NeoCon 2007

Amid the sea of seating that threatens to overwhelm visitors to NeoCon-the granddaddy of contract trade shows-there are always gems to be discovered. Each session I am freshly amazed by how ahead of the curve contract firms seem to be, working with hip young designers to push the limits of technology and R&D transforming vision into product. Green was a major theme but in addition there was a strong emphasis on innovative materials and processes this year.

Residential designers take note. Why wouldn’t you want to specify sleek, sophisticated designs that are excellently crafted, durable, and versatile? If so, you can find them in the contract market.

Green
The topic on the tip of everyone’s tongue in the design community at the top of consumer’s conscience was Green. Eco-themed products were abundant on all floors and in the booths; some were truly green while some just claimed to be.

Generational shifts are one of the major factors in the growth of green: Aging baby-boomers are placing pressure on the healthcare industry to offer “greener” options, while Gen X and Gen Y consumers have been pushing the hospitality industry for some time to healthier, more organic choices in everything from pillow menus to room-service menus.

Designers looking for products to specify in this category really need to develop the skill set to distinguish all the nuances of this rapidly-growing, not-so-underground niche. Everyone’s talking about it, now we, as professionals, have to learn it. Fortunately for designers eager to gain more insight into the whole “green thing”, eco-awareness was all around with Green organizations had a high profile. I4Design, a Chicago-based design magazine, sponsored an exhibit highlighting local green efforts.



TODL, a comprehensive design specification website,
launched TODL Green, a sister site where
designers can one-stop-shop for green products.

The U.S. Green Building Council, developers of the LEED rating system (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) sponsored the Polar Ice Café. The LEED system is the de facto standard for green building certification and provided a starting point for visitors to learn more about green product and construction materials.

Designtex’s Materials Matter collection.
Material Matters is the third collection from the collaboration between Designtex and the Guggenheim Museum. Inspiration for this collection came from art and technology blended together to capture the provocative spirit of the museum's visionary architecture. Each style pushes the limits on material innovation, in the same way Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture did more than 50 years ago. For me, the two standouts are an audible upholstery, and a die-cut, dimensional style with sustainable attributes, both of which require further explanation!

Sonic, a 100% polyester fabric, literally integrates technology with art: It used recycled audio cassette table as its fill yarn. Alyce Santoro,the designer of Sonic, developed the audible textile as part of her aim to find new uses for post-industrial waste. She wove a multilayered audio track into the fabric, which can be heard by drawing a tape head from a reconfigured Walkman over its surface. In corporate settings, Sonic can be used as an eye-catcher and conversation piece but it’s completely appropriate for residential upholstery and drapery specifications.




Die Cut Ingeo is a lightweight drapery fabric with a three-dimensional quality created by fusing, embossing and die-cutting the fabric in a swirling cut-outs, inspired by Wright’s famous rotunda. The fabric is 100% Ingeo™, a man-made polylactic acid (PLA) fiber derived from corn starch. This biodegradable non-woven material is a closed-loop sustainable product, meaning that is can be safely and fully composted at the end of the product’s lifecycle.








Silent Gliss introduced Vertical Waves, specialty cut vertical vanes that redefines interior spaces thru play of light and shadow.











Momentum Textiles and designer Sara Balderi looked to the city for inspiration- L.A. to be exact. With her camera and a tank of gas she set off on an afternoon drive to see if one could create interiors with as vibrant a personality as a city. The result is the L.A. on a Tank of Gas textile collection. From the photographs taken she devised shapes and textures for the designs and the overall coloring and feel. The four designs, Romey’s, Dimys, Pann’s, and Rae’s are a guidebook to Southern CA Googie architecture- bold scale, antigravity illusions, tilting shapes.




Chilewich adapted the concept of faux bois furnishings to a woven vinyl that mimics natural materials and looks like the wood grain of plain sawn wood. Offered in tiles, mats, rolled goods and by the yard, I’m already envisioning it as fabulouswindow coverings.


Babette Holland has ventured into the lighting market with six new products made from homespun recycled aluminum. The lamps feature tints and overlaid bands with color fades.