Reaction: Neocon 2019
This year at Neocon was full of beautiful furniture that blurred the boundaries between work and relaxation. Filter Studio had the chance to visit the vibrant city of Chicago and really dive in to what’s new in the world of furniture. Listed below are the top 10 trends that we observed during our time at Neocon 2019. Enjoy!
Multifunctional Sprawling Lounges
Each company appears to have their own version of the “sprawling lounge”. This becomes a space that can be divided into different work zones/social zones/meeting zones.
2. Mid Century Modern Push
This envelops everything from angled mid-century legs to the “Y” chair style.
3. Scandinavian Everything
The push of Scandinavian design has grown dramatically into an all-enveloping style that has entered American design. With poufy lounges, generous radii on screens, external soft legs and softened table shapes, the influence can be seen all over.
4. Flexible Office Spaces
This idea has been emerging in the office furniture design industry for several years, but this year Steelcase hit it head on with the launch of Flex.
5. Retro 70’s Inspired CMF
Retro Metal Cabinet
Possibly one of the most prominent trends in the industry currently, this rebirth of the 70’s style showed up through popping retro colors, metal cabinetry, and nods to 70’s furniture in various designs.
6. Layering
Over the past several years we have seen the trend of layering coffee tables/workspaces. This year at Neocon expanded the boundaries of layering with curtains layering space and tables layering over poufs
7. Solitary Spaces
These quiet spaces are huge in the office furniture industry right now. We can foresee a merging between privacy screens and the solitary boxes.
8. Resimercial Design
The residential look is sneaking its way into the office aesthetic…or is it the other way around?
Either way, the crossover is real.
9. Clean, Fun Upholstery
Upholstery has been fine-tuned with the emerging Scandinavian aesthetic. We see new, creative ways to resolve fabric.
10. Purposeful Shapes
Purposefully shaped tabletops as desk spaces and side tables
Along with new pouf/sprawling couch shapes, there was a massive presence of tabletops that were formed to meet their surroundings with purpose. At Neocon 2019 we saw many tables wrapping around lounges and desks that were shaped in new ways to create better co-working spaces. Prepare for more unique shapes in the future.