Inside METROPOLIS’s Sustainability Lab at NeoCon

The SANDOW Design Group, in partnership with 3form for the third consecutive year, introduces its DesignScene lounge at NeoCon 2024, located on the 11th floor of The Mart in Chicago. This year's lounge, titled "Colorblock," explores the concept of stepping inside color through an intricate display of shapes and contrasting shades. The design draws heavily from the art historical technique of color blocking, which involves juxtaposing colors from opposite ends of the spectrum, echoing modernist movements from the 20th century. Cindy Allen, editor-in-chief of Interior Design, explains that the Colorblock theme builds upon the previous year's "Colorplay" and uses graphic techniques to define different brand areas within the lounge, with warm reds and pinks for Interior Design and cool greens for Metropolis. The color palette itself is inspired by the work of Le Corbusier, particularly his storied house in France. Ryan Smith, chief creative officer at 3form, shares that both he and Allen were independently drawn to Le Corbusier’s aesthetic as inspiration. Smith notes that Le Corbusier's house features a muted palette, a characteristic intentionally carried into the DesignScene lounge. The colors chosen for the 2024 space are slightly subdued to ensure that all areas of the space feel activated, creating an inviting atmosphere rather than an overwhelming one. The design integrates bold graphics and unexpected installations on walls, floors, and ceilings. Smith explains that the graphic patterns throughout the lounge are informed by the existing architecture of the space, leveraging shadows and edges to create a dynamic interplay of lines and color blocking. This approach ensures that every shade feels integrated and purposeful within the environment. The lounge features materials from various partners to bring the color scheme to life. Flooring is provided by Shaw Contract, wallcoverings by Momentum Textiles and Wallcovering, and paint by Behr. This collaborative effort transforms the space into a three-dimensional colored canvas, offering visitors a unique sensory experience. A key element of the lounge is an expansive communal table, designed to facilitate connection and relaxation, offering a welcome reprieve from the busy NeoCon show floor. Additionally, HBF has contributed to the lounge by creating an activation space with its signature furnishings, offering comfortable seating for attendees with weary feet. Beyond the aesthetic experience, DesignScene serves as a hub for industry engagement and knowledge sharing. Attendees can observe Interior Design editors preparing the NeoCon ShowDaily newspaper and participate in ongoing industry roundtables with design leaders. The lounge also hosts rising stars selected for the "First NeoCon" program, a partnership with The Mart, supporting emerging talent in the design field. The Sustainability Lab by Metropolis is another integral part of DesignScene, showcasing sustainable products, providing curated readings and resources, and offering additional spaces for visitors to relax and recharge. The collaboration between SANDOW Design Group and its partners aims to create a deeply immersive and informative experience rooted in design innovation and community. #NeoCon2024 #ColorBlocking #InteriorDesign #3form #LeCorbusier #DesignScene #ArchitecturalInspiration #SustainableDesign #DesignInnovation

The MetropolisLikes 2024 Awards highlight a significant shift in interior design, emphasizing sustainability and responsibility in product development. This year, 40 products were selected from 169 submissions presented at NeoCon and Design Days in Chicago, reflecting a growing industry consensus that designers have a responsibility to recommend sustainable options to their clients, a sentiment echoed by 73 percent of designers in THINKLAB's 2024 U.S. Design Industry Benchmark Report. Manufacturers have responded by integrating a variety of eco-friendly attributes into their new releases. Among the winning products, a substantial number utilize biobased, biosourced, or natural materials. For wood-based products, FSC certification is a consistent standard. Many items are either certified carbon neutral or incorporate carbon-sequestering materials, and the majority are designed with sustainable end-of-use or end-of-life solutions, aiming for 85 to 100 percent recyclability, biodegradability, or compostability. This comprehensive approach to sustainability marks a new era where beauty and environmental responsibility are intertwined in furnishings and fixtures. The awards are categorized into Acoustics, Flooring, Furniture, Lighting, Outdoor, Systems & Solutions, and Textiles & Wallcoverings. In the Acoustics category, products like Impact Acoustic Archisonic Cotton tiles are noted for their use of cotton cellulose, a 100 percent natural by-product of the textile industry, and their recyclability. Turf Arcade offers compression-molded ceiling tiles made from recycled PET felt with high noise reduction coefficients. Flooring innovations include ABPURE Infinity Neutral, a 3 mm rubber sheet flooring that achieves carbon neutrality without carbon credits by using renewable natural gas from organic waste. Bentley's Pacific Standard Time carpet collection is PVC- and Red List–free, Cradle to Cradle Certified, and produced in a carbon-neutral facility. HMTX Industries' Teknoflor Healthscapes uses thermoplastic polyurethane as a vinyl alternative for enhanced durability and infection control, being Red List–free and easy to maintain. Mannington Commercial's Liminal Space carpets are 105 percent carbon offset (cradle to gate). Mohawk Group's Shape Theory is Red List–free and Living Product Challenge petal certified, supporting net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Patcraft's Waste Knot is a 100 percent PET hybrid flooring material that is fully recyclable. REGUPOL Upscale offers luxury rubber tile and plank made from recycled tire rubber and EPDM chips. Shaw Contract's EcoWorx Resilient is a PVC-free, fully recyclable flooring product with high static load limits and superior stain resistance. Tarkett's Layered Duality collection includes soft and hard surface patterns, with soft surfaces treated with Eco-Ensure, a C2C Certified Material Health Certificate™ at the Platinum Level, and is part of Tarkett’s ReStart® take-back program. Furniture highlights include Allsteel Mat Chair, crafted from renewable hemp and eelgrass; Arper Catifa Carta, with a seat made from PaperShell (paper, steam, and bio-resin) that can be returned for biochar conversion, making the chair carbon-negative; Bernhardt Design Ice Tables, handblown glass tables designed by Daniel Germani; BOSS Design Frida, a focus pod easy to disassemble for recycling, containing 10.95 percent recycled materials and 85.19 percent recyclable materials; Division Twelve Crux, a certified carbon-neutral collection made with FSC-certified wood; Haworth Breck, a lightweight office chair (approx. 30 lbs) that is 94 percent recyclable and contains 58 percent recycled content; Heller Fortune Chair, made from 100 percent recyclable postconsumer plastic; Keilhauer Dais, a certified carbon-neutral chair designed by Form Us With Love; Mantra Inspired Furniture Unity Table Collection, flat-packed, 100 percent biodegradable, compostable, and Red List–free; Martin Brattrud Azusa tables, with FSC-certified wood tops and formaldehyde- and PVC-free materials; Model No. Esker Chair, 3D printed with resins upcycled from plant waste and featuring carbon-negative biochar pigment; and Teknion Aarea, designed for easy disassembly, service, and full recycling. In Lighting, Focal Point Polina is an acoustic luminaire made with a dual-density PET shade for sound absorption. Outdoor products feature Janus et Cie Chill Collection, made from JANUSstone (fiberglass-reinforced concrete) in nature-inspired matte colors, and Tuuci Meritage Collection, offering various seating options for hospitality and commercial settings. Systems & Solutions include Allermuir Crate Divide Curved, an adaptable steel structure with 50 percent recycled content and 99 percent recyclability; Framery Smart Pod, featuring sophisticated technology and class-A soundproofing; Hightower Toward Modular, a collection adhering to Living Building Challenge Red List 4.0 guidelines; Knoll Cove Collection, a minimalist collection for private offices using a wood finishing process with carefully selected veneers; Good Plastic Company Polygood, a sustainable material made from 100 percent recycled plastic and 100 percent recyclable via a take-back program; and Urban Evolutions Dimant Medallion Wood Wall Panel, made in the USA with solid wood and MDF exceeding Eco-Certified Composite Standard. Textiles & Wallcoverings include Arc-Com Explorer Collection, LBC Red List–free and REACH compliant; Brentano Patchwork, made from 45 percent postconsumer recycled polyester and 55 percent cotton; CF Stinson Sea Change, utilizing SEAQUAL YARN® made from reclaimed ocean plastic; HBF Textiles Memorable Collection, with fabrics made from 100 percent postconsumer recycled plastic and sustainably produced leather; Kvadrat Ame, the first Kvadrat textile woven with recycled polyester from textile waste; Ultrafabrics Volar Bio, with 66 percent recycled, rapidly renewable, and biobased ingredients; and Wolf-Gordon Crossings by Dorothy Cosonas, an upholstery collection of durable patterns. Momentum Textiles & Wallcovering Circon is the first bio-sourced, carbon-neutral wallcovering substrate, offering sustainability comparable to conventional vinyl options. #MetropolisLikes #DesignAwards #SustainableDesign #EcoFriendlyProducts #InteriorDesign #NeoCon #DesignDays #CarbonNeutral #RecycledMaterials

The 51st edition of Neocon, a commercial design fair held in Chicago, highlighted a significant shift in design philosophy, emphasizing sensory experiences, natural elements, and the blurring of lines between work and home environments. Keynote speakers Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of Roman + Williams encouraged designers to prioritize sensory engagement and historical reverence in their work. This sentiment was echoed across various activations and product launches from leading brands such as Skyline Design, Designtex, Haworth, and Stylex. Skyline Design collaborated with Paris-based designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec to introduce the Oblique and Chevron glass collection. This collection draws inspiration from the luminous qualities of stained glass and the natural world, featuring architectural-grade glass tiles that create an abstracted color landscape. The ethereal, ombré patterns are achieved by digitally distilling and realigning colors from eight nature photographs taken by the Bouroullecs, ensuring optimal light transmission and conveying a sense of movement and atmospheric tone. DesignTex unveiled The Bauhaus Project, a collection that pays homage to women designers and tactile developments within the Bauhaus movement. Through collaborations with the estates of Bauhaus weavers Gunta Stolzl and Anni Albers, 16 historical designs, some minimally produced or never before seen, were meticulously recreated. These reinterpretations integrate innovative digital technologies and adaptive fibers, effectively translating past designs into contemporary work environments while maintaining their original artistic integrity. Patricia Urquiola's designs for Haworth, particularly the Cabana Lounge, address the challenges of workplace chaos by incorporating sound-sensitive barriers. These barriers are designed to enhance productivity and provide sensory protection, allowing the lounge to function simultaneously as a private retreat and a communal space. The modular seating system features rounded edges, contributing to an overall impression of softness and comfort, thereby softening the distinction between professional and domestic settings. Stylex presented Free Address, a set of smart work systems developed by Jay Koback and Ehren Gaag of Gensler. These systems comprise seating and table sets designed to support cooperative work in flexible, creative environments. Despite their advanced functionality for professional use, they are aesthetically disguised as sophisticated sofas and side tables, making them suitable for home interiors. This approach reflects the growing trend of integrating work and life, where office furniture needs to blend seamlessly into residential aesthetics. Overall, Neocon 2019 demonstrated a clear industry direction towards embracing sensory comfort, domesticity, and balance within design. Commercial environments are increasingly being tailored to human experiences, with a focus on how physical spaces can positively influence health, productivity, creativity, and collaboration. The fair underscored a commitment to creating versatile and human-centric spaces that cater to the evolving needs of individuals in both their professional and personal lives. #NeoconChicago #SensoryDesign #BauhausInfluence #WorkplaceDesign #HomeOfficeIntegration #ArchitecturalGlass #TextileRevival #PatriciaUrquiola #ModularFurniture

METROPOLIS has launched a new video series titled "Natural Habitat," which spotlights sustainable homes and their design principles. The inaugural episode features a tour of Evelyn Carr-White's home in Cold Spring, New York. Carr-White, an interior designer and owner of Domicilist, and her family transformed an existing 1980s log cabin into a modern, energy-efficient residence. The project involved enlisting River Architects to expand and renovate the original structure. The architects adhered to Passive House principles, aiming to create a comfortable and private primary suite, a highly functional modern kitchen, and significantly reduce the home's energy consumption for heating and cooling. A key challenge was working within the constraints of the conservation board, which limited the new footprint to a modest 7-feet-by-30-feet addition. Despite this, the architects managed to create substantial new spaces, including the primary suite by building upwards to the second floor. The design successfully integrates modern aesthetics with a strong commitment to environmental preservation. River Architects incorporated both low-tech and advanced mechanical solutions for the building envelope. This included using shredded newspaper treated with non-toxic rodent deterrent for insulation, importing triple-pane windows from Slovakia, and utilizing sustainably sourced wood. These material choices contribute to the home's impressive energy efficiency and its minimal environmental impact. Inside the home, the interior design draws inspiration from the natural surroundings. A carefully curated palette of greens, browns, natural stone, and wood is consistently applied throughout the space, creating a cohesive and harmonious connection between the indoor and outdoor environments. The objective was to ensure the home felt integrated with its idyllic setting, allowing residents to experience and appreciate nature from within. Juhee Lee, owner of River Architects, emphasizes the importance of such sustainable building practices. She highlights that being in nature underscores the necessity of these efforts, suggesting that firsthand experience makes the value of sustainable design evident. The video series aims to educate and inspire viewers by showcasing how thoughtful design and material selection can lead to beautiful, functional, and environmentally responsible homes. #SustainableArchitecture #NaturalHabitat #PassiveHouse #GreenBuilding #ArchitecturalDesign #InteriorDesign #EnergyEfficiency #VideoSeries