The first question we are often asked during NeoCon and Design Days is: “What have you seen that you love?” It is an honest question usually asked by executives who are working in their own showrooms and have not had time to see what everyone else is doing. It’s a question that is difficult to answer since there is so much so see and experience in Chicago at two very different shows.
In the following pages, we will attempt to answer that question, with humility. We add humility because we truly understand how much planning, work, design and consideration went into what we saw at THE MART and in Fulton Market. We are humbled by your creativity. We also want you to know that we can’t possibly mention everything. So instead of getting angry if your company or new product isn’t listed, send a note to editor Rob Kirkbride at rob@officeinsight.com and make your pitch for why it should be included in the future. There’s a fair chance that we might still write about it in the coming weeks. Even though NeoCon and Design Days last only a few days, the content, thinking, new products and ideas that we discovered there will fuel our coverage for the coming year. Our NeoCon/Design Days coverage does not end with NeoCon.
There’s been lots of talk and hand wringing about which is “better”: THE MART or Fulton Market? Based on the crowds and happy people at both, we believe that two might be better than one. Perhaps we need to stop debating one vs. the other and start thinking about how both can jointly elevate our industry. What we discovered this year is that both areas of Chicago thrived during NeoCon and Design Days. Maybe, just maybe, the addition of Fulton Market to the mix might boost both shows (and hopefully lead to collaboration between the two).
For Fulton Market to truly thrive, the area needs more organization. Yes, signage is better and Fulton Market is more cohesive than in previous years, but it still has a long way to go (why the heck isn’t the Welcome Center open on Sunday? Not very welcoming in our opinion). Fulton Market exhibitors are getting better at welcoming crowds to their spaces, but getting into some of the buildings remains a pain. Should we be expected to show our I.D.s to get into some spaces? I think not. Herman Miller also had problems Sunday with its power, which went out several times as its showroom was packed with people. The power never went out at THE MART (that I can remember), but the historic building has had some of its own issues over the years with over-packed elevators and flooded toilets.
Transportation remains a major issue. The lines for the shuttle bus were long in both directions and it takes way too long to get between THE MART and Fulton Market. We waited in line 45 minutes on Tuesday to board the shuttle bus and it took a good 20 minutes to actually get to Fulton Market (it is not easy for a full-sized tour bus to navigate the streets of downtown Chicago). A two-hour round trip — just on travel between the two locations — is way too long. Smaller, more frequent buses would be much better, though we did enjoy our ride on the JSI-sponsored pedicab back to THE MART.
With Steelcase and OFS in Fulton Market next year, the transportation issues are going to be even worse. And let’s remember that this year’s weather was nearly perfect. Next year, it might be 95 degrees and humid or 60 degrees and three days of rain. Who knows with Chicago weather in mid-June?
We dubbed last year “Year of the Showroom,” but we might have been a year early. We can’t remember a year with more new showrooms and showroom refurbs at both THE MART and Fulton Market.
Lots of companies shuffled showrooms as space opened at THE MART and though much has been made of companies moving to Fulton Market, since 2023, THE MART has completed nearly 200,000 square feet of leasing transactions.
Several companies stood out as they opened new showrooms. AIS made the move to the third floor and its new showroom does a much better job of telling its brand story. It felt a bit like AIS graduated to the third — recognition of its success and prominence in the industry. And if any brand did more to improve its space, it’s Indiana Furniture, which took the former Turf showroom on the 10th floor. The space changes the entire look and feel of the brand and it is refreshing. Ghent made a similar move and again, the new space made all the difference. Kudos to the space Ghent created on the 10th. Arcadia | Encore also had new space on the third, another company emerging as a serious competitor to the majors in the ancillary furniture category.
Arcadia | Encore’s much enlarged and typically well-designed showroom with many new products was a joy to visit. Two of our favorites were the Trove Chair by 5D Studio and the Cromo Folding Table by Claudio Bellini, both for the Encore brand. Trove is a nesting chair by David Ritch & Mark Saffell of 5D Studio that reprises and updates their award-winning work on nesting chairs. Trove is a slim yet sturdy and comfortable part-time chair that can be pulled up from its rest in a nest when the need arises.
Apparently on a folding and nesting kick, Encore’s Cromo Folding Table is the work of a talented and experienced product designer at the height of his game. There is nothing extra or wasted in Bellini’s design. The base is simple, yet highly functional with “free” handles that are simply part of the structure for moving/pulling the table around. And the latch mechanism that releases the top from its horizontal fixing to allow it to flip up is as intuitive and easy to access and use as we’ve ever seen.
An interesting shift is happening at THE MART as well, one that companies leaving the building probably never expected: European companies, who never had permanent showroom space in THE MART (because the showroom spaces were full), are now happily taking over showrooms vacated by their competitors, giving them a much larger stage at the industry’s most important annual event. Estonian pod manufacturer Silen, Belgian brand Bulo and Sweden-based Mizetto all added showrooms at THE MART. More European companies are rumored to be in discussion to take space at the historic building as well.
We especially liked Estonian brand Silen’s Bridges product line which allows users to create custom zones in their workplace, allowing them to modify their function and ambience as needed. The line offers three iterations of the product: Bond, which allows an easy transition between individual work to collaborative brainstorming for smaller groups; Portal, a summit station for larger gatherings and presentations; and Connect, a new innovation designed to upgrade your Silen Space office pods with a uniquely unified look. Also kudos to the company for also creating an ADA pod whose door opens with the push of a button.
The designs of Belgian brand Bulo have always had an architectural look and feeling to their products. It’s no wonder they collaborated with Gensler a few years back to create the Monica, a soft lounge chair with a solid wooden structure and a ‘draped’ upholstered soft shell resting on it. The duality of the chair is based on contrasts between hard and soft, static and fluid. We loved their debut of the sister sofa version whose organic, soft shape provides a luxurious comfort to anyone who sits in it.
While established contract companies have had a record of exiting THE MART for Fulton Market during the past few years, one of the best announcements for THE MART is the news that Maharam, Knoll Textiles, and Edelman Leathers have banded together to open a showroom on the 6th floor. Aimed at a residential market, the cool and minimal multibrand space, designed in collaboration with architect Neil Logan, is the first in a series of four that will launch in Europe and throughout North America during the year. Designed to showcase the extensive breadth of residential products offered across the three brands, the 1,500 square-foot gallery-like showroom highlights leathers and textiles united by luxury and that prioritize the integrity, substance, and tactility of natural materials. We especially loved Logan’s custom-designed credenza with expansive sliding trays that displayed Edelman and Maharam’s comprehensive leather offerings. The minimalistic design of the space was refreshing in a segment where textile showrooms have “more is more” approach.
Showrooms are also being taken by companies who were once in temporary spaces on the seventh floor — or not part of NeoCon or Design Days at all. U.S.-based soft seating specialist Fōmcore made its NeoCon debut by opening its first dedicated showroom. On the 10th floor, Ontario-based ergoCentric opened its 3,000-square-foot showroom filled with ergonomic office seating, desks, and accessories. Nevins made the most of its new 2,000-square-foot showroom with a lush plantscape at the entrance to welcome visitors. Ghent, Kettal and Innovant expanded and Stylex, Momentum and Bernhardt Design reimagined and reconfigured their spaces.
Fulton Market had a few new showrooms as well, led by Humanscale, which completed its permanent showroom. Humanscale’s Diffrient Lounge was worth making the trek to Fulton Market to see. Conceptualized by one of the pioneers of ergonomic designer Niels Diffrient, the Diffrient Lounge combines superior ergonomics with outstanding craftsmanship, making it ideal for work and relaxation. To be launched later this year, the chair is a stunning example that would work for home or office. Teknion, Allsteel and JSI also had memorable Fulton Market showrooms and we would argue all of them look better there than they ever did at THE MART. JSI’s blend of beautiful new products mixed with interesting historical information and artifacts from its long history made the space a pleasure to visit.
Arper’s Lepal armchair, by Doshi Levien, is study in contrasts: perfectly balancing a shapely hard shell with soft, layered seating on a slender, angled base. It balances comfort with ergonomics while looking beautiful, with its sculptural profile. The collection is FSC-certified making it an eco-friendly option, and the detailed upholstery and internal components are put together without the use of glue, making the product fully disassemblable and ready for recovery and reuse prior to end-of-life recycling–not that we ever imagine someone wanting to throw it out!
Sustainability stories were prevalent in Chicago showrooms, with a number of brands telling theirs in a tangible way. MillerKnoll’s Second Nature sustainability exhibition included Pippin, a fun flexible mobile chair designed by Lucy Kurrein that features a zip on, zip off cover. An example of a product that’s built with circularity in mind, Pippin is among the brand’s most sustainable products and was also front and center in NaughtOne’s showroom in THE MART.
Standing out among thousands of task chairs in the market is no small feat, but the team at Anthros managed to impress. Leaning on their expertise in wheelchair design, the company’s FDA-registered chair adjusts posture over time through a combination of pelvic support and a tapered upper back design that optimizes disk spacing and elongates the spine. The Anthros chair, which was on display in Fulton Market, will be a game-changer for user comfort and performance.
More is coming — at both THE MART and Fulton Market. 2025 will see Steelcase in Knoll’s former Fulton Market space and OFS building out a showroom across from MillerKnoll. A large chunk of Steelcase’s space on the third floor of THE MART is rumored to be spoken for already, though show organizers are tight-lipped about who that might be.
We were wowed both inside and outside the venues of THE MART and Fulton Market. Crowds began gathering along the Chicago Riverwalk directly in front of THE MART every night just as the dusk was settling into night. At 9 p.m. the ART ON THE MART show came to life, at first with solid colors washing the façade and transitioning to motion and then a full-on video performance of shadowy characters engaged in a mysterious parade of dance-like movements that almost seemed like ancient Egyptian frescoes come to life. The Art on the Mart performance was the work of Yinka Ilori and sponsored in part by Momentum, for whom he also developed the Best of Competition textile and wallcovering collections. It was a true work of art – beautiful and inscrutable.
NeoCon 2024 will go down in Momentum Textiles and Wallcovering company history as an unbelievable, but hopefully not an unrepeatable high point. Winning a whole armload of Best of NeoCon Awards on the way to being the first company to ever win the Best of Competition with a textile or wallcovering. Then add to that the award for best large showroom in the IIDA Showroom Design Competition. Whew!
In-house designer Lauren Carpenter was given the freedom to exercise her creativity in developing the showroom design. While figuring out how to deal with the breadth as well as the burst of energy of the Yinka Ilori Collection, she also nailed the challenge of displaying the recently added acoustic collection that informs both attendees and the company’s own salesforce, for whom understanding acoustic performance is a new thing. And doing so while making the overall performance of the showroom quieter and a more pleasant place to be.
And from what we hear from designers we spoke to the Yinka Ilori collection is highly usable and right on trend. We think it may be better described as the setter of a trend.
Of course, our time in Chicago is spent most delightfully with people. Sartorial splendor was everywhere to be seen, but none was finer than Kenneth Baker’s outfit as he presented winners at the Best of NeoCon Awards ceremony. Ken is the Regional Managing Principal of Gensler’s North Central Region.
A cool thing about NeoCon is that you never know who or what you’re going to get when you enter a showroom. Officeinsight was lucky to get Monica Pedrali; the CEO of her eponymous company. Founded in 1963 by her father, Ms. Pedrali has been instrumental in the growth of Pedrali into one of the most successful Italian furniture brands. Even so, she was delighted to demonstrate the chair we were interested in. While La Morisse looks delicate, it is an indoor-outdoor chair that can meet the most rigorous requirements for outdoor furniture. The outdoor version has an aluminum frame that is perfectly appropriate for indoor use as well, but if indoor use is the only requirement, it is available with a wood frame. And, as Ms. Pedrali was more than happy to show us, in case of a storm, removing the upholstered seat and back is as simple as one, two, three.
Speaking of three, Three H is emerging as one of the most innovative companies in the industry. We loved the sleek styling of the Kynde table.
There were many delights in the Andreu World showroom, but we were struck by the Planar Conference Table. First attracted by the look and feel of the beautiful “technical stone” top, it turns out the table was designed by Rodolfo Dordoni, and as you would expect, it is a sophisticated design full of carefully thought-out details. The technical stone top is similar to unglazed ceramic and velvety to the touch. The aluminum top frame protrudes slightly from the edge of the top framing it. The structure of the table consists of a central beam fixed to the legs at the ends. The beam can house cabling and connectivity and acts as the structural support for the top. The aluminum legs can be powder coated in black, white, titanium gray, sand, steel, champagne, copper or gold finishes; or they can be wrapped in oak veneer. At NeoCon Andreu World displayed it with a “technical stone” top material but tops can be spec’d in a wide variety of other materials, including wood, lacquer, glass, compacto, laminate, ultramate laminate, linoleum, and marble.
Companies like Davis Furniture, which was one of the stars in the Best of NeoCon competition with a total of seven awards for new products like the Elora seat by Sebastian Herkner, Vida shelving by Hanne Willmann and a wonderfully flexible side table or stool named Tile by Rob Easton and the Davis design studio. As always, the Davis showroom was a delight that along with other high-end design brands like Bernhardt Design, Martin Brattrud, Nienkämper, Keilhauer, Tuohy and Kettal make the third floor a must-visit. The third floor is also home to some of the most up-and-coming brands in the industry like Framery, KFI Studios, Stylex, Watson, Three H, Scandinavian Spaces and Boss Design.
We were delighted by the various ways companies brought a new level of warmth and comfort to modular seating. KFI Studios, in collaboration with Union Design, launched several new collections, including Conversa Modular Lounge. The flexible seating solution features softened lines and allows for limitless arrangements and easy reconfiguration. The line can be accessorized with Atmos pillows for additional comfort.
Watson’s upcoming Allé line, a versatile set of simple products designed for freeform working allows for impromptu reconfiguration to support late-night brainstorms or spontaneous work hubs. With integrated castors to make reconfiguration simple, the collection was designed to adapt to spaces of all sizes.
Sophisticated aesthetics are always a delight. Source International showcased several upcoming collections in their nature-inspired showroom. New product set to launch this fall includes the elegant and modern Charm chair and ottoman collection. Just down the hall on the 3rd floor, Martin Brattrud’s Omaha bench paired timeless elegance with comfort and versatility. Omaha is the result of a collaboration between Brad Ascalon and Snøhetta for the Joslyn Art Museum expansion project.
We love Nienkämper’s Vox Community desking systems, by Nienkämper Design, which has been created for workspaces that cater to individual and collaborative needs. The height-adjustable desking system is not only great for teams that require closer collaboration and communication, but the desk’s height adjustability meets ADA standards so that a desk can be fitted with a comfort curve to improve accessibility for wheelchair users of different sizes and needs. The cabinets also offer under-surface storage and integrated technology for power and cable management. Systems like this that appeal to a wide range of needs and work well for today’s dynamic working styles.
Let’s not forget Haworth, which has one of the largest spaces in THE MART. We don’t get the sense that Haworth is upset about the departure of one of its largest competitors and neighbor in THE MART. In fact, it feels like Haworth is firmly entrenched in THE MART and is relishing its position as “top dog” in the building. Haworth’s showroom had a great vibe and continues to benefit from its fantastic lineup of brands like Poltrona Frau, Cappellini, Cassina, BuzziSpace and Janus et Cie. And thanks to Haworth for opening River Park for its party Monday after the show. Those gathered at the packed park enjoyed perfect weather and catching up with industry friends.
We love how Global Furniture Group launches collections that include everything you’d need to outfit a space. Its new Collaborative Spaces collection allows offices to be transformed. Simply move the mobile team carts, work-tables and accessories around how you need them. This is what work will look like in the future.
Bold is a furniture brand that has been around for a while but did little to promote its own products. As an OEM manufacturer to many of the majors, the company needs to be careful to not step on the toes of its customers. At the same time, the brand is pushing hard to launch new products and collections. Bold+ is where the company combines premium materials, manufacturing and problem-solving to serve its customers. Bold+ is working with designer Joey Ruiter to create a full collection of furniture. This is a brand worth watching.
Shaw’s new Curate collection offers a thoughtful variety of selections with a range of patterns, constructions, scale and color. Inspired by various art movements and techniques, each Curate style is a nod to creative personalities and expressions that create distinctive, fun, and impactful moments in a space. The collection offers flexibility to create intentional moments of impact with bold graphic geometric patterns, organic statements, sisal textures, timeless style, or rich textural tone-on-tone patterns. Our favorite, is Andy–named after Warhol, no doubt–has a refreshing bold and colorful look and feel.
Another brand worth watching is Onsemble, which evolved out of the Safco Products company. Onsemble has its sights set on the mid-market with a collection of cool and smartly designed products. It created quite a buzz in the Safco showroom on the 11th floor.
Nothing has us more intrigued at THE MART than what’s happening on the 10th floor with Turf Design. We got a sneak peek of the company’s space, which will not only serve as a showroom, but a research and design center as well. When the space is complete, Turf will have about 40 people working full time from the space, which will have a CNC machine to cut sheets of its sound absorbing materials. If Turf is successful — and there’s no reason to believe they will not — it could change the very nature of how the permanent showroom spaces are used. Could it lead to an R&D movement in THE MART as brands rethink how they use their space? Let’s hope so.
With wide arms that provide extra space for relaxation, Stance Healthcare’s new Podium Lounge Collection supports versatile configurations for a variety of settings. The line was specifically tailored for healthcare environments, blending modern elegance with thoughtful flexibility and functionality, but the sleek design would easily fit in a range of applications.
Another interesting trend taking shape in Chicago is the addition of outdoor furniture to the lines of traditional office furniture companies. Via Seating was one of the first companies to add outdoor lines and it continues to lead the way. The company also held one of the best parties at NeoCon Monday night. The fun band playing top hits while a packed house at Bub City enjoyed barbecue bites and cold drinks was the perfect ending to a busy first day at the show. President and CEO Chas Hepler and COO Nora Fenlon are two of our favorite people in the industry — the perfect examples of folks in the industry that you love working with simply because they are nice.
The “Outdoor Office” trend has been around for a few years now, but we’re seeing more and more offerings from office companies. It’s just one of the many ways to entice people to return to the office, but it’s a way to maximize the use of office space. Via Seating’s collaboration with Urban Time outdoor collection is especially appropriate, creating a hospitality feal with its bold and colorful Cabana series. Composed of tables and benches in painted steel, shade is provided by a fabric sunshade. The sunshade can be easily adjusted in a moment to shield from or allow sunlight.
It was no surprise that Andreu World cleaned up with Best of NeoCon Awards, winning five Gold awards, two Silver awards, and two Sustainablity awards. We especially loved their new outdoor offerings, designed by Patricia Urquoila, that included furniture, occasional tables, and even outdoor rugs. Two Brezal occasional tables won a gold and silver each, And the company should be commended for its sustainability efforts through its Circular Design Challenge, demonstrating to all that you can design great looking, functional furniture that is also sustainable as well.
Landscape Forms and London-based design studio Industrial Facility introduced the Plains & Pods system of flexible outdoor seating, surfaces and planters. Plains is made of large-format platform benches and a trestle, varying in height and width to create customizable settings of layered seating and surfaces. Pods are seating and planters designed to be grouped together in multi-layered clusters of respite space and attractive greenery following the very relevant “furniture as architecture” trend. Mixing different compositions of Plains and Pods together will help create successful spaces that foster social interaction and creativity, without feeling prescriptive.
Thanks for joining officeinsight magazine and INDEAL for the Happy (Together) Hour at River Park Tuesday following the show. The music and cold drinks were great against the backdrop of the Chicago River. INDEAL made a splash at NeoCon as well. INDEAL, a third party growth engine for dealers and manufacturers in the industry, took the former AIS space on the 10th floor for its Connection Hub, which included a coffee bar to help get people going and space for meetings and learning sessions. It was a busy space throughout the show.
OM Seating has built a fantastic collection of chairs over the years and they added to it in 2024 with its evolved OM5 Series. The chair sits beautifully and will give the majors a run for their money on projects where price is important. 9to5 Seating continues to evolve as well, adding another HAG product, the Celi multipurpose chair and a new modular seating product called Koble.
One of our favorites was the Okamura showroom. We hope more companies take a page from Okamura’s NeoCon playbook by making the showroom feel more like an experience than a walk through the mall. Okamura had exhibits set up showing off its materiality, chair construction and environmental story. It was a very pleasant and unique way of showing off its furniture and proof that your space doesn’t need to feel like a store to succeed.
Over at Hightower, while the company was busy promoting Toward, a modular seating collection by Hightower Studio in collaboration with Danish architect/designer Anne Boysen, we really liked their brand-new Draper table, part of a table collection of three designs they launched. What made this “coffee-to-conference-to-cocktails” height adjustable table innovative is that the table moves up and down so it can be used as a coffee table or elevated to become a standing meeting table. Its height adjustability meant that the table can also be used for ADA purposes, which makes this furniture a great option for anyone looking for more inclusive designs.
Part of Kwalu’s Senior Living group of products, the Modena Guest Chair doesn’t in any way give away that it was designed to align with the particular needs of older people. The way the back is attached to the frame allows it to pivot slightly providing a comfortable flex
The seat, arms and legs remain stationary to deliver ergonomic support as the user changes position and/or exits the chair. The handsome tapered arms have a faceted edge and are soothing to the touch. As are virtually all Kwalu products, they are made of Kwalu’s proprietary material which has the strength of steel but the feel of wood.
While often overlooked, the 7th floor is worth a look while in THE MART. The space is a mix of technology companies like Configura and Cincly and brands that are mostly smaller or new to the market. That means you can catch brands as they are on the rise. Mantra Inspired Furniture is a brand we discovered last year and we were pleased to see them back with its Unity Table Collection. Other companies are just getting started. We
We were surprised by changes to the BIFMA Annual Meeting and Breakfast, held each year on Wednesday morning. BIFMA used to hold its annual meeting at the event, but did not this year, instead making the meeting virtual at a future date. Though the annual meeting was often perfunctory, it introduced the industry to the trade organization’s newly installed board members, celebrated outgoing board members and gave attendees an overview of BIFMA’s work over the past year. It also gave THE MART’s Byron Morton a chance to update the group on early attendance numbers for NeoCon and changes to the show. None of that happened this year. Instead, breakfast went on as usual with a pair of speakers discussing how to approach government contracts. We hope the annual meeting portion of the event and MART update return next year to NeoCon.
We also hope there is a way — some way — for the industry to come together in Chicago, whether that is in THE MART or in Fulton Market (or likely, both). At the moment, it feels a bit like celebrating the holidays when a family member or two isn’t present. Of course, you can visit them, but it’s not the same as everyone being together.
Still, we believe there is a bright future for design in Chicago, for companies that remain in THE MART and those who move to Fulton Market. We are truly lucky to have so many innovative and creative companies in this industry. And we can’t wait until next year to see what you have in store for us in 2025.