The 2023 NeoCon Preview

We’ve got some serious contenders at play throughout THE MART (and beyond) this year. There’s been some major collaborations in the works for quite some time that are finally ready to make their debuts, and we’re so proud to be able to feature them in our preview.

These next few pages cover it all—from THE MART to right across the street on Wells, and all the way over to the Fulton Market District and their inaugural Design Days, we’ve got some of the greatest minds in design discussing product development, trends and more. So, whether you use this piece as a roadmap to lead you through NeoCon and all its satellite events or make it an essential part of your show prep before heading there, be sure to tag us along the way on any of our social media platforms. We can’t wait to see what you uncover.

Most importantly, we’d be delighted to offer you a little respite in our own showroom #10-109 in THE MART. Come grab a seat, some refreshments and say hello!

Users have many reasons to sink into the Viccarbe (a Steelcase brand) Zoco chair, not the least of which being how it wraps you in comfort for today’s casual work meetups. It’s light and breezy with optional casters that help make quick connections whenever necessary. The rounded shape supports the back in conversation, reading, typing and beyond, indoors and out with a silhouette that mimics the organic shapes of nature. Available in multiple upholstery options.

Woven Gradience is a carpet tile collection that combines classic, handwoven aesthetics and an elegant color palette that can achieve soft, textural gradations that blend seamlessly into one another. Go with neutral-to-neutral pairings or create an invigorating contrast with bolder color choices, like those featured here. The line is made with 100% recycled content nylon and is third-party verified carbon neutral across its full product life cycle through Interface’s Carbon Neutral Floors program.

The Patina series celebrates how weathering and age can create beautiful, natural effects when various metals are exposed to the elements. The additions to this line (such as the warm silver gray of Zinc Patina, featured here) offer more warm dappled surface effects that can apply anywhere vertical calling for a little sophistication. It comes standard in their DecoMetal laminates of solid aluminum sheets with an anodized finish.

Designed by Margot Barolo, the Lola guest and dining chair’s steel frame is so uniquely upholstered with thick cushioning draped over the seat and back that pays close attention to detail with refined stitching. Available in colorways ranging from loud to neutral, the seat’s dimensions are ergonomically designed for optimal performance that ensures maximum comfort and style.

The Capas Tables by jehs + laub nest beautifully within one another, not for convenience but for an elegant design statement. Curved and solid sheets of aluminum are welded together, the simplicity of each piece allowing for just two legs. Available in more than 30 powder coat colors, as well as three heights and widths that come together or just as easily stand alone. Capas is lightweight and easy to move with slim plastic glides under each base.

The Equation task chair offers maximum support with minimal adjustments, featuring three settings of neutral at 0°, mid at 2° and fully engaged at 4°. The weight-activated mechanism adjusts the chair to respond to a wide range of users without manual tension adjustment. Design options include two frame finish colors in black and birch; two mesh patterns available in a variety of colors; height-adjustable arms; height-adjustable pivoting arms; armless; adjustable lumbar; headrest.

Untethered empowers the mobile office—literally. This product portfolio of mobile worktools is equipped with battery packs to power your phone, laptop and mobile TV cart through an entire day. While pulling power from the active battery, the backup packs charge simultaneously and are ready for use when needed. The Untethered battery is nontoxic if punctured, cobalt free and UL Certified. Its mobile power post comes standard with one AC power port and two USB ports. Furniture adapters and battery mounts allow the battery to latch onto to various Teknion products. Desktop chargers and mobile charging carts are also available for the batteries.

Grab a sneak peek at Outdoor Biobased Xorel’s Marseille ahead of its July launch. This fabric was inspired by the coastal city with the most sunshine in France, Marseille. This oversized textural herringbone pattern is made with 85% biobased PE content and is sourced from rapidly renewable sugarcane. Available in three sophisticated neutrals, it has multiple end uses such as upholstery, upholstered walls/panels, wallcovering and acoustical panels.

Swell designer Anna Dawson had a whirlwind of a year after being discovered by Heller President & CEO John Edelman at the 2022 ICFF student exhibition. Together, they are launching this easy hanging storage solution in under one year from concept to production. Swell is a coat rack/meets key bowl/meets catch-all tray that holds up to 75 pounds, modeled after the rolling ocean waves. At the end of Swell’s lifecycle, consumers are able to send it back, with free shipping, and it will then be grinded back into a powder (without using any chemical enhancement) and made into a brand-new product.

Bitmap is a non-vinyl wallcovering within Drop 20, better known as “The Wild Bunch” of textiles and wallcoverings that places “performance luxury” center stage. This playful wallcovering takes inspiration from the digital age and is printed in Designtex’s Surface Imaging facility in Portland, Maine. Bitmap is a good way to create vibrant accents within a space with its colorful, geometric pattern.

Designers are leaning on rugs to bring a quick burst of whatever a space is calling for, whether that be a pop of energy or a calming aesthetic. The Captivate Collection brings nothing but sophistication with this line of hand-loomed, 100% New Zealand wool rugs. Luxuriously textured and level-striated, Captivate brings out the natural beauty of wool in two styles, each in eight colorways, across three standard size options: 5 ft. x 8 ft.; 8 ft. x 11 ft.; 10 ft. x 14 ft. Both are available as a broadloom option up to five meters wide.

Spec has partnered with Cortech USA to expand on their Hardi line of molded mental health products that includes high-impact tables, floor- and wall-mounted desks, three storage solutions and the new Stacker chair that reduces rocking and tip-over. Six soothing shades are available on the one-piece, injection molded construction that increases strength with an easy-to-clean polypropylene surface.

Inspired by its textile counterpart, Utopia, and playing off its Japanese origin, digitally printed Haiku is a Type II phthalate-free vinyl with an Osnaburg backing and bleach cleanability. The 11-inch vertical repeat depicts a dreamlike landscape of whimsical foothills and sumptuous gardens, thanks to semi-stylized brushstrokes that makes the user feel like they are sitting amidst the woods. Available in four colorways.

The Pindrop acoustic surface collection is made entirely from recycled PET felt and features beautiful combinations of shape, pattern, color (12 to be exact) and size. Designed to dampen sound and create calming environments, Pindrop is also hyper-functional in its designs available in shapes and tiles, panels as well as architectural layer applications. It boasts both the Declare Label and is Red list Free.

Shape Study is a hard surface collection available in 24 in. x 24 in. tiles and two visuals: a textured near solid (Graph) and a large-scale abstract pattern (Planar). Offered in a range of vibrant colors that seamlessly coordinate with versatile neutral tones, the collection is designed to support branding, wayfinding and definition of space within commercial environments. It’s available in a 2.5-mm thickness and features an ExoGuard+ finish to provide enhanced scratch and stain resistance, polish optional.

The Ascendant LVT collection under the Parterre brand features 3mm wood grain designs, each in a pre-cut pattern for floor installations. Parterre offers rich walnuts, mid-tone woods and a variety of maple and oak options that offer variations in tone and color. There are nine designs, offered in herringbone and chevron cuts for a total of 18 different options. Each herringbone (seen here) floor plank measures 4 in. x 24 in. x 3 mm, and features a 0.55 mm micro bevel (a small slope on the edge of the plank that provides more definition on the floor).

The Super Natural collection by Suzanne Tick for Luum Textiles is comprised of five environmentally-conscious performance textiles that emphasize natural, renewable, domestic, recycled, biodegradable and circular fiber systems wherever possible. The line balances warm and cool textures effortlessly, as well as the softer colors of nature with the more saturated colors of fashion. This lands it as a jack-of-all-trades for both modern and classic design applications.

Pico Lounge is inspired by Mt. Pico, Portugal’s highest mountain peak, and is newly available with a four-legged wood base. To craft the seat, designers Flemming Busk and Stephan Hertzog were inspired by folded paper. Available in low back and high back versions that both encourage free movement and open various sitting postures. It also comes in a 4-star swivel base and metal sled base, and take your pick from a variety of upholstery, wood and metal finishing options.

The Rigid Core collection is high-end rigid core flooring that looks and feels like a luxurious wood floor. It consists of 9 in. x 72 in. XL size panels in eight decors, featuring BJELIN’s 5G Dry Locking System. This provides a strong and easy fold-down installation system that offers a unique, watertight joint. It’s also crafted using Liteback technology, which provides up to 20% recovery of raw materials in manufacturing, reducing the weight of the floor and, as a result, significantly decreasing the supply chain carbon footprint.

Kirei Tessellate is a collection of five acoustic products: Tessellate Baffle, Tessellate Pendant, Dash Tile, Texture Tile, and Polygon Cloud (featured). Polygon Cloud revolutionizes the popular Kirei EchoStar+ design, gives designers both convex and concave options, and makes a bold yet functional statement in any space. The line (excluding Texture Tile) can be custom printed with Kirei Ink and each product is handcrafted from PET felt panels containing 60% post-consumer recycled content.