Indianapolis Design Professionals Visit NeoCon 2012
A group of Indianapolis design professionals recently returned from a one day trip to NeoCon 2012.
Sponsored by Jack Laurie Home Floor Designs, senior designer with J. Baker Interiors, Patrick Schmidt ASID, RID joined a busload of local design professionals to NeoCon to explore, experience, and educate themselves on this year’s newest products. Featured products spanned a wide range of categories including: architectural products, artwork and accessories, building products and services, fabric, floor coverings, furnishings, kitchen and bath, lighting, outdoor furniture, stone and tile, sustainable design products, technology, textiles and wall coverings.
Herman Miller ® Eames Aluminum Group Executive Chair
Schmidt was sure to check out the first floor of the Merchandise Mart, featuring the Herman Miller Lounge in the South Lobby. Herman Miller, Inc. celebrated multiple honors during the annual event. The annual Best of NeoCon awards for product, juried by interior design and facility management professionals who reviewed more than 350 entries, acknowledged Geiger’s Clamshell Chair Collection with the Gold award in the Conference Seating category, and Herman Miller’s Setu Conference Stool with the Silver award. Herman Miller also earned an Innovation award for their complete re-engineering of the Eames Aluminum Group chairs with new materials and finish options suitable for the outdoors.
A hot topic floating around the Merchandise Mart at this year’s NeoCon was that Skyline Design was previewing its newest collection of architectural glass, designed by Dorothy Cosonas and KnollTextiles. Skyline Design is the premier producer of sustainable architectural glass, mirrors, and children’s furniture in North America. The KnollTextiles Glass Collection is an iconic collection of seven patterns that rediscover the nonchalant luxury of classic textiles. Linear, undulating, textural, playful, and organic designs translate textile weaves onto glass with a range of scales and opacities.
The KnollTextiles® Glass Collection
The KnollTextiles® Glass Collection
Two of the five patterns in the collection, Divine™ and Enchantment™, were designed by Dorothy Cosonas, Creative Director at KnollTextiles. Known for combining clean, clear color with modern, elegant patterns and textures in her textile designs, Dorothy Cosonas is influenced by her passion for fine art and international fashion. “Inspiration for the KnollTextiles line comes from a range of sources, from nature and travel to fashion and art,” said Ms. Cosonas. Cosonas was the recipient of numerous awards, including Gold at Best of NeoCon.
An official product launch of The KnollTextiles Glass Collection will occur in the Fall of 2012.
Floor coverings and outdoor furniture weren’t the only featured items at this year’s attraction. The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) was excited to announce Style Your Sole at NeoCon’s three day event. Schmidt, an ASID member, was able to participate in the community outreach event that invited conference attendees to style more than 200 pairs of TOMS shoes. The decorated shoes were distributed to children at Channing’s Child Care in Chicago on June 13th.
For more information about what was unveiled at NeoCon 2012, visit http://www.neocon.com/
About NeoCon
The National Exposition of Contract Furnishings and North America’s largest contract furnishings trade show, returned June 11-13 to Chicago’s Merchandise Mart for its 44th year with an expertly crafted line-up of show components developed to educate, inspire and engage the design world. With approximately more than 40,000 attendees, 120 CEU-accredited seminars, thousands of new products from more than 700 of the world’s top manufacturers, and perhaps the most impressive line-up of keynote speakers to date, NeoCon 2012 delivered three days of pure energy bursting with new innovations, resources and networking opportunities.
