The Best of NeoCon 2016
NeoCon 2016 has already come and gone, but it definitely feels like a show that will reverberate for the coming months and years.
Sometimes this takes the form of entire new office design product concepts with one manufacturer pushing the boundaries and others following on for several years. Refreshed styles, textures, fabrics, and material combinations are introduced and which impact the aesthetic and atmosphere of office environments worldwide. And of course many enhancements are added to existing product lines which refine, improve, and update solid designs with the features necessary for the modern office and new ways of working.
Unfortunately it seems to take upwards of a year to begin to see these new product releases trickle into office environments we publish.
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Some of the themes that were apparent this year:
Workplace Versatility – Offices which consist of desks and conference rooms are basically dead. Spend any time is just about every showroom and you’re bound to see a tapestry of different types of work spaces that can be used in a multitude of ways.
Workplace Privacy – Privacy made a big splash last year and has continued to be something companies are trying to include in their versatile office approaches. High-backed sofas, phone booths, private cubby desks, partitions, and acoustical treatments are all bringing improved privacy to the office.
Workplace Domesticity – Rather than sticking with traditional workplace designs and styles, it seems that the styles and atmosphere of the home have begun to be woven into the office. Whether this because workers are spending extra time in the office and want something that reminds them of home or just because people enjoy feeling comfortable while at work, many showrooms have brought a more delicate touch to the office.
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The Best of NeoCon 2016
And now let’s take a look at some of the products that were memorable and eye-catching from our showroom visits throughout the week…
Haworth – Compose Connections
As organizations shift from individual workspaces to more collaborative spaces, it’s important to support people’s needs for choice and user control in the workspace. Compose Connections is a spine-based system that pivots from the dimensional logic of Compose systems and Integrated Palette™ elements to create an exceptionally flexible solution for today’s ever-changing work environment.
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OFS Brands – Qove
Designed by Q Design, Qove is a new modular lounge which melds flexibility, versatility and comfort together. “Intuitive to understand, specify and use, Qove Lounge creates a plethora of planning options with 4 basic models. Standard features like integrated power, tablet arm, and a privacy screen make specification simple.
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Knoll – Rockwell Unscripted
The Knoll showroom features Rockwell Unscripted: From Knoll and David Rockwell, renowned for creating places where people want to be, comes an unrivaled work experience designed to let spontaneity unfold and people complete the story. The collection of improvisational elements spans six categories and includes more than 30 products.
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Framery – Framery Q Phone Booth
Framery Q adds space and comfortable accessories for the use of two people, allowing them to have meetings, brainstorming sessions and important one-on-one conversations.
Just like Framery O, Framery Q has all the equipment needed for your convenience, but now for two people. This way, both users can benefit from privacy and a soundproof environment at the same time. Framery Q has multiple options for accessories and furniture, and it can be installed in any space without massive work.
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Davis Furniture – Laura
The details of Laura Lounge are designed to heighten he illusion of one, continuous piece. The corner-seams of the seat and back are set back from the gentle curves so they are hidden from view once the pieces are connected.
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Vitra – Belleville
The Belleville family – the Belleville Chair, the Belleville Armchair and the Belleville Tables – is a new collection developed by Vitra in collaboration with the designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Varied materials and muted colours characterize the remarkable hybrid chair and versatile tables. Through the harmonious coordination of their forms and materials, the chairs and tables can be attractively combined in a broad range of home interiors and establishments.
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Herman Miller – Plex Lounge Furniture
Work today is more varied than ever before—so shouldn’t our offices be more varied too? With a design that uses just a few parts to form many combinations, the Plex family of modular furniture brings comfort and support to a variety of settings. Within these settings, Plex club chairs, sofas, ottomans, and tables allow people to assume the postures that best support their activities—from having conversations with colleagues to catching up on emails.
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BuzziSpace – BuzziJungle
Inspired by nature, BuzziJungle offers a solution to the conventional meeting space. The launch of the BuzziJungle will introduce the design world to young Belgian talent Jonas Van Put. This is Van Put’s first project with a major international manufacturer. BuzziJungle is BuzziSpace’s reflection of their vision for the social office and further pushing the traditional boundaries of the workplace.
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Gunlocke – Metta
Designed by Alyssa Coletti of Nonfiction Creative, Metta combines a slim metal frame with wood and upholstery, lending subtle lines and curves to any space it inhabits, from private offices to lobbies to collaborative spaces.
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Shaw Contract Group – Extraordinary Collection
The Extraordinary Collection encourages people to slow down and reconnect with the sense of touch. Without touch, we cannot understand our environment. The digital world lacks sensitivity. By developing contradictory visual and tactile experiences with physical connections to our environment, we can still be human. Experience a path of natural, intuitive interactions that allows you to slow down and explore the power of the sense of touch. The new plank size of 12×48 in adds scale and dimension to the floor as three designs can combine or be used alone to generate varying degrees of texture.
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West Elm Workspace – Frame Screen System
The Frame Screen System gives team members choice and control over how they shape their work environment. Designed in a variety of materials and sizes, clean-lined modular screens allow easy rearrangement while providing convenient, plug-and-play access to technology. With an industrial, architectural aesthetic, this system accommodates individual concentration or collaboration work.
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Koleksiyon – Cap
“Cap is designed as a personal work zone, to provide a silent harbor in the midst of a large open plan layout. As the communal areas grow in number and scale, privacy is becoming a more critical issue for anyone who wishes to concentrate on a piece of work that needs attention and focus. Rather than defining work modes for departments, teams or even a single person, the attempt is to define each single task, and then visualize the needs of each and single working person in space.”
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Allsteel – Clubhouse
Clubhouse is the newest addition to Allsteel’s Gather collection of furniture. Like its sister products, Clubhouse addresses the modern workplace’s need for flexibility in an open office design. By forming – not filling – a room, it creates a secluded space within any place.
The brainstorm retreat. A private area for the job interview. The temporary office for writing that memo to the boss. Whatever the activity, Clubhouse communicates to others that work is happening inside.
