This is an exerpt from an article by Stefanie Schwalb. To view the full article, click here.
NeoCon is back in action, and this latest edition—which began with a press preview on Sunday June 9—offered plenty of new products and innovations to discover in the Mart (and outside of it). From a wide variety of seating options and tables to a wealth of textiles and noise reduction solutions plus a whole lot more, the tours we attended we’re just the beginning for what promised to be an inspiring week ahead. Of course, we’ll be covering the entire experience in a series of stories over the next few weeks, but first, we’d be remiss not to say that the previous use of the term “thoughtful design” (which wasn’t always truly apparent in the past) has finally come into its own—and oftentimes in vibrant colors. Designs created with multiple body types, work styles, and client needs are being addressed in the best ways possible. If there’s one good thing to come out of the 2020 pandemic, it’s that so many brands have evolved to be human-centric and are taking into careful consideration what people want and need. So let’s start with some of the showrooms and brand reps that we caught up with to talk about their new innovations and future prospects.
KI, Pallas Textiles, and KI Wall
Starting on the 11th floor, we headed over to check out KI’s expansive space, which includes Pallas Textiles and KI Wall. Collectively, these brands continue to premiere some impressive products every NeoCon. Walking the showroom and talking with Regional A&D Manager Jason Lazarz shed some insight on where the company is going. “We want to shift perceptions. A lot of lot of people know us as a school brand, but we want people to understand all the capabilities that we have,” he said. “But of course education spaces are also getting sophisticated themselves, so it’s all sort of blurring into one thing. I think people talk about resimercial a lot, but I actually think there’s such a big synergy going on between education and workplace.” You have to make things comfortable andinviting, he added, and you have to make it easier for people to do their work while they’re there. “It can’t just be pleasant; it has to be smart as well, so it’s really about refining our aesthetic. When we look at things, we like to look at it for multiple functions and markets so that doesn’t just live in one place, and we make sure clients can have
a language consistent throughout multiple spaces.” To achieve this mission, several new products were unveiled at this year including the Tributaire Table Collection, which won a Best of NeoCon Silver Award for Conference Room Furniture and a Silver for Tables: Task; the Sonrisa Lounge Furniture; Orenda Casegoods; the Zoetry Lounge with Tablet Arm; and the LimeLite Conference Seating with Enhanced Motion. Visitors also enjoyed a look at the Nav & Cheevo Esports Chairs and a sneak peek of the Zeker Modular Seating and the Passel
Workspace Collection.
Meanwhile, KI Wall made its mark at NeoCon 2024 with a showing of its architectural pods and walls focusing on seamlessly integrating into contemporary spaces in a functional yet visually enticing way. “KI Wall has been around for more than 30 years, but we were finding that a lot of people didn’t know that still, so we wanted to give it its own space and visibility,” Lazarz noted.
“We created this experience here, we’ve given it a new website this year, and we’re really showcasing all of its capabilities.” Case in point: The installation of its curved glass wall with the Lightline Low Profile Storefront as a one-inch base trim. “This is traditionally what people
think about demountable walls, but really we’re doing a lot more with them these days especially as it goes into different typologies like health care and higher education,” he continues. “We’re doing a lot of solid walls as well.” Within the space visitors were able to view KI Wall’s internal capabilities and how they are pre-installing boxes for electric or electric light switches; plus, they’re even doing plumbing now. “All of this can be figured out before it even goes up. It also just shows up already done, so it’s cutting out time for the contractor, and it goes in really clean,” he added. “We’re really excited about the capabilities, and I think they’re only going to continue.” Over in the Pallas Textiles section, there was anexclusive preview of their collection with a cause, In Good Company, which is focused on sustainability.
“Of hyper-absorbent textiles this year, we’re showing this collection of six wovens all incorporating Seaqual® Yarns made of upcycled plastic from the ocean, and we’re donating a portion of the proceeds to the Seaqual® Foundation to help their mission to remove plastic
from the ocean and turn it into something else,” Lazarz concluded. “The samples were showing evoke a water element to them, and we’re really excited about it.”