If you’re a part of the Interior Design world, you know Neocon is our Mecca. This is the commercial design tradeshow we all look forward to every year. Not only because it’s hosted in beautiful Chicago, inside one of the most influential (and ginormous!) architectural structures that is the Merchandise Mart but, because this is the time of year where we gather with colleagues and design professionals to soak up all the information and inspiration that oozes from Neocon. Whether it be furniture, flooring, hardware, wall systems, or simply the ‘latest and greatest’, Neocon truly has something special to offer anyone. What’s more, this year marked Neocon’s 50th Anniversary!
If you didn’t get the opportunity to delve into the Neocon fiesta this year, not to worry! I’ve got you covered with my recap below where I’ll be discussing the most popular trends this year. Just imagine yourself in a huge, multi-floor, art deco style building (When I say huge I mean HUGE – the Merchandise Mart was once the largest building in the world and is the equivalent of two-and-a-half city blocks!), with endless product showrooms, surrounded by endless design professionals from all over North America. Now, read on and take in what inspires you – that’s what Neocon is all about!
Neocon Recap 2018
1. Scandinavian Influence
I have such an appreciation for Scandinavian design! The simplicity, the clean lines, the use of materials – it’s so bold and influential. The power of this influence was prevalent at Neocon this year with the clean lines seen in the seating, tables, and soft-colored upholstery.
2. Softened Color Palette
Stemming from the Scandinavian design influence, the softened color palette matches the subtle yet bold characteristics of this design style. This was reflective in the fabric finishes, laminate surface options, and seating at Neocon this year. I love how a softened color palette can provide a sense of sophistication in the right application.
3. All Black, everything
Another design trend that I’ve quickly become obsessed with! I LOVE how black can truly set any design element apart, from tables or chair legs, to wall system framing. Matte black, especially, provides such a clean and sophisticated finish to any space. This was all over Neocon this year!
4. Biophilia
As humans, we have an innate need to seek pure and true connections with nature and other forms of life. When we spend 90% of our time indoors, this is hard to come by! Enter Biophilic Design – a specific focus on aspects of nature, and the natural world, that contribute to our overall wellness and productivity. In Interior Design, we best achieve this by introducing natural finishes and materials to a space (i.e. Woods, plants, green walls). Our space planning, too, contributes to this notion by accommodating greater views to the outdoors and allowing for better natural light into the space. At Neocon specifically, this notion of design continued to be prevalent with integration seen in even smaller items like waste receptacles.
5. Details
It’s all about the details right! Our Interior Designer lives are all about details and we LOVE when manufacturers share our same passion. Incorporating technology wherever we can in our designs, whether it be within millwork or surrounding a work space, is SO important and key for our clients. In an airport environment, passengers consider access to charging stations for their devices more important than receiving flight information! Instead of unsightly outlets, we love the integration of minimal looking charging capabilities in commonly used furniture items. Corner details in wall systems, and color coordinated stitching in upholstery are other well thought out details we live for!
6. Accessory Lighting
Whether it’s an accent or a main source, lighting, in general, is SO important in any space! It can be so influential and really brings our designs to life, enhances design features and/or details – literally turns our design on (no pun intended!). In this case, we see a pleasant upgrade to typical accessory lighting for workstations or collaboration spaces by means of color (either color temperature or color of fixture) and unique shapes that act as a cherry-on-top art piece to a given space.
7. Desktop Accessories
I’ve got gadgets and gizmos aplenty, I’ve got whozits and whatzits galore – we all love our accessories, don’t we?! But do we love a cluttered mess on top of our work surfaces – no! This year, several manufacturers featured a whole host of desktop accessory options that were either integrated with your work surface design or tucked away for no one to see. Now you can hoard all the pens and post-its you want and still look good.
8. Resi-mmercial
If you’re not coming up with a new, ridiculous portmanteau are you even a designer? Resi-mmercial is the blend of residential and commercial design characteristics forming one happy, cozy family. We’ve seen this trend progressively increase in popularity throughout the corporate workplace sector specifically and I don’t see it coming down anytime soon! We spend a significant amount of time at work therefore, why not bring home to the workplace. Neocon displayed examples of this through seating arrangements, soft seating, and designated wellness spaces with an enhanced ‘home-like’ feel and more!
9. Mobility
Design is ever fluid and ever evolving! A big sell for our clients is designing their space to be flexible so they can accommodate their needs as their business grows and evolves as well. Besides moveable partitions or flexible seating arrangements, it’s the details within these components that truly allow for efficient mobility. This was prevalent in the seating and hard surfaces at Neocon by providing handles and other fun ways to evolve your space as you go – again, it’s all in the details!
10. Eclecticism
Like the ever-popular resi-mmercial trend, when bringing home to the workplace, we can see a blend of unique items coming together. Think fabrics, woods, metals, color, all working together in one eclectic unit. But it’s eclecticism in a good way and, somehow, it works! With the right application, tones, and materials, this can truly make an impact in any environment. Several showrooms at Neocon this year demonstrated this through a range of vignettes to really showcase the layering of surfaces and materials.
Neocon just gets better and better every year. The exciting thing about this show, truly, is what an impact it has on the Interior Design community. It’s a great outlet to gain inspiration on an upcoming project or a great way to show our clients around our world to further inspire them! I hope you found something that inspires you!
This post is dedicated to Jacqueline E. Albertine, of Corporate Design Choice in Miami Beach, Florida, who suddenly left this earth due to a swing accident at the show. Boujee Monkey extends our deepest condolences to Jacqueline’s family, friends, and colleagues for this tragic loss.
