Trends and Key Takeaways from NeoCon 2023:

NeoCon is the world's largest commercial interiors event, and it's a great opportunity for designers to see the latest trends in furniture and workspace design.

This year, our designers were on the lookout for products that would help us create more comfortable, productive, and collaborative environments.

The rise of versatile and inviting lounge spaces.?

Lounge furniture is becoming increasingly popular as businesses look for ways to create more relaxed and informal meeting spaces. Many manufacturers showcased lounge seating that was both comfortable and functional.

"The first thing I fell in love with in this room was the fabric on the lounge sofa. The combination of upholstery fabric, sofa style, tables, finish selections, and accent lighting really gave this space a cozy and unique vibe.?It's a great option for quick conversations with an individual or even group collaboration sessions."

-- Leah Lux , Interior Designer | Iowa City

"I enjoyed a lot of furniture that is coming from this brand Carolina.?Their Healthcare series are calm and comfy (so hard to pick one). This is a great design that brings in natural greens to office or any other business area and also has the function of separating the space into a couple of small areas."

-- Sha Liu , Design Professional | Quad Cities

Focus on comfort in behavioral health environments.?

Furniture for behavioral health settings needs to be both comfortable and supportive, and our designers found a number of products that met this need.

"Lounge furniture is not often seen in behavioral health environments due to various safety concerns. Stance has created a bean bag that is lightweight, has pickproof seams, and a locking zipper. Despite looking like it will fall as you lean back, it was supportive and comfortable."

-- Allie Schutt, NCIDQ, IIDA , Interior Designer | Quad Cities

"Wieland considered cleanability with this sleeper by keeping it open below the sofa for easy cleaning underneath and also provided generous clean out spacing between the seat and back for housekeeping to reduce areas of possible healthcare associated infections."

-- Emily Bush , Interior Designer | Valparaiso, IN

Reintroduction of iconic designs.?

This year, several manufacturers reintroduced iconic designs that have been updated with modern features.

"The original set has been on display at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, IA since I was a child. I grew up loving Frank Lloyd Wright's exhibit and admired the design. Steelcase made subtle adjustments to the style and added finish options. I was beyond excited to see it at NeoCon."

-- Andrea Dail , Intern Architect | Quad Cities

The evolution of office chair design.

Office chair design is constantly evolving, and our designers found a number of chairs that offered a comfortable and ergonomic seating experience.

?"The seat has a slight downward tilt towards the back, which makes it cozier to sit in, yet doesn't increase difficulty to stand up from.?I love this piece because it was extremely comfortable without having an outwardly bulky appearance."

-- Brooklyn LaBarge , Interior Designer | Quad Cities

"The possibilities with this modern style chair are endless. is a great example of a modern lounge chair that offers endless possibilities in terms of customization and adaptability."

-- Alyssa McIlvain, NCIDQ , Interior Designer | Valparaiso, IN

The demand for elevated wood looks.?

Consumers are increasingly looking for flooring that offers an elevated wood look. This means that they want flooring that looks like real wood but has the benefits of luxury vinyl planks, such as durability and easy maintenance.

"I didn't think I could get excited about another wood look luxury vinyl plank (LVT) again! The Shaw Contract Flooring - Cultura Crossing Paths and In Unison LVT are great examples of luxury vinyl planks that offer an elevated wood look in an affordable format."

-- Kelli Richardson , Interior Designer | Valparaiso, IN

The importance of collaboration and flexibility in workspace design.?

Collaboration is essential in today's workplace, and our designers found a number of products that can help to create more collaborative work environments.

"I really liked the Allsteel - Acuity workspace layout. It's a great example of a flexible and functional office space."

-- Michelle Jones , Director of Interiors | Valparaiso, IN

?"The Okamura - Lives Post+Beam system is a great example of a collaborative workspace solution that offers movable and fixed panels for flexible collaboration."

-- Alysha Ridgeway , Interior Designer | South Bend, IN

Overall, our designers were impressed with the variety of innovative products on display at NeoCon 2023. These products offer a glimpse into the future of furniture and design, and we're excited to incorporate them into our own designs.