Highlights from NeoCon 2015
This past week marked the close of NeoCon 2015 at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. The three day event attracted over 50,000 design professionals and showcased more than 700 companies, covering a wide spectrum of markets. We were intrigued and interested in many of the products we saw and cannot wait till we see what is in store for next year’s show.
Work Lounges
Steelcase, a leading name in furniture industry, showcased their new line of work lounges that can be used in the business, educational and retail common areas. The patented LiveLumbar™ technology brings thoughtful ergonomic design to the lounge posture. What’s nice about the work surface is that it holds technology at eye level, reducing neck and shoulder strain, along with providing privacy and an enhanced level of psychological security. These work lounges delivering a high-performance work space in a highly effective footprint.
Scheduling Systems
RoomWizard II is a web-based meeting room scheduling system that solves the dilemma of booking rooms and connecting workers to meeting spaces. This is perfect for corporate, health or education spaces. The 7” touch screen monitor can adjust to certain needs, providing a red or green light for availability and canceling a meeting for those who don’t show up. The best part about it is that it can work on its own or be integrated with email systems -such as Google Calendar or Outlook. The single interface allows for easy administration control.
Casual benches and chairs make office spaces more inviting and open during work hours!
Wheel Away
Gross Stabil displayed their three lines of wheel casters and furniture glides – one of them winning a Red Dot design award. One quality that all three designs possess is the no-noise patent, which provides a clean glide across floors and attention to a clean and quiet environment.
Materials and Textures
There was an abundance of different materials and textures at the show, allowing for customization and flexibility in how a product is made.Earthy materials follow the green movement and the pattern to let consumers know that companies are doing their part in participating and making the world a more healthy environment. We noticed that there was a lot of attention to creating surfaces that invited visitors to touch. Felt, perforated leather and heavy woven products were widespread. An interest could be providing users with a more natural and less processed finishes for use.
Colors Galore
Bright, eye-popping colors dominated the show floor. We loved the abundance of color everywhere and believe that it encourages playfulness and sets the mood for a more enjoyable experience in a work environment.
Orange, lime green and blue were some of the colors that popped at this year’s show!
Herman Miller presented Exclave, a suite of products for team spaces. The Exclave Collection brings purpose to work settings to create collaborative environments that support people and keep ideas and innovation moving. The design maximizes potential by adding boards and having different heights for elevation to provide for team engagement and productivity.
Simplifying Products for Consumer Use
Vertical Intelligent Architecture (VIA) not only defines space, but redefines today’s workplace. Portals can be created between physical and virtual worlds, while providing acoustical privacy for collaborative teams, as well as for workers in adjacent work spaces.
File cabinets in general are good products for organizing important documents in an office. Having multiple compartments that are easy to access can make a difference. The color scheme on this file cabinet caught our eye, going back to the color scheme and how it can allow for an enjoyable work environment.
Steelcase introduced their FrameOne benching workstations, designed to enrich and provide further opportunities to collaborate in a team environment. These workstations offer more customization than other bench applications in an office or work space.
In the design industry, we believe that having a space to share ideas and materials is essential to the learning and growth process. Haworth showcased their horizontal wall rail system. This system allows for placement of informational boards as a writable surface or as a projection screen for technology purposes. This design provides a crisp, clean feel while allowing for flexibility and expansion to create an environment that will be successful for your workspace.
Mike and Maaike introduced Windowseat, a felt surfaced chair encompassed by a rectangular frame. The neutral colored frame blocks peripheral vision, helping the user focus on a task at hand. The soft fabric dampens sound and creates a calm, nest-like feeling for the user. It has a certain boldness about it – drawing some questioning looks from attendees. However – until you try it, you will never know how awesome it is.
Standing Out Among the Crowd
Framery Acoustics showcased their innovative and contemporary solution for uninterrupted work in office spaces – O Booth. Placing a booth in the middle of a common area solves the common noise problems that a majority of open plan office spaces have. It comes ready to use with all necessary equipment such as table top, air ventilation, electric socket for cords, and LED lighting. It delivers design in a fresh and fun way, but also allows for countless ways for customization to cater to your likes aesthetically. This was one of our favorite products at the show this year.
The Intelligent Divisio™ Screen was among the top favorite at NeoCon. It divides individual workspaces, and signals if the space is available or occupied. It displays the time, date, and temperature information, and offers a ‘do not disturb” button for those who need uninterrupted time. There are additional notifications to support well-being, such as to stand up and move around, take a break and meeting alerts.
Mayline, a leading furniture manufacturer in the U.S, featured their TechWorks filing and storage solutions. The durable, versatile and affordable designs can support users who have a need for a space that will cater to their needs. The furniture includes benches, organizer frames and accessories that can be altered to fit multiple needs and can keep up with the evolving of technologies.
Evolving technologies can come in all shapes, sizes and colors to fit your needs!
The NeoCon 2015 show gave our team the chance to see the newest and latest lifestyle products for all areas in the commercial interiors industry. For a look at some of our projects, check out our website here or drop us a note at info@beyonddesignchicago.com
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