The Top Trends from NeoCon 2017

NeoCon 2017 was held at The Mart in Chicago. It brought together some of the top commercial design professionals to explore the future of interior design for commercial environments. We attended to check out what was on the horizon in terms of workplace interior design.

Take a photo tour of the trends that we saw at NeoCon 2017:

“Resi-mercial”

People are looking to feel more at home in their work environment. As the office landscape changes and people are spending less time in workstations and offices and more time in collaborative breakout spaces, they look for residential-feeling spaces that are less sterile than the traditional commercial office. Rocking chairs were a trend among many furniture manufacturers.

Color and Texture

Colors played a big role in the displays with rosy pinks, oranges, greens, purples and blues dominating. Quilted, textural upholstery was everywhere and bright pops of color were incorporated in unusual ways such as in metal legs of furniture or in de-mountable walls.

Dark and Moody

In contrast to the light and bright pinks and oranges seen throughout the Mart, a few manufacturers such as Knoll and HBF chose a moodier feel with deeper purples, black, dark woods and polished metal accents.

Bringing the Outdoors In

Manufacturers such as Coalesse, with their fire pit coffee table, and Mohawk Group, with their new Lichen collection, found ways to bring the therapeutic nature of the outdoors into a commercial workspace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Details

Furniture manufacturers are paying special attention to the details. During NeoCon, many showed rounded edges on furniture, rounded dowel legs on chairs and tables, special leg details at conference tables and workstations and stitching and fabrication details on upholstery—all to be friendlier, more welcoming and more ergonomic.