Adventures at NeoCon 2024

This June was my first time attending NeoCon, the annual interior design exhibition held at the famous Merchandise Mart in Chicago. It was a wonderfully jam-packed day of networking, listening in on seminars, and checking out all the new products manufacturers have to offer. While there were almost too many unique showrooms to count, a few key themes began to emerge.

Warm colors are here to stay

Across furniture, finishes, and even the merch passed out by manufacturer reps, I saw an overwhelming trend towards warm neutrals with muted reds, pinks, and oranges. These colors paired with richly layered textures continue the departure from the cool grays and overly sleek interiors that were so popular in the 2010s. I’m just happy to finally see pink being used in a commercial setting. Barbenheimer summer 2.0 anyone?

Sustainability reaches new heights

For years, carbon neutrality has been the gold standard, but some companies are now insisting that we go further. Carbon negative manufacturing processes are now becoming more of an expectation than a goal. With so many manufacturers advertising their sustainable products, more stringent industry standards, and more desire from clients to incorporate these practices, the market for truly environmentally friendly design continues to grow. It’s great to see this competition pushing manufacturers to dig deeper and find new advancements in sustainability.

A softer approach

You would be hard pressed to find a sharp corner in the entire mart. Instead, the showrooms were filled with rounded edges on table tops, curvy cushions on sofas, and soft, fluid shapes on finishes. These soft curves in combination with the warm color palettes throughout lent a cozy feeling to the displays that compliments the incorporation of more casual elements into commercial spaces.

The continued workplace evolution

It’s safe to say the typical workplace has been through quite a transition over the past few years. As many offices have settled into a new hybrid work schedule, our designs must also adapt. Many companies are seeking a balance of privacy for focused work and openness for collaboration, which lends itself to creating different zones throughout the office. This was on full display throughout showrooms, with flexible workstation configurations, causal lounge furniture groupings, and a range of different meeting spaces. There were tweaks to conference room layouts and workstation panels to facilitate video calls. Privacy pods and phone booths were abundant. There was also a new focus on employee well-being, as employers attempt to draw workers back to the office. I am very interested to see how the workplace continues to evolve over the next few years.

It was fitting to learn about the latest and greatest in the design industry in Chicago, a city with such a rich architectural history. I’ve returned to DC with a renewed sense of excitement to implement these design practices in my daily work.