SPACE SOLUTIONS:

NEOCON 2022 OVERVIEW

NeoCon returned to the Merchandise Mart with an estimated 30,000+ attendees, a rebalancing of permanent and temporary showrooms, and positive accolades from attendees, exhibitors, and publications.    

  • 31,000 estimated attendees 
  • 450 exhibitors (at The Mart)
  • 255 Best of NeoCon entries 

Vitrola
Vitrola features a classic soft seating upholstery design with swooping arms, available in standard lounge, high back lounge, and sofa models. Matching ottoman and accent pillow complete the offering.

DESIGN TRENDS

Here are highlights, trends, and buzz from The Mart and Fulton Market.

ALTERNATIVE WORKSPACES + ANCILLARY FURNISHINGS 

ADJACENT SPACES +
OUTDOOR FURNISHINGS

“ME” SPACES

“WE” SPACES

MULTIFUNCTIONAL

COLORS, MATERIALS
AND FINISHES 

ALTERNATIVE WORKSPACES + ANCILLARY FURNISHINGS 

Resimercial can hardly be called a trend in today’s workspaces, which was evident in the products and spaces featured in this year’s NeoCon and Fulton Market showrooms, as employers seek to give employees a sense of home.

With companies bringing workers back to the office, employers are dedicating more real estate to alternative workspaces, enabling workers to work where and how they want throughout the day in places that feel like our pandemic-based home office of the past few years.  

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Calidon™
Calidon™ seating and occasional tables share a distinctly modern appearance. With well-balanced and full-frame, solid hardwood construction.

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Plot Twist

 

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Dau
A collection of upholstered sofas, benches, poufs, and lounge chairs, Dau offers every element designers need to create dynamic lounge environments.

ADJACENT SPACES + OUTDOOR FURNISHINGS

Expanding the workspace to include options for “Me,” “We,” and “Us” lends itself to opportunities to support employee wellbeing – and provides a strong incentive to return to the office.


This year the NeoCon and Fulton Market experience included a broad range of outdoor furniture and accessories offering a full continuum of outdoor space solutions that encourage employees to get outside.

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Infiniti
Infiniti is designed for ease of use in any space: at work or at play. Its flowing silhouette maximizes the surface area of the Sensation sling fabric while still maintaining sleek visuals.

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Juna
The Juna Collection is a modern and fun take on outdoor furniture to get you outside in the fresh air, whether for work or leisure.

“ME” SPACES

Approximately 55% of work is focused work. As employers work to bring people back to the office, providing space division within open plans along with assigned and unassigned spaces for focus work is essential.

NeoCon and Fulton Market highlighted innovative products and space ideas to support focused time, private conversation, and hybrid team connections. 

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Priva™
Priva™ acoustic pods provide a place for personal privacy, focus and online collaboration, away from the commotion of the open office. 

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Privee
With Privée, the furniture becomes the architecture; the canopies, although enclosed, are inviting structures that wrap around the seating to ensure privacy and acoustic comfort.

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Lagunitas Focus Nook
Lagunitas Focus Nook offers users a touch-down destination for doing focused tasks in a traditional work posture

"WE" SPACES

Equally important to the return to the office is where and how hybrid work and team members are supported.


Showrooms highlighted innovative products and space design that help connect and support equity for on-site and remote team members when sharing, presenting, and collaborating.

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Kalied
Designed by Webb Associates, Kaleid was created as a mobile element of Soft Architecture to help define space and support these exact needs.

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Adapt Wall
Engineered for possibility. Its lightweight form is deceiving agile, enabling greater ease of movement yet being extremely stable ensures Adapt Wall can confidently transform any space on demand.

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Geo Collection
All products within the Geo Collection feature clean lines and trapezoidal shapes, fully functional in a meeting environment, and visually attractive when not in use.

MULTIFUNCTIONAL

As floorplate square footage shrinks, spaces need to adapt to changing individual and team needs throughout the day. Commercial furniture manufacturers understand this need by introducing and reimagining products that deliver.  

  • Storage and communication boards that also function for space division. 
  • Tables with casters to allow for quick workspace transformation  
  • Communication boards that transition from floor-based to storage cart to rail system, so you can bring your amazing ideas with you – in style. 
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Boundaries Collection
Boundaries provides space separation as personal storage and privacy, creating a highly desirable workplace experience. 

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Ascent Tables
The Ascent Table Collection features fluid lines and a graceful inverted "Y" leg structure. The tables fold and store in the most compact footprint possible.

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Aceno Collection
Aceno is an all-in-one office solution. Easily move from the floor space divider to the wall track system, to storage in a contemporary mobile cart.

COLORS, MATERIALS AND FINISHES

Color, texture, and natural elements were evident and everywhere in The Mart and Fulton Market. 

  • Wood elements emphasized on sustainable design with a more residential feel to make spaces feel warm and welcoming
  • Warm colors were used to highlight products and spaces within showrooms
  • Sustainable materials with high recycled and recyclable content were at the forefront of design
  • Textures gave products and screens a sense of dimension and interest to keep workers engaged and focused
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Colors
Whether your road is paved with gold, hibiscus or amaranth, color leads the way to any design utopia. Color reflects your brand, punctuates your desire, evokes expression, and  showcases your personality. It creates mood, supports focus, generates vibrancy and helps align settings with the people who use them.

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Zero
A guest seating collection uniquely designed to consist of three parts - a seat, back, and frame - elegantly combined to come together with a single screw.

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Melete
A minimalist silhouette that moves you before even taking a seat, the Melete chair’s flowing lines aren’t just for show. As comfortable as it is adaptable, Melete elevates the form of any workspace.

SOME OF THE LOUDEST BUZZ WASN’T ABOUT A PRODUCT! 
  • Reseat is the first online marketplace for second-life office furniture with a mission to steer the industry toward a more sustainable, circular approach. Born from the creative thinking of industry veterans impacted and inspired by the pandemic, Reseat is dedicated to finding better places for used office furniture, other than the landfill.  

    The Best of NeoCon judges liked their story and mission, awarding them 3 Best of NeoCon awards: 

    • Best of NeoCon Silver – Integrated Technology 

    • Best of NeoCon Innovation Award – Integrated Solutions 

    • Best of NeoCon Sustainability Award – Integrated Solutions 

    Overall, NeoCon 2022 felt like a confident step toward live events and the ongoing evolution of the workplace – and the products, materials, and accessories needed to support it.  

LISTEN

Presenting highlights from NeoCon 2022, including key trends, showroom spotlights, and new and featured products. Attend our upcoming session for an overview of what stood out in Chicago!

NEOCON 2022 HIGHLIGHTS

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