We returned from Chicago with plenty of inspiration — and renewed excitement for the latest innovations in contract furnishings. Across the Merchandise Mart and Fulton Market, experimental materials, high-tech solutions and a focus on circular design were the key drivers of this year’s product launches. But beyond superior ergonomics and sustainability certifications, many brands also embraced a sense of fun — signalling a continued trend towards commercial spaces that don’t take themselves too seriously. Here, we list ten products that caught our eye at NeoCon and Design Days 2024:

1

Dais Lounge Chair by Keilhauer

One of four lounge chairs launched by Keilhauer at NeoCon 2024, Dais stood out for both style and sustainability. Designed by long-term collaborator Form Us With Love, the carbon-neutral chair utilizes minimal materials to achieve maximum visual impact — and comfort. “While designing Dais, we knew we wanted to create a warm and inviting product that could be placed in a wide variety of environments,” says John Löfgren, Co-Founder of Form Us With Love. “This chair contains a nice contrast of maximalism and minimalism – it has a sophisticated mid-century vibe, but we also wanted the chair to have a playful side, which you can see in certain design elements, like its large seat cushion.”

Its sculptural FSC-certified ash frame — made from one continuous piece that serves as both arm- and backrest — wraps around the generous bio-based foam seat, and doubles as a modified workstation wide enough to accommodate a laptop. The open-backed design imbues the chair with a sense of lightness, while also making it exceptionally easy to wipe down. For all this, Dais cleaned up at the Best of Neocon Awards, winning a Silver for Seating, Gold for Healthcare and a Sustainability award to boot.

2

Ottanna by Davis Furniture

When Davis Furniture first approached Berlin-based industrial designer Hanne Willman to design a collection, she happily agreed — on the condition that she could critique their product lineup. In doing so, she identified a gap in their portfolio for a softer, more feminine aesthetic (an unsurprising observation given that, until Willman came aboard, the company had only worked with male designers). With Ottanna, the designer’s third collaboration with Davis, she builds on her previous designs with a chair that feels serious yet friendly; leaning into the idea of femininity, it was aptly shown at the brand’s Merchandise Mart showroom in a powdery pink.

Available as both a swivel or four-leg chair, its soft forms are fashioned from moulded foam which is then fully upholstered (including underneath the seat, demonstrating the brand’s meticulous attention to detail). A subtle reveal between the backrest and seat recalls the cutout in Willman’s Vida Table, making them the perfect pair.

3

Burra Lounge Chair by Normann Copenhagen

The Burra Lounge Chair’s evocative shape immediately drew our attention from across Allsteel’s Fulton Market showroom. Its name winks at the round and soft Italian cheese, burrata, seeking to achieve these same qualities in furniture form. To that end, designer Simon Legald employed a plush, exaggerated seat for ultimate comfort. The anthropomorphic armrests, meanwhile, reach out from the curved backrest as if to hug the sitter. “When designing any chair, it’s important to consider comfort and dimensions. I wanted to create a design that featured an interesting interplay between these two factors using simple, minimalistic lines,” says Legald. “The result is a chair that expresses softness in every sense: its dimensions look almost inflated, and the full upholstery adds to the visual as well as the physical comfort.”

Both the seat and backrest are upholstered in the same textile (with options from Kvadrat and Camira), unifying them as a singular sculptural piece. Fitted with a swivel function and optional return, Burra’s playful form can be appreciated from every angle.

4

Stepped Plaid and Ladder Stripe by Maharam

At Design Days 2024, Maharam’s latest launches brought Paul Smith’s graphic sensibility to the great outdoors. Building upon a twenty-one-year collaboration with the renowned fashion designer, the complementary indoor-outdoor collections pair tailored motifs — Ladder Stripe features stacked horizontal stripes in randomized widths, while Stepped Plaid is composed of interlocking ribbons — with a vibrant palette.

Ladder Stripe’s unexpected chromatic arrangements, in seven colourways, offer a new take on the classic stripe. Stepped Plaid, meanwhile, includes both neutral tones and vivid pinks and greens, set atop a light background that creates a sense of transparency. Slubbed yarns of recycled polyester in the warp and weft are balanced by a fine binder yarn reminiscent of needlepoint embroidery, resulting in an exaggerated, yet nuanced texture.

5

Tejo Seating by Isomi

Long workdays are often rewarded with the promise of happy hour. And at Isomi’s Merchandise Mart showroom, happy hour served as the source material for a new modular seating collection. Made from recycled cork from the wine industry, the Tejo sofa system is a paragon of circular design, designed to minimize surplus material. “We were looking to try and find materials that were as natural as possible. We’ve replaced the plywood frame with cork, and foam with natural latex. The fabric is natural wool and hemp,” Crofts explains.

Comprised of curved and straight island units in three depths, the modular collection can be configured to suit a variety of space layouts; tables, planters, screen dividers and integrated power and USB charging can be incorporated. Tejo’s clean-lined forms can be left exposed, showcasing the character of the cork base, or fully upholstered. Unlike conventional sofas, which often use glues and staples in their construction, Tejo is built to be separated into its component parts, which are easily replaced and recycled.

6

Ice Tables by Bernhardt Design

In a sea of wood and upholstery at the Merchandise Mart, Bernhardt Design’s whimsical Ice Tables, designed by Daniel Germani, were a breath of fresh air. “Daniel is someone I’ve always wanted to work with, and I was certain he would propose an interesting product. However, I was astounded when he presented the concept for the Ice tables. We’ve never worked in glass before, but I knew it was worth the learning curve to do something this special,” says Bernhardt president Jerry Helling. “It is simply a beautiful product and one I would like to own personally — which to me is the sign of a good design.”

Reflecting the one-of-a-kind quality of collectible design, the hand-blown occasional tables marry art and commercial product, offering the perfect counterpoint to Bernhardt’s tailored Friends sofa, also shown at NeoCon 2024. Offered in three sizes and three colours — cobalt, amber and smoke — the Ice Tables can be clustered together or hold their own as a standalone showpiece.

7

Morrison Hannah Chair by Knoll

When Bruce Hannah and Andrew Morrison set out to design this task chair for Knoll in 1971, their priorities were clear: It had to be “easy to manufacture, easy to reupholster, easy to live with, easy to love and easy to pay for.” The resulting collection, originally called the 2300 Series, achieved just that. “As we developed a method for designing, a strong point of view evolved – one that favours designing with as few parts as possible and using obvious connections. It is a point of view that takes manufacturing practices into account,” said Hannah.

Previewed at Design Days 2024 and set to be reissued this fall, the Morrison Hannah task chair was displayed in white, as well as a primary colour palette, showcasing its versatility. With intuitive adjustments and ergonomics, it now incorporates new manufacturing technologies that the designers could have only dreamed of when the chair was first launched. Ripe for revival, the timeless Morrison Hannah Chair is just at home in the modern office as it was in the ’70s.

8

Vox Tambour Workstation by Nienkämper

In signature Nienkämper fashion, form meets function in the Vox Tambour Height Adjustable Executive Workstation. This one-stop solution integrates a sit-to-stand desk with hidden storage (including soft-close cabinets and drawers and a pullout cabinet complete with a 3/4 length mirror) clad in sophisticated Tambour-style accent panels. Minimal floating shelves with integrated LED lighting, meanwhile, offer additional storage. Offered in a variety of sizes, finishes and storage options, the Vox Tambour Workstation can be personalized to adapt to any work setting, as well as each person’s physical requirements.

The most exciting addition to the Vox series, however, is its new Eelgrass backboard. The eco-material, made from an abundant carbon-binding sea plant, shined at showrooms across the Mart and Fulton Market, used for everything from seating to space dividers. Thanks to its acoustic, thermal, moisture-regulating and fire-resistant properties, it’s poised to make an appearance in contract spaces in 2024 and beyond.

9

Rei by Prostoria

Croatian furniture brand Prostoria made a strong first impression at NeoCon 2024, opening both a permanent showroom in the Mart as well as its first North American flagship in Chicago’s River North neighbourhood. While the clever Up-lift lounge chair, which unfolds into a bed with a single action, caught our eye, the showroom also showcased several new offerings.

One such launch was Rei, a classic lounge chair whose name takes on a dual meaning. Its winged form nods to the body of a manta ray, while its moulded plywood shell and soft cushions evoke the classic Eames Lounge and Ottoman by Charles and Ray Eames. With its leggy base, Rei offers a lightness and refined simplicity not often afforded by recliners. Instantly iconic yet approachable in its design language, it is the perfect answer to the increasingly fluid nature of work and living spaces.

10

Catifa Carta by Arper

Material innovation took centre stage at Arper’s Fulton Market showroom. Officially launched at Salone del Mobile 2024, Catifa Carta reimagines the brand’s Catifa chair with a re-engineered shell made of a new composite wood by-product called PaperShell. The carbon-sequestering material — the result of advanced scientific research — is just as strong (if not stronger) and comfortable as its plastic counterparts and can be reduced to biochar fertilizer at end of life. Highly customizable, Catifa Carta is available in coffee and graphite colourways with several base options including four-leg, sled, and trestle configurations with and without wheels, and added cushions and removable covers for additional colour and comfort.

As the first manufacturer to apply this technology in the furnishings market, Arper is forging a new path in sustainable product design. Learn more about the material and manufacturing process at our Human/Nature climate conference, on October 24-25, 2024.

Stay tuned for more NeoCon and DesignDays coverage in our September/October issue.