The future workplace provides plenty of opportunities to personalize the work setting, as evidenced at NeoCon 2022, the international trade show for the contract marketplace.  

The annual gathering of furniture and interiors professionals was in full-scale for the first time since 2019. Products and trends premiered at NeoCon typically inform design and furnishing of workspaces, as well as higher education, healthcare and hospitality settings for the coming years.  

Given the proliferation of easily customizable furnishings in bold colors and lush materials, one trend was clear: manufacturers are betting on choice and design to do what free food, amenities and mandates have not done — draw workers back to the workplace.  

With many employees resistant to return to the workplace, efforts are focusing on helping organizations navigate an environment where uncertainty continues to prevail regarding how offices will be used.  

The emphasis this year was clearly on creating spaces that support a hybrid workplace.  

For employers, exhibitors showed numerous solutions with high degrees of flexibility, mobility and agility, and plenty of latitude for current and future reconfigurations. For employees, manufacturers displayed settings with high levels of customization emphasizing the comfort and aesthetics they likely became accustomed to, while working from home for two years.  

Manufacturers’ offerings clearly acknowledged that hybrid work is now the norm and will likely continue to be so, going forward.  

“In a concerted effort to future proof an environment where no one can predict longer term usage, spaces and their interior furnishings need to do double duty.” – Carolyn Cirillo  

However, the majority of manufacturers at NeoCon were focused on just one space in the workplace ecosystem: the office. While they recognize the need to connect on and offsite workers, little attention was devoted to equipping other spaces in the ecosystem, most specifically home offices or even coworking spaces.  

Here are some ways to create a hybrid-friendly workspace with ‘double duty’ furnishings:  

New, smaller-scaled solutions were also seen for personal desk-side storage.  

For the most basic storage, desks and tables had integrated hooks for hanging purses and backpacks. Open bins that straddle table legs were in abundance for a convenient option to drop a tote or backpack while working onsite, or even angled drawers that open to house a pair of sneakers.  

Pedestals were offered in ever-narrower widths and shorter depths, designed to hold only the most minimal items, and with finishes designed to add a pop of color to the work area. Many featured an open top to capture writing utensils, cell phones, notepads and other essentials.  

Recognizing that many employees are not willing to give up the cozy surroundings they’ve experienced over the last two years, manufacturers presented broad options in soft seating that seek to recreate the comfort and aura of home.  

Sofa options came in multiple sizes and shapes, impactful colors and varying levels of firmness. Poufs, ottomans and bean bag variations accommodate an even greater range of postures.   

Tables of all types – from utilitarian coffee table to the most luxuriously finished height adjustable conference tables – were featured in all sorts of organic shapes, with lush materiality that ranged from rich veneers to leather trim, luxury marble and stone and everything in between.   

Edging on tables and desks was also rounded, with sinuous curves found in all sorts of applications.  

While booths and banquettes have grown in popularity in recent years, this NeoCon they were highly visible in multiple work settings in cozy two-person settings to booths that could comfortably seat six or more.  

Scandinavian influences were highly visible, with lots of blond wood and muted colors throughout, occasionally mixed with walnut and other wood tones.   

Color was visible in a much bigger presence than previous years and found in unexpected places, such as blush and navy-colored beams that carried power or served as a base for furniture systems.   

With the exception of a universally designed phone booth with no step or ledge, little attention seemed to be focused on accessibility, and more on creating equitable meeting experiences for remote and onsite workers.  

Tapered tables and rooms set with horizontally arranged seating in various heights were clearly trying to make the onscreen experience equitable for remote attendees.   

Similarly, quiet phone booths and meeting rooms were visible to support privacy needs and spontaneous meetings within open office settings. Many had been upgraded with air circulation and acoustic treatments and in a range of sizes.  

By far the greatest attention was focused on efforts to achieve sustainability.  

Several chair manufacturers presented upholstered options that could be knit to size, generating zero fabric waste. Furnishings that incorporate ocean bound plastics and other recycled materials were presented by numerous exhibitors, as were cradle-to-cradle products and other materials intended to minimize carbon footprint.  

While traffic and excitement may have been up at the annual design showcase, it is clear that supporting the return to office and hybrid work is a work in progress that will continue to unfold over the next few years. In the meantime, manufacturers showed plenty of options to create flexible spaces today despite a future still full of uncertainty.  

Carolyn Cirillo is Workplace Research Manager for Knoll, where she studies macro trends, the future of work and the impact of inspiring workplaces on the user experience and organizational outcomes. A native of Los Angeles now living in Brooklyn, she is passionate about adaptive reuse, mass transit and modern design.

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