NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days brought all the designers to Chicago for a furious handful of days with new launches, events, and talks. Fifty-five thousand people traversed the The Mart, and duked it out for the elevators, this year—a 9 percent increase from last year’s foot traffic.
Meanwhile, at Fulton Market Design, showrooms and pop-up activations made for a lively, design-forward slice of the city. This event’s fourth edition continues to grow with over 80 brands represented, nearly 50 permanent showrooms, and new satellite exhibitions and showcases.
AN Interior‘s editor in chief, Jack Murphy, broke down what he saw. Here are his top picks.
Illuminate at NeoCon
A new lighting showcase took over the seventh floor of The Mart as a dedicated lighting pavilion. This micro-Euroluce showcased brands like RBW, Juniper, and USAI, along with informative educational stagings.
Armstrong
Armstrong’s new immersive showroom at The Mart brings together its portfolio of brands, including Turf Design, 3form, Arktura, Zahner, BŌK Modern, Móz Designs, Geometrik, Eventscape, LightArt, and Parallel. Armstrong’s Templok Energy Saving Ceilings, which won a Best of NeoCon Awards for Innovation and Business Impact, united the brands under one roof. Put together, the new showroom exemplifies the theme “Make the Bold Buildable.”
Turf
Turf transformed its showroom into a vibrant, playful, and nostalgic experience center. The showroom, designed by Elizabeth Von Lehe of CannonDesign, was given a retro makeover. The theme, Neoretrofutureoptimism, leans 1990s vibes, past as a tool for forging a way forward. The retro inflection was told through Turf panels, including the latest launches: Plate, Platter, Cushion, and Point.
Momentum
Momentum introduced an award-winning collection by Michael Ford, an architect and founder of Hip-Hop Architecture Camp. The collection translates foundational hip hop techniques—sampling, rhythm, and movement—into high-performance materials.
Keilhauer and Division Twelve
Division Twelve and Keilhauer’s new showroom at The Mart showcased new additions by both brands. The former launched its first upholstered lounge chair and a natural expansion into soft seating, Pohm. The latter introduced Etta, a collection of furniture designed by Yabu Pushelberg. The pieces, ranging from modular sofas to benches, chairs, and nesting tables, form a full system for workplace furniture.
Emeco
Emeco brought the material sustainability with ZaZa, a bench crafted by Naoto Fukasawa out of recycled aluminum. Also showcased was a chair, Kino, designed by Fukasawa made from sustainably sourced local wood.
HBF
Designed by AN Best of Products Awards juror Henry Julier, HBF’s Chapters installation showcased new and recent projects with designers Liam Lee and Mark Grattan. Soft dividers and opaque curtains created a sequential flow to the showroom, allowing each collection and collaboration to be discovered, resulting in an overall look at the brand’s evolution.
Halcon
Halcon debuted Vesper by Fogarty Finger. The collaboration includes an office system with a table and storage, both in a refined and minimal style. It also marks the firm’s first foray into furniture. Halcon also showcased its first ever conference chair, FERRA, designed by Mario Ferrarini, which boasts leather inlays and ribbon arms.
Kvadrat
At Fulton Market, Kvadrat presented Waves, a new acoustic curtain system developed by Kvadrat Acoustics in collaboration with Foster + Partners Industrial Design. Merging both spatial organization and acoustic solution, Waves offers a flexible architectural element for reshaping interiors.
MillerKnoll
MillerKnoll brought its exhibition momentum to Fulton Market with Craft Work, designed by Ultramoderne. It highlights the human skill behind industrial design through portraits by Balazs Gardi across six MillerKnoll facilities Upstairs, Maharam presented a textile system designed by Leon Ransmeier with three custom art pieces by Robert Stadler.
Arper
Aom, a collection of armchairs and sofas with no polyurethane, was on display at Arper. The de-mountable and sustainable collection, designed by Jean-Marie Massaud, is only composed of two elements: expanded polypropylene and a fully recyclable polyester elastomer.