June 20, 2019

Top Three Steelcase Trends At NeoCon 2019

Shared by Dave Seidl, New Business Development

Members of the NBS team had the opportunity to attend NeoCon this year, the annual commercial design conference in Chicago. As always, it was a time filled with lots of fun, food and great design.

As a distributor of Steelcase products, NBS is always working to stay on top of the trends Steelcase sets, as they are one of the most innovative companies in the commercial interiors industry. Here are the top three Steelcase trends we saw at NeoCon 2019:

1. Mobile Furniture

The most exciting Steelcase announcement this year was that of their Flex Collection and Roam product, two innovative solutions that empower teams to collaborate in new ways and create spaces that can be rearranged on demand. The optional wheels on both tables and carts in the collection allow for supreme agility so teams can surround themselves with the information and ideas they need.

• The Steelcase® Flex Collection – won Gold in Best of NeoCon for Furniture Collections for Collaboration. In a matter of minutes, teams working together can reconfigure their space with the interconnectivity and clever details this collection is designed with. Also, the modern style, soft corners and material options provide an excellent variety for customization.

• Steelcase® Roam™– won Best of NeoCon Gold in the Technology-Integrated Solutions category. Roam is a system of mobile stands and easy-to-install wall mounts created to complement Surface Hub 2 for collaboration anywhere. It can be used untethered as it features a storage tray and cord management designed to hold an optional charge battery.

“It’s much more than just having objects that move. It’s about how workers can change their space with these new tools and furniture while staying in flow,” says Cherie Johnson, Steelcase global design director.

2. Room Division/Creation

In addition to collaborative spaces, work environments also need options for workers who desire privacy. This can be achieved in a variety of ways. Steelcase featured two products in particular this year that facilitate privacy.

• Lagunitas Focus Nook – offers workers a touch-down destination in a traditional work posture for completing focused tasks. It allows for real estate optimization while providing a distraction free workspace.

• Orangebox – was one of the best performance products showcased by Steelcase at Neocon 2019. They consist of modular, reconfigurable meeting rooms, high back sofas and more, featuring shallower seat depths and good back angles conducive for working.

3. Materiality

With thoughtfully designed spaces and a layering of materials, designers are able to appeal to more people within one particular space. The use of biophilia (connection to nature in the work environment) along with combining both the natural and man-made materials continued to be themes this year.

People are drawn to a diverse set of surface materials with complex patterns and textures found in nature. Warm, humanistic and natural materials are being layered together to create inspiring spaces where people want to work. “We see interests in making spaces more eclectic, not so monolithic in colors patterns and settings,” says Bruce Smith, Steelcase director of global design.