Every June architects, interior designers, specifiers, and project managers descend on Chicago for NeoCon, the leading commercial interior design industry event. They’re there to see the latest product launches. I’m always there, too, trying to educate interior designers on the possibilities available to them through digital printing. In addition, someone on my team always tries to escape the booth to see what is trending in the industry.
Here are my key takeaways from what I saw trending at NeoCon this year.
- Circular Design: This year, there was a big push toward designing products that consider the entire life cycle. Manufacturers are considering how a product will age and where it will go at the end of its life cycle. Will it be tossed into a landfill, recycled, repurposed? Additionally, companies are committing to more transparency about how, where, and with what their materials are made. With this in mind, many companies were talking about recycling materials in house or purposely sourcing recycled materials such as Econyl and Seaqual.
- Designing for Wellbeing: Many designers and the keynotes presenting talked about designing spaces that could actively help people feel good and improve their wellbeing. Some approaches were more obvious, such as using materials free of toxins. Yet, other approaches were creating spaces to make people feel safe, connected, and included.
- Neurodiversity: At NeoCon, there was a lot of discussion about the science of how different people feel in a space. Using data, they want to create spaces and products that acknowledge the many different ways people interact with the world around them.
What About Color?
Color this year was rich and saturated and picked up on many of the themes of wellbeing and community. Companies are thinking not just about how a color looks but how it makes a person feel. The four colors that stood out in many booths and showrooms were gold, aqua, celadon, and terracotta. Yet, beyond these four, it seemed almost every color was represented. Color felt fun and joyful this year.
How Does This Relate to Print Service Providers?
Each year, we see more examples of digital printing at NeoCon. Designers are open-minded about the possibilities. Walking around, we noticed some printer companies appealing directly to interior designers but not many printer service providers. Yet, the easier it becomes for designers to work directly with printers on projects, the more opportunity there is as they embrace specifying products in a new way.
The Biggest Takeaways From NeoCon 2024
Every June architects, interior designers, specifiers, and project managers descend on Chicago for NeoCon, the leading commercial interior design industry event. They’re there to see the latest product launches. I’m always there, too, trying to educate interior designers on the possibilities available to them through digital printing. In addition, someone on my team always tries to escape the booth to see what is trending in the industry.
Here are my key takeaways from what I saw trending at NeoCon this year.
What About Color?
Color this year was rich and saturated and picked up on many of the themes of wellbeing and community. Companies are thinking not just about how a color looks but how it makes a person feel. The four colors that stood out in many booths and showrooms were gold, aqua, celadon, and terracotta. Yet, beyond these four, it seemed almost every color was represented. Color felt fun and joyful this year.
How Does This Relate to Print Service Providers?
Each year, we see more examples of digital printing at NeoCon. Designers are open-minded about the possibilities. Walking around, we noticed some printer companies appealing directly to interior designers but not many printer service providers. Yet, the easier it becomes for designers to work directly with printers on projects, the more opportunity there is as they embrace specifying products in a new way.
Kristen Dettoni is the founder and CEO of Design Pool LLC, the only pattern library created exclusively for interior designers. Since 1996, Kristen has worked for mills throughout North America, designing fabrics for automobiles, furniture, and home furnishings. She developed the first sustainable upholstery fabric for office interiors, the first sustainable upholstery fabric for automotive interiors, and was awarded a patent for automotive suspension seating. Kristen believes strongly in the power of good design to transform our environments and experiences.