NeoCon 2024 Trends

NeoCon 2024 felt like it had a lot more energy than the last few years. Maybe it was the gorgeous weather, or maybe people were feeling more optimistic. Whatever it was, it made for a fun event this year. As always, we managed to escape the Design Pool booth occasionally to see what else was happening and what some of the NeoCon 2024 trends were.

This year, it seemed like the significant trends of the show were all bleeding into each other and interdependent. They also seemed more personal, with more consideration for the planet, each other, and our own wellbeing.

NeoCon 2024 Trends

Circular Design

Regarding sustainability, this year saw a big push toward circular design, considering what happens at the end of a product’s life cycle. In the past, designers focused on how a product or material was produced and from what. Now, they’re taking it a step further. As they design, they consider how this product will age and where it will go when it’s at the end of its life cycle. Will it just head to a landfill? Will it be recycled? Can it be repurposed?

Metropolis always does an excellent job of presenting topics surrounding sustainability. Their latest issue quoted some alarming statistics, such as, “Twelve million tons of furniture and 2.4 million tons of carpet and rugs end up in U.S. landfills every year.” What responsibility do manufacturers have to send fewer of their products to landfills? Many companies are addressing this. One example was Shaw Contract’s re[TURN] Reclamation Program. Through this program, they will pick up their EcoWorx product at the end of its life cycle and turn the raw materials into new EcoWork products. Likewise, Patcraft has named one of their guiding design principles Cradle to Cradle to strive for a circular approach.

Yet, it’s not just these two companies. Many more talked about committing to transparency about how, where, and with what their materials are made. There is also a focus on designing for longevity and operating with fair and healthy working conditions.

Recycled Materials

Recycled materials are not exactly a new or hot trend in this industry, but it is always interesting to see which new materials are entering the marketplace and who is making more of an effort to use them. I noticed many more companies using Econyl and Seaqual in their products, and they’re doing it more intentionally. There was also a lot of interest in harvesting wood and timber responsibly and using reclaimed wood.

Designing for Wellbeing

Last year, we noted that health and wellness were trends at NeoCon, and the trend expanded in 2024. This year, there was a focus on designing spaces that would make the people using them feel better. Can a space be more than neutral but actively help people feel good and improve people’s wellbeing? At its most obvious, designing for wellbeing encompasses using materials that are healthy for people and free of toxins. Yet, it also means creating spaces that make people feel safe, connected, and included.

This idea was particularly evident in the wide range of acoustic offerings available from different companies. Wolf-Gordon’s Gather collection, for example, was designed to mitigate noise to decrease stress levels and promote more accessible communication. Slalom refers to their unusually designed acoustic products as “acousthethics,” communicating that they are stylish as well as functional. Snowsound calls their products “wellbeing technologies.” These companies are all creating products that reduce noise but without sacrificing style in the process.  

Connection and Neurodiversity

After the pandemic, people have a renewed appreciation for the importance of community. They understand how important human connection is to our mental and physical wellbeing. Many designers are trying to create spaces to foster that connection. For example, Steelcase had a Campers & Dens collection to recreate ways people gather when they’re relaxed, like around a campfire. They also talked about creating areas where analog and digital technologies can mingle. For connections to be made, spaces must be designed to make people comfortable.

Another topic that came up a lot at NeoCon 2024 was neurodiversity. Designers are looking at the science of how different people feel in a space to help create spaces and products that acknowledge the many different ways people interact with the world around them. For example, what is the sensory experience of a place, and how do different people respond to that?

Maker Movement

While I don’t think this was a huge trend this year, I believe this one will grow in the coming years, particularly if we become inundated with AI-created content. In many showrooms, there were examples of raw materials used for products, showing attendees how they make their products. There were also many handcrafted products, such as beautiful handblown glass tables in the Bernhardt Design showroom. Allermuir’s showroom boldly declared, “Makers, not designers.” Furthermore, the Dorothy Cosonas collection for Wolf-Gordon was inspired by her mother’s needlework. It will be interesting to see if this is an isolated inspiration point for some companies or the beginning of something bigger.

Color Trends

All of these trends also impacted the color trends we saw. What colors did we see? Those are in another post!

What about you? Did you take note of trends as you walked the floors? What were the NeoCon 2024 Trends you spotted on the floor or at the Best of NeoCon or HiP Awards?