NeoCon at 51: A 2019 NeoCon Preview

When you’ve already done something 50 years in a row, it’s hard to come up with a new spin. But I was very pleased to see that the theMart had sent a serious contingent of NeoCon staff to Salone del Mobile.Milano to see if there were lessons to be learned – things to apply to make NeoCon even better. For the very reason that the differences between NeoCon and Salone are significant, I thought the presence of the NeoCon team showed how serious it is about listening, learning and applying lessons gleaned from other “shows” to keep improving NeoCon.

There are a lot of the same-old-same-old things about NeoCon everybody is counting on not changing. Its location in Chicago makes it an “equal opportunity” travel destination from either coast and within an easy drive from a lot of the contract furniture companies’ home bases. It’s even a regular stop on trans-ocean flights via the polar routes from Asia and Europe.

As the building with the highest concentration of year-around showrooms of contract furniture manufacturers theMart offers attendees a truly representative cross-section of the industry in one stop. And having a “permanent showroom” there offers the companies the opportunity to spruce up their existing spaces rather than spend a fortune on a three or four-day temporary space. I realize this point is controversial, since a lot of manufacturers don’t use their showrooms in theMart throughout the year as their office in Chicago – but that’s a choice. Tearing down your mega-bucks space in Milan or Cologne after only a few days use isn’t.

After 50 years of reliably mounting a truly amazing show, attendees and companies alike can plan their year knowing that during the second week of June they will be renewing acquaintances and strutting their stuff in theMart at NeoCon.

So what’s new this year? Well, for starters Knoll won’t be in its long-time flagship position in the southeast corner of the 11th floor. As I write, Knoll and its contractors are working feverishly to complete a new three story showroom for its constellation of brands at 811 West Fulton, in the gentrifying neighborhood rebranded as the Fulton Street Marketplace. In the past whenever one of the larger companies left theMart, or even sometimes if one of them moved from say, 11 to 3, there was a lot of “the Sky is falling” hand-wringing.

But I take a different view. I was involved with Cassina when its position was that its “permanent showroom” in Via Durini was sufficient and it didn’t need to take a stand at the fairgrounds in order to benefit from the draw of Salone. And while my memory is a bit fuzzy, it seems to me that there were also years when B&B declined to attend Salone per se and stayed in its year-around showroom in the center city instead. Cassina, B&B and Salone all continued to thrive. In fact, it is my mostly unsubstantiated opinion that having the draw of companies like Cassina and B&B in the center of Milan contributed significantly to the development of what has become Milan Design Week. And what could be more fun and exciting than a Chicago Design Week? Who knows, it could happen! And failing that, more involvement with NeoCon throughout Chicago definitely couldn’t hurt.

For years there have been more or less ad hoc architectural tours of Chicago available to interested attendees. And of course, there are the riverboat architectural tours. But this year NeoCon and IIDA have teamed up to present “Inside Design” as a bona fide architectural tour of recent commercial projects.

In announcing Inside Design, Lisa Simonian, vice president of marketing, NeoCon said, “The idea behind the Inside Design tours is to showcase great new Chicago design to the A&D community coming to town for NeoCon. What makes these tours really unique is that they are led by the design firms and teams who worked on the projects. So tour guests get a firsthand look and perspective on the design and design process.”

Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, executive vice president and CEO, notes “IIDA is pleased to present the inaugural “Inside Design” tour program with NeoCon. This series allows us to showcase some never-before-seen projects in an up-close-and- personal manner, offering participants the opportunity to directly engage with the designers, project leaders, and potential new collaborators.”

Jim Prendergast of Gensler will lead the tour of its design for the new HQ of engineering firm ESD in the famed Willis Tower.

This year the 7th floor temporary exhibit hall will offer a launch pad for nine foreign companies making their North American debut. To wit, Cascando (Netherlands), Pedrali (Italy), Actiu (Spain), SilentLab (Czech Republic), INTO the Nordic Silence (Finland), Luxxbox (Australia), SF Collection (Italy), Slalom (Italy), and Tis the Italian Space (Italy) are all NeoCon rookies, testing their entry into the highly competitive North American market.

Knoll’s move-out opened primo space for three companies to either move-up or move-in. Hightower is moving in, to space 1110. Co-founder & CEO of Hightower, Natalie Hartkopf shared her excitement about this latest milestone and indicator of the company’s growth: “We’re thrilled about our new space at theMART in Chicago, which gives us the chance to create authentic user experiences celebrating our brand and our vast collection, along with our exclusive partnerships. We can’t wait to reach an even broader audience with our unique products for modern office spaces.” In creating an experiential space for the brand, Hightower has partnered with Casey Keasler, Founder & Creative Director of ​Casework​ in Portland, OR.

Emeco, is moving in to space 1111 where it will present its highly recyclable On & On Collection by Barber & Osgerby. And apparently its 1” Chair and Table Collections by Jasper Morrison will be joined by a new 2” Collection by Mr. Morrison as well. And naturally, with its new space Emeco will be able to present some of the signature products previously recognized as icons of the American Design Industry.

The Senator Group completes the transition of that southeast corner of the 11th floor moving up, to space 1112 where its two brands, Allermuir and Senator will share space and present a focus on the group’s “hospitality products with a lounge-like atmosphere replete with relaxing music and a curated drinks menu,” – they may have to kick people out!

Emeco will present its new On & On chair and stool family designed by Barber & Osgerby in its new showroom on the 11th floor.

But back-filling the former Knoll space is just the beginning of the new stuff on the 11th floor. Our friends from Cumberland Furniture have signed up for space 1117, a return to theMart after many years. When I saw that news, I contacted Cumberland President, Scott Gilmore to see what had motivated him to come back. He said, “Our business goal for the design of the space was, first and foremost, to create brand awareness for Cumberland and then to convey how all of our products work seamlessly together due to our unlimited ability to apply materials universally across our entire portfolio. Cumberland has been around for 60 years, but other than being familiar with some of our products few people know who we are and what we’re about. It was time to tell our story.”

A sneak preview of the solid wood joinery embodied in the Revo Collection designed by David Mocarski for Cumberland. Photo: Cumberland

In addition, four companies I am not familiar with are all newcomers to the 11th floor: KWALU (1199), HAT Contract (11-122), BEAUFURN (1159), and MONTISA (1198). I look forward to checking them out and maybe I’ll run into you at one of these newcomers’ spaces.

Linda Daniels of the Rockwell Group will lead the tour of her firms design for TAO Chicago.

Another indicator of the health of NeoCon as a draw for the industry is the number of companies who have expanded their presence in order to better display the breadth of their offering. For example, VIA Seating (10-148) will unveil its new, double-in-size showroom. The design of the space is a collaboration between Reno Business Interiors and Whitney Architects. It will offer an array of options – products for corporate offices, hospitals, education, government, and more from among VIA Seating’s wide range of products.

Stylex is moving into a 70% larger showroom at (337) to properly showcase their new introductions. Designed by Gensler, the new space will allow the brand to represent bigger ideas with greater functionality—this includes their modular work-lounge products. Stylex will also be taking advantage of the increased square footage to introduce and focus on Free Address, a broad family of desking solutions, light storage, and seating that will support various work activities in a beautiful, contemporary manner.

Stylex has taken a 70% larger space. The new space will allow the brand to represent bigger ideas with greater functionality.

VS America, known for its ergonomic and agile furniture solutions for educational and corporate spaces, has relocated to an expanded space at 1167. The new showroom, designed by Jean Nouvel as an experience, will reflect VS America’s products from every point of view through the use of both furniture and mirrors. The company will emphasize its new product launches with the aim for it to become the next evolution of agile furniture for schools, workplaces, and more.

Arper will introduce Paravan to the North American market from its new showroom on the 3rd floor. Photo: Marco Covi

Arper, a company whose design ethos is based on the versatility of simple, essential forms, is relocating to a new space on the third floor. The architectural aspects of the showroom were designed by Solveig Fernlund while Barcelona-based Lievore Altherr took charge of the creative direction and styling. The new space allows Arper to showcase a complete representation of its designs geared towards everyday life and workspaces work station, meeting and learning spots, and more.

In only five weeks we’ll all be there celebrating another successful year for our industry and the friendships and camaraderie we so enjoy in this business. Please stay tuned to officeinsight as over the next several weeks we will publish articles on speakers and educational events, our comprehensive product preview, a detailed presentation of all the winners in the Contract magazine Best of NeoCon contest, and our Delights of NeoCon issue wherein our contributors get a (pretty) free-hand to talk about what they liked best at this year’s show.

See you in Chicago in 5 weeks!