NeoCon®, June 10–12 at The Mart in Chicago, announces a full line up of exceptional design experiences for its 51stedition. As the global platform for commercial interiors, NeoCon is dedicated to bringing the latest products, trends, and ideas to the industry. This year several NeoCon exhibitors and partners will transform their brand’s visions into engaging installations, experiences and amenities that will inspire and delight attendees throughout the show.
“We are celebrating this year with a host of new-to-NeoCon brands, hundreds of educational opportunities, several new immersive tours, as well as dozens of interactive displays throughout The Mart. The future is now, and NeoCon 51 will be a real time showcase of the industry’s best ideas for wellness, activity-based workplace, and commercial interiors as a whole,” says Byron Morton, Vice President of Leasing for NeoCon.
NeoCon 51 Activations by floor include:
The Oasis
Floor 1, West Pass-Through
ASID will showcase the impact of design through an exciting new installation custom designed by Elizabeth von Lehe, Allied ASID, design and brand strategy principal, HDR. The space will serve as an oasis that invites visitors to engage, ask broad questions, and explore the beautiful, impactful, and sometimes surprising ways that design impacts lives. The installation will be on view at the 1st floor West Pass Through.
A Bold Escape
Floor 1, East Pass-Through
The BuzziLounge will be available for attendees to rest and relax without distractions. The space will be outfitted with a soft BuzziSpark lounge sofa, an acoustic shelter, and flexible BuzziDee poufs for extra seating. A sea of BuzziDome acoustic pendant lights combined with striking acoustic wall paper will render BuzziLounge a bold escape.
Framery X Reality to Idea
Floor 1, North Central Corridor
Framery will collaborate with Reality To Idea artist Joshua Vides to create an amazing installation transforming a Framery booth from reality back to idea. The team behind the industry-pioneer in soundproof meeting pods will be on hand to meet attendees. The brand’s new products will also be available for visitors to experience firsthand. Framery’s main stand is located on the 7th floor, booth #7-5030.
Acoustic Tree by Green Furniture Concept
Floor 1, Wells Street Pass-Through
“Meet me under the tree!” The Leaf Lamp Tree is an acoustic decorative light by Green Furniture Concept. In the installation, hundreds of wool leaves are clustered at the top of a 15’ steel trunk, taking on the shape of a real-life tree. Surrounding the trunk is a bar-height table with integrated power chargers, which makes this piece an ideal meeting point for casual and impromptu collaboration. Attendees can visit Green Furniture Concept at booth 7-3062 to see other variations of the Leaf Lamp Series, as well as the iconic Nova C seating line.
Herman Miller
Floor 1, South Lobby
Herman Miller will be celebrating the nearly endless design possibilities of the Herman Miller Group. Attendees can view their installation in the South Lobby, which was inspired by a window display they showcased in Milan. The vignette is comprised an inspiring selection of products from across its family of brands. For more from Herman Miller, show-goers can visit their showroom on the 3rd Floor.
“A blank canvas” by Hightower
Floor 1, North Lobby
Since 2003, family-founded and operated Hightower has offered fresh, modern workspace pieces from up-and-coming international designers. Their new activation space is designed to represent Hightower’s unique approach; setting up the A+D community to stand out. Attendees will be welcomed to “a blank canvas.” Their all-white concept leverages a building block design and the latest in clever products, leaving it up to the imagination of designers to put their touch on a space. Showroom 1110 is home to the blank canvas interpretation Hightower created especially for attendee’s’ engagement and inspiration.
Mohawk Group’s Relaxing Floors
Floor 1, Kinzie/Wells Entrance
Attendees are invited to experience Mohawk Group's Relaxing Floors at the Kinzie Street entrance amidst the frenzy of NeoCon 19. Featuring a collaboration of makers and thinkers, Mohawk Group collaborated with 13&9 design studio to create human-centered flooring solutions that not only imaginatively designed but therapeutic as well. Working with Fractals Research, the Relaxing Floors collection translates stress-reducing biophilic fractals into calming patterns for the modern workplace. Mohawk Group invites attendees to relax and proceed to space 377 to explore the second nature of commercial flooring.
Dias Chuvosos: A Rainy Afternoon on the Veranda by Guilherme Wentz
Floor 1, Center Pass-Through
An installation by emerging designer Guilherme Wentz will be on view at NeoCon, offering an exploration into disconnecting from the modern world to discover sossego (Portuguese for “a warm tranquility”). This is tropical minimalism, a new interpretation of modern Brazilian design. The installation includes an iconic, award-winning piece by Aristeu Pires.
Pedrali Buddy Constellation
Floor 1, Northeast Corridor, Starbucks Elevator
Attendees can experience the “Pedrali Buddy Constellation,” a special setting in which Pedrali’s poufs and sofas show their friendly and versatile spirit. This collection welcomes guests with its bright colors, soft shapes and comfortable volumes —impossibly plush. Pedrali is a leader in the production of contemporary design furniture. Strong in its family history, started over 55 years ago, the company is 100% made in Italy.
Via seating where great things happen in a chair
Floor 1, Kinzie/Wells Entrance | Showroom 10–148
Via Seating’s philosophy is that great things happen in a chair. It is with this vision the company set out to cultivate the perfect sitting experience. Through the creative minds of their team of engineers, ergonomists, and designers across the world, the company shaped comfortable chairs through innovative technology at an incredible value backed by their industry-leading warranty. Via Seating’s solutions translate across a variety of work and collaborative spaces. Explore their Italian-designed outdoor furniture collections, Sierra & Tahoe, on display at the Kinzie/Wells entrance. Attendees are invited to embrace the company’s task, conference, lounge, and more chairs in their showroom—located in room 10-148.
Material Bank
Floor 1, Suite 103
Material Bank, the world's largest architectural and design-focused resource library, is launching an interactive material lab at The Mart in Chicago, which will make its debut at this year’s NeoCon. Material Bank Lab, which will be located in Suite 103, helps specifiers make better sampling decisions with access to the platform's cutting-edge sampling technology, on-site material samples, and material experts on call. As a leader in sustainability, Material Bank will also be accepting samples for return and reuse, helping reduce waste in the industry.
SANDOW Innovation Lab
Floor 6, Suite 604
The SANDOW Innovation Lab will feature Material ConneXion’s first-ever pop-up materials library, special invitation round tables, hosted by Interior Design’s Editor-in-Chief, Cindy Allen, and a series of workshops presented by ThinkLab’s leading industry researchers. For more information or to attend one of these events, attendees can send an email to innovationlab@sandow.com.
Nooks Back on Parade
Floor 7, 6000 Aisle
Attendees are invited to experience the NOOK effect. NOOKs are available to visitors on aisle 6000 to recharge, make a call, meet, or just take a breath without missing any of the excitement of Neocon. NOOK is a new type of furniture—startlingly quiet inside—separating without isolating – and providing the perfect location for concentration, connection, collaboration. Attendees can meet the designer in his ‘NOOK Lab’ at the Nook booth 7-5078 during the show for a glimpse into future new ways of working.
Snowsound Quiet Zones
Floor 7, Pass-Throughs
Attendees will be invited to partake in a moment of peace and quiet on the 7th floor as they travel between two main sections of the Exhibit Hall via the pass-thrus. These acoustic retreats are designed with Snowsound’s patented technology, offering an architecturally-inspired acoustic haven of tranquility and comfort for attendees to enjoy. Show-goers can visit Snowsound's main booth on the 7th floor, 7-5018, for an Experience Sound Room demonstration and discover a suite of innovative acoustic technology solutions.
RECKONstruct
Floor 11, Suite 11-119A
RECKONstruct was created for the US Pavilion as part of the Broken Nature exhibition at the 2019 Triennale di Milano. Making its stateside launch at NeoCon, the exhibit spotlights the materials revolution underway in our country. It demonstrates how sustainable design can respond to the current global environmental crisis. Conceived and developed by Arup, Humanscale, MIT’s SHINE Program, Novità Communications, NextWave Plastics and Stickbulb, RECKONstruct documents how the Humanscale Design Studio reimagined a simple stool through three different approaches to sustainability—using naturally grown materials (bio-fabrication), harvesting unused waste (circular economy) and mimicking nature’s engineering solutions (biomimicry). The immersive installation at NeoCon creates both a physical and virtual experience, allowing guests to interact with the products onsite and pop on an Oculus VR headset to explore an inspiring 360-degree film by Arup on this subject.
OFS Lounge
Floor 11, Suite 11–127
Of their activation at NeoCon, OFS says “Hello NeoCon! A cool space popped up on the 11th floor. We imagined that you might want a place like this where there's no selling, just being. It's our little treat for you...because you are awesome! #imagineaplace”
Brazilian Relaxation Lounge by Sossego
Floor 14, Suite 1445 (West Side of Building)
Attendees are invited to visit floor 14 and experience a moment of Sossego. Deliciously deep, distinctly Brazilian lounge seating by Aristeu Pires invites visitors to sink into and relax. It is designed as a space to disconnect and experience calm. Brazilian treats and cafezinho served. Award-winning designers at the forefront of modern Brazilian design. The lounge features HBF Textiles.