Last week I was thinking about the state of product development during COVID times and I remembered a conversation I had at NeoCon with Rob Easton, VP of Design and Development at Davis Furniture. I had congratulated him on the three Best of NeoCon Awards Davis had just won and Rob said he was most proud of the fact that it was only eight months after winning six at NeoCon 2021.
“We had developed 32 new products from NeoCon 2019 to NeoCon 2021.That’s a ton of new products developed during what we call the COVID years. And since the October NeoCon wasn’t the strongest one ever, I thought that for us, NeoCon this year should really be about reinforcing the launch of the 32 new products we had developed over the last three years.” He said, “I thought it was important to focus our showroom on the great products we’d already developed – to really get them out there in front of the clients and give them the proper amount of exposure.
“The logic that followed that decision was to dedicate our development efforts between October 2021 and June this year to adding features and extensions to lines where we saw opportunities; adding features we knew were needed.”
I called Danny Davis to discuss this unusual show of restraint by the prolific product developer. His comment was pretty exciting for a product guy like me to hear. He said, “The success we’re having at Davis is tied closely to our development of new products. Even during the COVID times we continued to maintain the pace and we are absolutely committed to product innovation into the future. In fact, we’ve increased our product development staff – Rob is now fully staffed and we’re working on some great things for 2023.”
That said, I thought it would be good to do our bit to contribute to Rob’s desire to, “…get them out there in front of the clients and give them the proper amount of exposure.” So, join me for a review of Davis’ NeoCon 2022 launches as they were displayed in the NeoCon showroom.
Helio, Best of NeoCon Gold – Occasional Tables
Initially released in 2018, the Helio occasional tables by jehs+laub quickly became a favorite among specifiers, who were attracted to their crisp, minimalistic solid-steel tops with tubular steel legs designed at different heights to nest in interesting combinations. As originally introduced the tables were available in more than 30 powder coat colors with different heights and diameters but the tops were always round.
By popular demand Davis developed a new rounded rectangular shape available in three complementary sizes and heights. As with the original, these tables are designed to be used individually or in nesting configurations and mixed and matched with the original round tops.
The Best of NeoCon jury were obviously impressed, rewarding it with the Gold Award for occasional tables.
Riza, Best of NeoCon Silver – Café Tables
The Riza Table was also designed by jehs+laub. The series was initially offered as a pedestal table at dining or work height for use in cafés, meeting rooms, and workspaces. The additions to the line presented at NeoCon include counter-height and bar-height versions to round out the café table function plus a meeting table configuration.
Riza is a graceful study in the use of tubular steel to provide strength with minimal material and visual weight. It comes in a wide range of tabletop shapes and sizes in walnut, oak or ash veneer.
In the design of the base jehs+laub paid careful attention to scale with the steel tubes seamlessly joined together to impart a visually light but very rigid structure that meets the floor in soft, sweeping curves.
They designed the new meeting table version to be a complement to working-height lounge seating. Thinking of the many collaborative-space arrangements possible with the Cantina Lounge Collection they had designed for Davis, they saw a need for a table line that could be used in conjunction with it, without overwhelming the configuration.
Linq
The Linq Chair was designed by Jonathan Prestwich and introduced by Davis some years ago as an everyday task chair with a plastic shell. While the chair has been very successful positioned that way, the team at Davis and Mr. Prestwich saw an opportunity to extend its range of applications by softening it up and adding fully upholstered versions.
The project focused on reworking and evolving a successful task chair into a more refined, upscale conference and executive chair. This new fully upholstered version of the Linq chair includes an ergonomic mechanism that intuitively mimics the body’s natural movement, combined with an upholstered molded-foam seat and back. Jonathan Prestwich commented, “This latest release of Linq remains faithful to the original concept while broadening the range of the collection.”
Tavo, Best of NeoCon Gold – Conference Tables
When initially released in 2021, the Tavo table featured an eye-popping monolithic, concrete base. It was designed for use as a conference table and even though the concrete base gave it the necessary gravitas, it was limited to how long a top could be cantilevered from its centered position.
Rotating the base 90o allowed for the use of 2 bases, and a beautifully redesigned steel cantilever structure that can accommodate tops up to 16 feet long.
As befitting its positioning for conference rooms across the spectrum from upscale to more modest rooms, the tabletops are available in a variety of materials, from remarkable solid wood slabs to fingerprint resistant Fenix™.
Bonh
Davis Furniture’s Elements line of interior accessories spans the gamut from coat hooks to coat racks, umbrella stands and even side tables; Bonh is the first Element to add an organic, biophilic twist to the line.
In a press release jehs+laub stated, “Davis Furniture set up a goal for us to create an Element that would support not only the physiological but also the psychological needs of the end-user. Understanding the benefits of biophilic design, we pushed ourselves to design Bonh, an Element that interior designers and architects could use to connect occupants with the natural environment and ultimately improve their well-being.”
The thing I like about Bonh is how flexible it is without even trying. Because it was designed to reside in the Elements line, at its simplest Bonh is just a little stand with three planter pots in three diameters at three heights in one simple geometric arrangement. But filled with plants and arranged in a group, or a row running the length of the Davis showroom, as it was at NeoCon, it’s an amazing biophilic installation with great flexibility for watering, “crop” rotation, maintenance and care.
Sola, Best of NeoCon Silver – Conference Seating
Another Davis seating make-over introduced at NeoCon 2022 is the Sola Chair. It has long been seen as a great example of the classic European minimalist style; enhancing conference rooms and executive offices throughout North America.
As a result of technological and manufacturing advancements, Davis was able to re-engineer Sola entirely in 2021 with the primary objective of making it more comfortable. At NeoCon 2022, Davis Furniture released a new optional wood back in either walnut or oak veneer. The team cleverly protected the wood back from hard surfaces by insetting the veneer detail within the upholstery.
Like the original version, the new designs keep the distinctive sculptural form, however, they include an increased focus on all-day comfort and support. In close collaboration with Sola’s designer, Justus Kolberg, the Davis Furniture team reworked it to create a more user-focused chair while maintaining the classic aesthetic.
Sola’s aluminum five-star base, chair arms and underside of the upholstered seat are available in polished aluminum as well as in 32 standard powder coat colors.
Felty
By now everybody knows if you want power and data at the tabletop you’ve got to provide a way to get it up from the floor. Until now Davis had relied on the wire managers of others. So they asked the indefatigable team of jehs+laub to come up with a better mousetrap.
Quoting from Davis’ newly redesigned website, “Crafted from industrial-grade felt and steel, Felty is a modern wire manager that conceals miscellaneous cords while discretely guiding them from the underside of a table to the floor. Designed to be utilized under most tables, this simple yet elegant solution provides a wide range of flexibility as it can be field installed at almost any location beneath a table.” It’s simple, effective, and even rather handsome.