enjoy afternoon cocktails, conversations and connections when the neocon energy and festivities move onto the 7th floor exhibit hall. gather with a&d professionals while exploring hundreds of exhibitors from around the world.
idsa chicago, advanced design sketching, and so design are hosting a gathering of designers and entrepreneurs at chicago’s premier innovation lab—mhub chicago! this kickoff event will feature a talk with steelcase principal designer, joey zeledon, and idsa chicago’s very own, rotimi solola — who’ll be unveiling something special. join us on friday, 8 june — we’ll have music, food, a tour of mhub, and one big networking party! rsvp here!
on tuesday, 12 june luminaire chicago will host the opening reception of achille castiglioni 100. the exhibition will explore the designer’s creative process by deconstructing a curated selection of his most iconic designs to reveal the stories behind experimentation, assembly, and product all in celebration of the 100th anniversary of his birth.
the world’s leading platform and most important event of the year for the commercial design industry, #neocon50, will take place from 11 > 13 june 2018, at the mart in chicago. now in its 50th edition, we wanted to make sure the exciting trade event was on your radar.
from product launches, 4 marquee presentations, 100+ ceu seminars, and other special events, the show is a must-attend for the industry’s top professionals.
since its launch in 1969, neocon has evolved into an international design hub that brings together more than 50,000 professionals for networking opportunities as well as dynamic and diverse learning experiences. its powerful conference program is at the forefront of thought leadership, delivering distinguished speakers, ideas and innovations that are shaping the global landscape of workplace, healthcare, hospitality, government, education, retail and more.
show photos from last year are available in high-res here. more information can be found at neocon.com
acclaimed los angeles-based architect and designer clive wilkinson, fiida, faia, riba, will sit down for a candid conversation about his career, his work, and his design approach with john czarnecki, hon. iida, assoc. aia, deputy director and senior vice president of iida. wilkinson, who is being honored as a new iida fellow in 2018, has designed numerous award-winning buildings and interiors across the u.s., including notable workplaces for clients such as intuit, publicis, google, as well as his firm’s most recent collaboration for the shirley ryan abilitylab in chicago. a light lunch will be served so rsvps are required – please send to lignerosetchi@bdeonline.biz.
join wpa chicago to celebrate the grand opening of the first b&b italia multi-brand store and its historical partnership with arclinea.
DesignApplause spoke to spanish designer patricia urquiola in the andreu world chicago showroom during neocon. we talk about her the nuez seat collection, which obtained a hip award in the category hospitality: seating at neocon. the chair is described as enveloping, suggestive, warm and at the same time technological. made of injected thermoplastic, it offers different options for the shell interior: fully upholstered, with upholstered seat or with padded seat and backrest. the different bases versions – four wooden legs, aluminum star, five casters or cantilever – come with a range of ten distinct colors for the shell and numerous upholstery options for the seat and backrest. a versatile design, capable of integrating into any type of corporate environment and also at home. the chair launched at salone del mobile 2017.
[patricia urquiola] we’re speaking about a new product introduction, nuez, which means ‘nut’ in english, from valencia-based [ andreu world ]. i’m very proud of our relationship, one we’ve kept for years that’s grown into friendships. we now know each other’s approach well enough where words easily translate into feelings and shapes.
why do this chair? they asked for formal and discrete, very gentle, very easy. though the company does incredible work in other materials, they were looking for a new material not in their workspace portfolio. our discussions led to plastic and they know that my injection approach is always striving for little details that are a bit curious and distinctive. what evolved was a shell concept.
we liked the concept of one shell using two elements, because of the way the two elements, like two papers, came together, like in a nut. from the back of the shell the elements created little wings which felt natural and just right. we pleated the plastic shell for aesthetics and textures giving it a materiality, a sense of touch. compared to our prior collection called nub, which was very… crafted, nuez represents a completely dissimilar notion.
[DesignApplause] nuez is crisp yet shapely. very light and does feel good to the touch. what’s her character like?
[PU] both my company and andreu philosophies are similar on many fronts. we’re all concerned, about who we work with and the way we proceed. we work with nature with a high regard for sustainability and social responsibility. we’re efficient, we produce functionality, durability, timelessness and our work, well it looks like our work. and in the end i’m very proud of this project.
[DA] what’s big on your mind right now? what’s important?
[PU] this is a conversation about a process. a company gives you a brief, you give an answer and you work in this kind of duet. it’s a beautiful established way a designer works within an industrial project. now i’m not a young designer, i’m a mature designer who’s been working this way for awhile. lately i’m doing a lot of experimentation with a group at haworth contributing to define a future vision for the group, creating an umbrella over everything. // in 2015, patricia became cassina’s art director tasked with creative management.
in the beginning it was an object and then a collection. but now we also talk about the relations of objects and space, the experiences, the services the company can offer, about everything! i’m working this way with cassina, haworth, mutina. and with andreu world i’m not doing that but i’m a good friend and they’re accustomed to my opinions and conversations. these conversations are important because they always lead to something new.
in this conversational role, the designer operates in this huge space, to re-think things, to ask more questions, it’s so open ended, so many possibilities. really, at this point the only bad decision is not to try something. and we’re just beginning.
<strong>[DA] stay tuned. [ formafantasma ] (andrea trimarchi and simone farresin) while lecturing at the school of the art institute of chicago was asked if designers are important, is design important. simone said this… the designer and the design is not important in and of themselves. formafantasma’s projects are complete once they leave the studio. it’s rare to know if their projects are a success and are rarely asked to improve what they created. their business model does not involve the relationship you’re experiencing right now.
in contrast simone felt the entrepreneur is more likely to be important. there’s a degree of control over a long period of time whereby something important could evolve.
[PU] “design thinking”, for me a label used too much, has become like a big inclusive net over everything in the world of design. i feel one starts as a specialist in design, like an industrial designer. for those who grow into more systemic integrated spaces the space opens up to expand your reach over the project. the more aspects you touch in sense the more important you are.
we can be a kind of catalyst in between society and ideals for living. we’re not only solving problems, we’re also questioning a lot of problems. i like the idea that this is a new attitude for designers: question and not only solving.
this 15 > 16 november at the pennsylvania convention center in philly, the region’s most important commercial interiors event, neocon east, will feature nearly 200 companies and provides insight into the workplaces, hotels and other public spaces of tomorrow. programming will include more than 25 ceu accredited seminars, as well as an impressive group of keynotes: alex gilliam, founder and director, public workshop; david insinga, aia, chief architect, us general services administration’s public buildings service; suzette subance ferrier, iida, studio design director at tpg architecture; and zena howard, managing director at perkins & will, aia, leed ap.
above > antoine roset / jose rodriguez
designapplause is in the ligne roset chicago showroom located two short blocks from the mart, chatting with antoine roset, executive vice president and fifth generation roset.
[designapplause] we’re told that ligne roset is getting into the contract/commercial business space because of the company’s manufacturing capabilities. do you wish to tell us that story?
[antoine roset] actually, the funny part is that we started with the contract business. we’ve always been doing it in europe, back when the roset company started in 1860. with my grandfather in charge the first thing we did as a manufacturer was contract, working with universities, dorms, both institutional as well as hospitality projects. contract and hospitality was in fact our first business category.
we then moved to residential in the 1960s believing we could better control our own distribution and grow our business. during the 1980s, in the u.s., we developed our brand in residential much more than the contract business. we did this furnishing apartments, giving americans access to our design. for the past four years i see an opportunity to reintroduce our contract expertise in the u.s. and in latin america as well. i feel confident in knowing our past experience and manufacturing could again position our company as major player in contract and hospitality.
with our design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities we again have in the u.s. both residential and contract offerings.
[da] i just met the new owner of the chicago showroom, jose rodriguez. is there a new story regarding the chicago showroom?
[ar] i think the story to tell about jose and this showroom is a human story. we like to say when you become an owner, you get to be part of the family. jose has been in this business with us forever. the first time i met him was like 10-11 years ago and we had promoted him as a manager in miami. he became the owner of the atlanta store 5 years ago. and now, he’s here in the chicago store. to show that it’s a human story it’s about jose being a natural as a new owner. and he also possesses an ability to showcase a new service and a different experience. and as such, something much closer to what we have in mind, namely a new store. a new display. very much like what you can see all around the world with the new stores we are doing and renovating. in chicago, you’re going to see the best of what we do right now.
[da] alright, that’s cool. anything else you want to talk about?
[ar] i can talk about everything you want as long as it’s about furniture. i’ve always been very interested in markets and we can talk about the chicago market a little bit more. we’ve been at this location for 10 years and have learned that chicago’s a very interesting and important market. why? chicago is a very modern city with depth as you can see by its architecture. it’s always been very turned towards the future and not to the past. that’s what makes it very attractive to me. for me, it’s probably the nicest city in the u.s. you can quote me on that. (maybe after new york where i live. let’s put it that way.) chicago is green. it’s a beautiful city. there are two rivers, the lake. i don’t care about cold weather, so it’s not a problem for me. when you’re here you can feel that people really like to talk about the architecture here. i mean look, neocon is here and not in las vegas.
[da] right, neocon. and a new contract message and what appears to be a new store in what is a tremendously convenient offsite location.
[ar] yes. we’re definitely going to use this location more and more. we made mention last year, slowly but surely. the idea is to communicate with the contact world and the hospitality world, sharing with them. we are not the big, big player and we don’t want to be either. we don’t want to compete with them. we want to be the small player that can bring something different. that can give different options. that can give what we do the most: our quality, our knowledge. we are happy to share this with everyone. we have no intention of ignoring our residential business, make no mistake. but more and more, we are going to develop things around the contract and the hospitality business. it’s only the second year. this year has been a bit crazy because we are reopening the store and doing neocon at the same time. so it’s been quite challenging, but next year…
[da] then next year will be boring. (laughs)
[ar] hah! next year won’t be boring. next year will be even more interesting. we’ll have more time to prepare for neocon which is even better. we’re going to look forward to next year.
above/below > chicago showroom
above > ruché / inga sempé – below > cover 1 / marie christine dorner
above> transcend by suzanne tick for skyline design
a neocon 2017 runs from 12 to 14 june at the mart in chicago. at-a-glance preview…
3form / 10 – 142
a collaboration between 3form and brooklyn-based designer louis lim of makingworks has resulted in the creation of mobius, exclusively on view at wanted design in new york city in may 2017. now check out the latest at neocon.
andreu world / 10 – 132
invites you to discover our new collections at neocon 2017. we look forward to welcoming you.
save the date: please join us for the andreu world fiesta. this year’s event will feature traditional spanish tapas and wine along with a very special live music performance.
arper / 339
arper presents their 2017 collections at neocon. stop by for a coffee and explore the new products at their chicago showroom.
buzzispace / 10 – 111
at neocon 2017 on both the first and the 10th floor of the merchandise mart, buzzispace will realize its comprehensive approach to design for happy, healthy living, incorporating a range of furniture options, and serious acoustic solutions.
carnegie / 10 – 112
life is colorful with the roy g biv collection! the energetic collection spans the full spectrum with high performance upholstery and digitally printed wide width sheers that celebrate color at its very best.
designtex / 1032A
in business, collaboration is everything—but creating the right balance between openness and privacy is a challenge. casper™ cloaking technology by designtex is an architectural film for glass walls that obscures digital screens to outside view. it acts as a smart shield to ensure data privacy, while providing the peace of mind to collaborate freely in any working environment. this is a breakthrough that will unleash space design in the networked modern world. casper is the only cloaking technology of its kind anywhere. you have to see it to believe it.
hbf / 387
thomas lykke/oeo has collaborated with hbf to create the studio table series.
haworth / 312
come see bluescape and global commercial furnishings leader haworth an innovative new collaboration space at neocon 2017.
humanscale / 351
humanscale and the living product challenge. talking about sustainability is easy. what’s more challenging is creating a net positive impact. especially when it’s being audited and validated by the international living future institute.
herman miller / 321
when bill stumpf and don chadwick designed the original aeron, they combined a deep knowledge of human-centered design with innovative, never-before-seen technology to deliver a chair unlike any other. just as iconic films and albums are updated for new mediums, standards, and audiences, aeron has now been remastered to meet the needs of today’s work, workers, and work environments. by coupling co-designer don chadwick’s vision with herman miller’s latest research around the science of sitting, the new aeron works better than ever before—so you can too.
ki / 1181
join the ruckus at neocon 2017! get a first-hand look at how ki‘s ruckus collection is disrupting the design paradigm. in addition, we’ll be showcasing innovative product solutions developed using the principles of human-centered design.
keilhauer / 373
luno is for reflecting. a visually striking lounge chair that allows you to move, sit and communicate in your own style. design by eoos.
maharam / 1188
maharam design studio decided to develop a substrate: apt introduces a new polymer that combines a silicone face with a polyurethane-and-silicone mid-layer to maharam’s offering of nonwoven upholstery textiles. using a proprietary formulation. apt is the result of five years of research and development.
mohawk / 377
go behind-the-scenes with mohawk group for a sneak preview of the bold and stylish floorcoverings they’ll be showcasing this year. take a peek at our entire lineup.
okamura / 11 – 124
alt piazza is an office furniture of the future that turns office shared space into a place where you can work comfortably.
skyline design / 1060
transcend by suzanne tick
steelcase / 300
steelcase workplace advisor empowers organizations to measure the effectiveness of the workplace, and improve it based on easy-to-understand, actionable data accessible through an online dashboard.
teknion / 10 -48
around is fully featured, yet clever new new task chair. hidden innovations facilitate a simple chair design with a light, minimalist form. designed by justus kolberg, around is remarkably comfortable, versatile and easy to use.
vitra / 1192
vitra has been developing and producing office chairs for over 40 years. its first model, the vitramat, set new industry standards, and many of its successors have continued to revolutionize workplace seating. to accompany the market launch of the pacific chair, am chair and id chair update, we are introducing the task chair campaign: a new digital tool that provides existing and prospective customers with an inspiring presentation of these chairs.
wilkhahn / 7 – 7072
wilkhahn’s new metrik cantilever chair stands apart for its sculptural shape and contours which bring modern automotive design to mind. polygonal shapes and rounded edges are part of a distinctive body which is defined by form-fit assembly of the tubular steel frame and seat component. design by whiteID.
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