VIP preview on May 12, the Designer of the Year and Rising Talents awards presented at the Frank Gehry New World Center on May 13, and an evening celebration of the fair’s 20th anniversary, with an array of showroom programs and a lively party set to live music on May 14. But the real showstoppers of the fair were this year’s products and designers. A top team of designers and editors shared their favorites with EAL:

Sandra Diaz of Eolo Designs praised the Saraya Chair from ElleDue, which she’ll use in a State Home project; Colombian artist Ramon Laserna, who was part of the Rising American Talents Exhibition, and Ethnikraft's "beautiful vintage modern pieces with a sophisticated European touch." Another highlight for Diaz was a particularly Floridian piece: “Alexandre M-S Paris’ beautiful digitally printed artistic pillows depicting Miami scenes. Beautiful act of integrating both cities. I'm using them to bring the beach to a hotel project here in Miami,” shares Diaz.

Heather Garrett of the eponymous interior design firm said of the fair, "I was inspired by our findings at the show, especially the abundance of luxurious materials and intricate craftsmanship. We really focused on sourcing new and amazing light fixtures. Great lighting is a huge part of great design, and Maison did not disappoint!" Her finds included three lighting options: Diamantina by Fine Art Lamps, the Muriel Sconce by Oly Studio and the Vivre Sconce by Koket, as well as the Straggle Table with Agate Top by Cravt Original.

The Quelle dining table by Roberta Schilling

Oggetti's Arata chair; Verellen's Elly round ottoman

Miami-based Deborah Wecselman of DWDINC admired exhibitors Ginger Brown (with especial praise for "technique with exotic materials such as bronze, shagreen, semi-precious stones, glass"), Gilles Caffier's "amazing work with ceramic and porcelain and a mix of acrylic and lacquer," and Darono's "new and innovative way of using a simple material for outdoor furniture, so needed in Miami."

Digitally printed pillows with local scenes from Alexandre M-S Paris

Lauren Crane Alarcon, assistant to the editor in chief of Milieu, shared the magazine's top picks, with Roberta Schilling's Quelle dining table, Oggetti's Arata chair, and Verellen's Elly round ottoman (picked “because of its versatility: how it can be used in different areas and ways and because we know Verellen is always synonymous with top-notch craftsmanship,” shared Alarcon) earning accolades.