Five years ago, Knoll was the first to move from THE MART to the up-and-coming Fulton Market Design District. At the time, then-Knoll chairman and-CEO Andrew Cogan, remarked: “The Fulton Market District, with its vibrant architecture and streetscapes, is the ideal setting for Knoll to present a transformative view of how we work and live today.”
The pandemic disrupted momentum. But now the district has regained its vibrancy, with trendy hotels, restaurants and shops. Signs teasing real estate developer Sterling Bay’s upcoming live/work and office spaces hint at future growth.
And how we live and work, post pandemic, continues to evolve, making the need essential for relevant products in the contract industry.
The third Fulton Market Design Days was the most robust. Attendance figures are unavailable, although 40,000 visitors were attributed to 2023, according to a MillerKnoll press release. Shuttle and rickshaw service eased travel between NeoCon and FMDD. The compact footprint, complemented by Schiaparelli pink (to match district banners), facilitated navigation with 18 locations, around 30 brands plus popups clearly marked.
A lemonade stand on the main thoroughfare felt folksy. Indeed, the event had a welcoming, community vibe, with perks like cold brew with syrups at Mohawk’s popup, cotton candy, giveaways, custom FMDD t-shirt making and stress-relieving dog petting, courtesy of IIDA. Restaurants, including a Parisian bistro-inspired venue adorned with colorful flowers, offered pleasant outdoor dining options.
Loft layouts with tall ceilings, massive windows, attractive city views, some with roof decks that showed off outdoor furniture, provided interiors ideal for brand displays.
Decades ago, the late Jim Bidwell, marketing head at THE MART, referred to the fusion of contract and residential furnishings as “contradential.” Today it’s known as “resimercial,” especially in tune in a return-to-work climate.
To that end, a buzzword has emerged: the intentional office. It’s at the heart of neuraesthetics, studying the brain’s experience of visual arts and how that translates into health.
While the design concepts around intentional offices aren’t new, they resonate so much more. Like the biological and psychological impact of color and adding vibrance or calm to interiors. Using natural and artificial light as a tool. The draw of round shapes. How things feel. Bringing nature indoors, with a ramping up of biophilia, calling attention to the very containers that house plants.
“We are dedicated to crafting intentional offices that adapt to the evolving work dynamics,” said Andrea Gauss, director of client solutions and workplace strategy for HNI Corp., Allsteel’s parent company. “The result is adaptable workspaces that inspire productivity and cultivate a culture of innovation.”
Examples at Allsteel included private places for wellness, projects, podcasts and lactation, each decorated for functionality in a different style.
Lifestyle amenities were central to the design at the Kimball International showroom. And at JSI, one theme, expressed in cursive neon, was: “Love what you do.” At Teknion, messaging centered on connections as well as craft, and how design can make a difference.
Craft and sustainability were highlighted by brands like Uhuru and Fyrn, emphasizing recycled materials and responsible forestry practices. The two were part of a popup that also included Bolon, a Swedish maker of rugs woven from phthalate-free vinyl warp and weft yarns.
The desirability of well-designed products made by hand has escalated, evidenced by shows like Maison et Objet in Paris and Shoppe Object in New York.
Among the 80 brands represented by Morlen Sinoway Atelier, many are eco-friendly and focus on craftsmanship. The new oak Aima bar stool from CondeHouse is a simple design with a Japanese aesthetic and a back support that hugs that body.
Another well designed sustainable solution comes from Arper’s Catifa Carta. Its seat is crafted from re-engineered PaperShell, a revolutionary wood by-product that mixes paper, steam and bio-resin, a natural alternative to adhesives. At the end of its life, the chair can be returned to the Italian company to be turned into biochar, which makes it carbon-negative.
Innovative fabrics boasted sustainable stories as well.
Designer Teruhiro Yanagihara’s Ame for Kvadrat is the brand’s first fabric woven with recycled polyester derived entirely from textile waste. The design was inspired by sashiko, a traditional Japanese mending technique.
The evocative Memorable collection by Mary Jo Miller for HBF Textiles touches on themes of reunion, connection and introspection. The abstract Daydream pattern suggests finding the familiar in random stimuli. The material is 100% recycled post-consumer and post-industrial plastic of which more than 50% is recovered from captured ocean plastics, branded as Seaqual.
Dimensionality distinguishes some textiles, a tribute to weaving techniques. Patchwork from Brentano has a pillowed, matelassé effect and Paul Smith’s Ladder Stripe and Stepped Plaid at Maharam are texturally rich. A new system of 18 x 36-inch carpet tiles from Tarkett called Balancing Act plays with light and shadow on different heights to create a dynamic visual effect.
Hyper scale also is a fresh take, like an exaggerated houndstooth from Suzanne Tick’s Twist on a Classic collection for Luum. Hyped up is made from recycled performance yarns. It has a linen- like slub effect as well as a subtle iridescence when applied to furniture. A semi-sheer reversible wool blend called Afterimage is woven with an ombre effect and a large-scale striae pattern.
An organic motif inspired by bees is central to Mohawk’s Pathmakers collection. Shown at its popup, nicknamed The Hive, the collection is inspired by the journey of bees, how pollination sustains life, underscoring the urgency of rewilding.
Iconic designs were celebrated, like the 25th anniversary of the Freedom chair by Niels Diffrient. Other designs at Herman Miller and Knoll were reimagined, with attention to new features including power and additional powder coated finishes in colors.
One thing at-home workers probably don’t miss is cookie-cutter cubicles. Today’s privacy options are more engaging and better looking, from high/low wall surrounds, pergola shapes made of wood or metal, arched frame gathering spots for two and plenty of cocooning solo chairs with tall backs. At Studio TK, a tall lounge in the Libelle collection features transparent mesh upholstery on the back, which visually lightens its overall appearance.
The Caav lounge from JSI is like a floating upholstered chair set into a sheltering surround, supported by canted wood legs that reach up into the frame.
Herman Miller’s Bay Work Pod is wrapped in a corrugated-look material. The ergonomic workspace offers privacy for phone and video, good acoustics and background color plus lighting to flatter all skin tones. A larger Pro version is ADA accessible, designed to accommodate a wheelchair.
The most inviting vignettes mix up chairs, seating and table shapes and styles, relieving the monotony of same-look suites. Poufs and ottomans that do double duty are an integral part of today’s office landscape. So are modular pieces with integrated tables, like the Daymora collection at Kimball.
Light-scale tables in a variety of sizes and shapes for different functions are a winning combination with Allsteel’s Admix collection. A welcome tech introduction is the space-saving M/Connect docking station from Humanscale. The simplicity is a revelation, instant accessibility to high-speed charging ports. The compact module supports up to 40 pounds of monitor equipment.
Color palettes are in synch with what we saw internationally, with a lot of plum, cinnamon and blush hues, terra cotta as well as the nature-suggestive green.
The shapely DWR Tide outdoor chair in a sunny egg-yolk shade comingles with colors that pop at the Design Within Reach retail space in the Herman Miller building. And a tangy orange delivers zest to B & N’s flexible, mobile Gira office system, which includes desks, plenty of storage, power plus planters for live foliage. Nothing is fixed, so pieces can be custom arranged.
Designers warmed spaces with art, murals and patterned wallcovering plus accessories, like patterned or textured pillows and soft throws. To make you feel at home. At Allsteel, art is considered an accessory integral to design, “a conduit for social responsibility and inclusiveness.”
For those seeking modular versatility, Herman Miller’s reissued Chadwick lounge seating fills the bill. Originally designed in 1974, the group has been updated with contemporary seat height and integrated power.
Knoll also went to its archives to tweak some iconic products, with new colored powder coat finishes and unexpected coverings. The Wassily chair, designed in 1926 by Marcel Breuer, got an on-trend makeover in burgundy leather (Simply Red), paired with a dark red ultra matte frame. A nod to the’70s chairs by Andrew Morris and Bruce Hannah colored the classic seating with red, blue and yellow frames with matched upholstery, displayed at the hero spot of the Knoll showroom. A cheetah hide cover gave Mies van der Rohe’s circa 1929-1930 Tugendhat chair a new attitude.
Customization also is available with Cove, a new minimal office system at Knoll. The collection spotlights the brand’s wood finishing process, including carefully selecting veneers from the same flitch, with processing all at once. The desk can be raised to standing height with a remote.
Next June Steelcase (including Coalesce, West Elm and Designtex) will settle into the 28,000 square foot space that Knoll has called home. Knoll will relocate to1144 W. Fulton, adjacent to the Herman Miller building. OFS/Carolina will open the doors of its new showroom this fall.
A Dubai-based online design publication called FMDD “a Gen-Z trade fair.” Ouch. Will the Neighborhood of Brands, an FMDD coalition celebrating design and the district become more of a regional market? Or can both shows grow and coexist, with a synergy that can be cultivated into more pop-ups and design and art events throughout the city?
That’s something Morlen Sinoway has hoped for. An interior designer and retailer for more than 40 years, he was pioneer in Fulton Market. His Atelier, which is more than 20 years old, features 80 brands, many high end European. He used to stage a much beloved guerrilla truck show for indie up-and-coming design talents at his loading dock during NeoCon. In 2016 THE MART allowed him to set up shop on its South Drive.
So, wouldn’t it be cool to create a major city-wide design event in Chicago during NeoCon? Like Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone. Maison et Objet and Paris Design Week or Paris Deco Off. But if that really happened, would three days be enough?