NeoCon 2015: What’s New & Trending in Office Spaces
The Office Designs team recently visited NeoCon 2015, the largest commercial interiors show in North America, to bring you the latest innovations, new products, and office trends shaping offices and work life around the country.
Here’s a quick recap of what we found:
Return of Privacy in the Office
For years now, the open office has been the trendy new approach to office space design. It’s helped to create offices that are inviting, collaborative, beautiful and engaging to work in. However, as many office workers in those environments have discovered, there are pitfalls to this design – noise pollution and distraction.
Now furniture designers and space planners like ourselves are working to solve these issues. This can been seen from a variety of manufacturer exhibits at NeoCon 2015. From furniture that cocoons the user, to sound dampens panels and space dividers, open space office furniture has begun to return privacy and deter distraction while maintaining the collaborative nature of the open office.
Steelcase Showroom – Brody Lounge Seating are a new addition to the Steelcase offering this year.
Haworth Showroom – Privacy walls and paneling are a much more common sight this year.
Office Furniture Embraces Technology
As The Internet of Things continues to be realized, we’re seeing manufacturers integrate LED lights, displays, and other digital technology into office furniture. As technology continues to implant itself further into our daily work lives we’re enabling better communication between people and the objects around us. From task lights that charge our mobile devices to scheduling systems that reserve tables and workspaces from our phones, our furniture is now abuzz with information.
Koncept Light Mosso Pro comes with USB and optional base to wirelessly charge phones.
RoomWizard is a digital scheduling and office space reservation system by Steelcase.
Home and Office Continue to Merge
As the mobile work life continues to take hold we’re continuing to see the lines between the home and office blur. This is evident in the showrooms of Herman Miller’s Living Office as well as with the entry of West Elm into the office furniture market with West Elm Workspace. The sterile and stiff nature of office furniture is being replaced by richer color palettes, natural materials, fun designs, and more comfortable, relaxed styles.
Herman Miller Showroom – The Living Office blurs the lines by combining comfort with high performance workspace.
Herman Miller Showroom – The living office is both comfortable and highly collaborative.
West Elm Workspace Showroom – Home and office blend seamlessly.
West Elm Workspace Showroom – The evolution continues with a more personal and home-like feel, while at work.
Scandinavian Design
New to NeoCon this year, the influence of Scandinavian design has come across the Atlantic and come to American offices. Taking center stage at Herman Miller was muted color palettes, unfinished and light grained woods, and neutral tones.
Grey & Grain
The grey tones and natural wood textures have finally taken hold in mainstream furniture design, with most manufacturers offering expanded lines in both natural wood finishes and grey textured office furniture.
Mayline Showroom – Grey and textures abound
Remote Collaboration
Connecting and engaging remotely seems to be in high demand with a variety of vendors offering everything from two-way whiteboards to interactive teleconferencing. Walls are digital, cameras are integrated and work collaboration is becoming global.
Haworth Showroom – Remote collaboration
Feeling inspired?
With new spaces, styles, colors, textures, and layouts, it’s hard to not feel inspired. Office’s nationwide are becoming inviting places to work in for good reason. Keeping teams supported and productive is good for business. Office Design is a trusted partner in helping businesses and individuals outfit their spaces for success. Ready for a change in your office space? Give us a call 877.696.3342 or read some of these articles:
