Aga Artka Interior Design, LLC

NEOCON 2010

June 17th, 2010 3:57 pm

Unlike two years ago, when the heavy rain caused a severe flood of our basement, resulting in a cancellation of my trip to Chicago, this year’s NeoCon came and went without major drama. I was able to spend two days at the show, walk the mart back and forth, up and down, listen to some inspiring speakers and enjoy the after-hour entertainment offered by most major exhibitors. I consider NeoCon 2010 a semi-success. My expectations were perhaps too high. The following is my listing of eye-catching products from both “wow” and “wtf” point of view.

WOW – The Positive

First and foremost, I’d like to present to you the ON chair by Wilkhahn. It received The Product of the Show award and therefor, it deserves the privilege of being written about first. This chair, as you can see in the short market test video on YouTube, brings the idea of flexibility and 3D kinematics together. Its design is clever, minimalistic and very comfortable.

Another example of a beautifully hand-carved and high-quality chair is Corvo by Berhardt. Its classic, simple yet feminine lines  makes your heart beat faster the moment you see it. It’s almost equivalent to the “love at first sight” reaction.

For the Faktura guys, NeoCon 2010 was the first time to show their modern and innovative furniture collection. The New York end table was my absolute favorite. The array of product they design and make in their shop was impressive and very refreshing. Good luck Faktura! I hope the show will bring lots of new business your way.

As far as bathroom accessories trends go, chrome finish has been seen more and more in the market. But leather seems like a new and quite nice addition to the mix. Mockett introduces a collection that will surely make you notice it.

In workplace design, privacy has always been an issue. With the push for more flexible and collaboration-driven spaces, privacy and sound control has been lost in the shuffle. Turnstone Office Furniture designed a fabulous furniture collection for a small company, which represents the new age work style called Campfire. Easy to assemble, likable and affordable, it provides numerous solutions for team work (Meet), social interaction (Mingle) and free address/touch down (Escape) work space.

Last but not least, Tandus received The Gold Award in Resilient Flooring category with this unique product. The Atmosphere looks like any other broadloom carpet. From a technical standpoint however, it combines a nylon wear layer with an exceptionally durable, heat and pressure bound cushion pad called PowerBond. The pattern repeat is larger than I have ever seen, which makes it that much more exquisite.

WTF – The Negative

I am still trying to figure this one out. A woven, true-to- scale elephant in front of the Merchandise Mart had me guessing if I was about to enter a safari show rather than a commercial interior. I supposed it is a good conversation piece?

To continue on the large impact note, Maharam showed some very odd (and huge) textile patterns. With their heavy European eathetic, I just can’t seem to picture the American market going for it any time soon. The two patterns that really stuck with me:

The Blanket (not the actual name)

The Big Ass Paisley (not the actual name)

Carpeting this year could be described in one word: blah. I swear it seems like each year carpet manufacturers discover the newest shade of the same old gray and display it in the new light. I do see the connection between the sluggish economy, slow construction business and decision makers wanting to get an “ever-lasting” and “trend-free” product installed, but come on – gray on gray is not the most exciting option.This is just one of the examples. As much as the texture may be appealing, the color choices are limited, unless you are big gray fan.

On the other end of the carpeting spectrum is this. Mohwak is now able to transfer your family picture onto your floor. Really..?!

At least their display was bright and cheerful.

This concludes my likes and dislikes of NeoCon 2010. I did enjoy myself, and as always, I am looking forward to next year!