NeoCon 2019
This year at NeoCon we witnessed a renaissance for a few brands, emerging with new showrooms reflecting dramatic shifts in brand vision. We asked some of our Pivot teammates to share some of their favorites.
Hayden Welda, Account Manager in our San Francisco Showroom felt the Hightower Showroom stole the show (see more photos of the showroom—designed by Casey Keasler of Casework—in the gallery at top). The IIDA and Contract Magazine agreed, and awarded it the 2019 NeoCon Winner of Best Small Showroom and Best of Competition Showroom. The showroom channeled three words: varmt välkommen (Swedish for 'warm welcome'), linger, and unexpected. Hightower wanted guests to feel welcomed and at home, even during the chaos of NeoCon. The success of the showroom is nicely summed up in what Casey had to say about this experience, "This project has shifted my thinking on interior design. Furniture is often the last element we pull together, but it’s one of the most important. It’s what you rest on at the end of a long day or where you sit to have a meal with your family. What if we start with the human experience and build our environment around how we use a space, THEN build the architecture to complement that?"
Alyx Jones, a Designer in our Los Angeles Office, shared her enthusiasm for the OFS showroom. She was impressed with the breadth of new product and styling that she felt hit all the right notes for the LA market. She also loved that all the new product shown is ready for order entry now!
At Herman Miller the focus was on the family of brands including Geiger, Hay, Maharam, naughtone, CBS, Nemschoff and Design Within Reach.
The team's favorite products at NeoCon this year included some new pieces and some refinements of existing lines. Geiger's new line One offers a kit-of-parts for private office, work stations and reception. Hightower launched a modular, bar-height table for the Nest collection that can be rectilinear, serpentine, or create a full loop.
Watson's Cloud 9 offers an elegant sit-to-stand solution that integrates biophilia with built-in planters. Its casual hackable style is approachable and adaptable. DFM presented Blend which provides division between adjacent users, while still feeling light and open. It has a clever method of screening with fabrics and a unique aesthetic that feels on-trend. OFS's new Lean To is a nook / collaborative space furnishing that cleverly appears to be built into the architecture. Functional and comfortable, yet architectural, it feels distinctly different from similar products on the market.
In a dramatic turn after a 113 year history, Montisa emerged as the new kid on the block, although they have been in the contract office space for the last 30 years. The company recently relaunched and reinvented itself, and the new products combine a cool industrial look with a bright engaging color palette.
Not many groundbreaking new products or trends were on display. Our team noted that cork and soft touch laminate surfaces were everywhere. Terrazzo and monochrome furniture are still going strong, and that Linoleum surfaces brought a paper-like feel to work surfaces and table tops.
Asked what they are hoping to see at next year's NeoCon, the team hoped to see more 'new' products and showrooms. Alyx in particular feels that there's a gap in progressive mother's room furniture. Something small and light in scale that can provide both relaxation and ergonomics, as well as adequate floor clearance for a laptop table and water-resistant fabric.
