NeoCon 2013

Check back in mid June for first hand exhibit notes from our design team!

As you probably know, NeoCon is coming up once again and we can't wait to check out all of the innovative products to be showcased this year! If you're not familiar with the event, NeoCon started in 1969 and is ultimately where the contract industry kicks off its year. Thousands of products and resources for hospitality, healthcare, retail, government, institutional and residential interiors are shown in more than 700 showrooms from various exhibitors. The conference is "North America's largest design exposition for commercial interiors, providing over 40,000 architecture and design professionals with nearly 100 CEU-accredited seminars, association forums and top-notch keynote speakers."

As a part of the design community, we're sending three of our team members to the conference this June to check it all out. This way, we'll have a fresh take on the current and upcoming direction of the industry. Our design/sales team will spend the week checking out various seminars, mingling with other firms, and finding inspiration in the newest interior products. We'll expect to see just about everything from building products to files and storage to wall treatments and lighting. And, of course, a good helping of uniquely modern furniture.

Here's a short list of some vendors expected at Chicago's NeoCon 2013:

BuzziSpace
Arcadia
Chemetal
Izzy+
HON
OFS Brands
SitOnIt
Workrite
Humanscale
Maharam

Perfectly Modern

This week, we're taking a closer look at some uniquely designed furniture from companies who truly understand modern interiors. HighTower Group is a US-based furniture company made up of passionate design enthusiasts. Founded in 2003 by Scott Hartkopf, the company sources, produces, and delivers products from cafe chairs and lobby sofas, to breakout tables and magazine racks - perfect for your commercial work space. HighTower specializes in fresh, innovative designs that fit seamlessly in today's corporate environment. With a keen focus on collaboration, flexibility, and mobility, HighTower helps boost and maintain our newest generation's productivity at the office.

"Grey walls and cubicles are a thing of the past - offices should be be fun and engaging."

Hartkopf says, "It was clear that our industry was craving new designs for commercial spaces, but needed these exciting, new designs to be more readily available & easy to specify.  We all agreed and started to work on creating HighTower's product collection based out of High Point, North Carolina."

Co-founded by Scott's two daughters, HighTower is "infused with the sensibilities of Gen Y." This combination of generations provides the company with a unique perspective and makes it easy for them to design products that are desirable for how people work in today's world.

Here's a look at a few of our favorite HighTower picks:

InDuplo Sofa - Ernst & Jensen
Comfortable and sculptural sofa with modern retro styling
Lacquered aluminum legs available in white or black standard 
2 seat or 3 seat options
Lowback or Midback

Log - Naoto Fukasawa, 2006
Crafted from oak with natural clear lacquer finish
Series includes stool, bench, bench grande, and table
Removable lid for storage

Papa - Jonas Lindvall 
Beautiful bentwood lounge chair
Inspired by the Danish golden era of design and Hemingway’s grandiosity
Frame available in clear lacquered Oak or black stained Oak
Optional upholstered seat pad
Matching Table available

Images and specs via HighTower

Whiten Up

We all know about the importance of color in the workplace and what it can do for your business. But what about the impact of white in a space?

Arguably the purest "color", this clean tint adds an amount of elegance that only white or black can achieve. Its simplicity keeps things looking fresh and visually appealing with little effort. Sure, we love a good pop of color and a fun ode to a seasonal trend here and there, however, there's something so perfect about the purity of white that keeps us interested and thirsty for more.

Some of the latest in modern design utilizes the color white in conjunction with sleek materials - like glass, resin, or concrete - leaving a simple, minimalistic aesthetic that's easy on the eye.

Spring is the perfect time to update your look and using white is a great way to get a fresh new start for the season! What are your favorite colors for the office?

Check out these inspirational space designs that put white to work in a fantastically modern way:

Use interesting textures and shapes to create an eye catching display of white.

Or leave it flat and functional for a non-messy look.

And, of course, you can't go wrong with the addition of contrasting brights to give some depth to an all white design.

Are Private Offices Going Away?

As interior design advances along with technology and these modern ideas of "working", the open floor plan has become increasingly popular. So much so, that many CEOs don't even use private office for themselves anymore. Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, says "in 30 years time, as technology moves forward even further, people are going to look back and wonder why offices ever existed."

The truth is, most young talent coming into the workforce is already immersed into this culture of working remotely. With technology's hand in nearly every aspect of our lives, the office could be just a reach away at any point in time, literally, right there in your pocket. Though this may sound alarming for us in the "office furniture" sector of the business, we're not too concerned. Sure, technology is taking over a bit, but we're not convinced that offices will be completely extinct any time soon. Many successful owners, managers, CEOs, etc. prefer to be mobile and out in the open areas of their employee spaces to provide a secure sense of camaraderie among the office and really get a sense of what's happening with the business - which is extremely smart.

Jack Dorsey, the master mind behind Twitter and Square, says "I don't have an office. I don't have a desk. Mainly I am just walking around the office. Sitting down with people. Figuring out what is going on. What the biggest challenge is. What we've built. Resolving any issues that occur. I have my space in my iPad, I have my space in my head."

So, office buildings in general won't be going away any time soon. Businesses still need a place to get work done and a productive space in which to share ideas. However, the more open the floor plan, the more technology utilized, and the more modern the ideas for collaboration...the better - and we're planning on being around through that shift.

Branson adds, "The key for me is that in today's world I do not think it is effective or productive to force your employees one way or another. Choice empowers people and makes for a more content workforce."

How do you utilize these new ideas for your own workspace?

Check this out...

We love an interesting solution to small spaces and clutter, or just interesting furniture in general. This awesomely designed series is so innovative, we want a piece to hold all of our random stuff too! The No Stereotype Series was crafted by furniture design grad student Dong-yeop Han of South Korea. His collection has the ability to store pretty much anything, both inside and outside, with its plethora of heavy duty elastic bands covering the entire surface. The series includes boxy chairs, cabinets, and small storage ottomans. (Potential play room fix?)

"Each piece is covered in woven elastic bands that stretch around objects to hold and store them in place."

These bands could easily be found at your local hardware store, but Han had the great idea of re-purposing them as an addition to simply designed pieces of furniture. By utilizing the typically unused outer surface for storage, furniture’s original purpose is also doubled. What a great idea to keep clutter safely in its place and reuse common materials in the process!

We love the Scandinavian-esque style of the collection, as well. With their simple color palette, clear form and function, and raw finishes, we could definitely see these pieces used in today's interior design world. Such a modern take on some simple storage solutions.

via Design Milk