22 | AUG.19 http://www.furniturelightingdecor.com
RESIMERCIAL
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COMMERCIAL FOCUS
The commercial design industry heads to Chicago for NeoCon 2019.
C
overing 10 floors of The Mart in Chicago, NeoCon is the place
to be to see the latest in commercial interiors. The annual event
showcases new products, an array of educational seminars and
a host of networking opportunities.
The 2019 show, held June 10-12, also featured a few firsts. It was the
first time The Mart’s 15th floor participated, showcasing
all things outdoor. From massive umbrellas to
high-performance outdoor seating, outdoor
furnishings manufacturers were able to open
their showrooms to this commercial design
community. This also marked the first year
of NeoCon Plaza, an outdoor installation
outside The Mart along the Chicago
River. The plaza served as a
lounge for relaxation, work,
and refreshments, and also
allowed sponsors to show off
their goods.
From hospitality to healthcare
and all commercial spaces in between,
NeoCon had something for every commercial designer.
We zeroed in on commercial office furniture to find out
how residential touches are making their way into modern
workplaces.Spotlight on Offi ces
Comfort, convenience and collaboration were the main
themes in commercial office furniture at NeoCon. Leaning
into the open office trend, many manufacturers have
designed furniture that is lightweight and easily movable,
allowing for multiple configurations to conform to the needs
of modern workplaces. The resimercial trend has also permeated commer-
cial office furniture, blurring the lines between work and home.
“This generation of workers and leaders are blending (no longer
balancing) work and life, as one spills into the other,” says Andrea Gauss,
Senior Product Portfolio Manager for Allsteel. “It is intuitive that the
overall spaces and furniture would do the same. Leaders are looking for
furniture to provide soft, humanized elements throughout their spaces to
not only attract new workers but also empower employees to do their best
work within these curated spaces.”
Gauss is seeing a shift from square edges and straight lines in office
furniture to something more inviting and comfortable.“We’ve rethought our materials,
aesthetic forms and even application
settings to address this shift,” she
says. “But residential furniture is not
designed or built for the same activities
as contract furniture. So we’ve been
really cognizant of geometries that
are appropriate for work postures. This includes things like seat depth,
firmness of foam and uprightness of the back angle. We’re also digging
into relationships between objects like table and seat heights or standing
and seated heights layered with technology.”
In addition to showcasing the cozier side of office furniture, NeoCon
also featured items with built-in technology, like Montisa’s milking
stool-inspired line of office furnishings, many of which offer built-in outlets
that blend into the work tables’ simple designs. Other manufacturers,
like Safco, highlighted their customizable solutions, emphasizing the
importance of personalizing the workplace for maximum comfort and
productivity. FLDIntegrated tech,
custom confi gurations
and rounded edges
were all on display at
NeoCon. Pictured here
clockwise from top,
offerings from Montisa,
Safco and Allsteel.BY AMY MCINTOSH