Blog
New Workspace Design Trends
Date: August 17, 2022
Every year NeoCon gives us the opportunity to really engage with new products and get inspiration for our clients. This year we saw many new workspace design trends that we can’t wait to implement. In this post, our Founder, Kris Van Dierendonck, and Head of Business Development, Marie Richoux share the trends they’re most excited about from NeoCon this year.
Exciting New Products For Workspaces
This year at NeoCon we got to experience the more than 20 new products that Haworth had to showcase. It was truly exciting to see so many new products all in one place. We’ve already covered all of our favorite products on our blog but we wanted to give two special shout outs.
First, at NeoCon we got to see the Haworth Pergola used in a wide variety of different ways. It was surprising to see how well it worked as everything from a small conference room to a break room, to an individual office.
The Lud’o and Ludina chairs were big surprise wins for our team. Seeing them in person allowed us to get the full experience that you miss when only seeing photos online. “These chairs are stylish and so comfortable,” said Marie.
Creating Acoustical Spaces
A consistent trend we saw from many different brands was acoustic meeting booths like the new Haworth Hushoffice, pictured above. These are extremely useful spaces for open-plan offices. When the hustle and bustle of your teammates gets a bit too noisy, acoustical booths can be a great quiet space to get focused work completed or to take a conference call. Acoustics are super important in office design so it is great to see so many brands making this a priority.
“It was interesting to see how acoustics were considered in many different products,” said Kris. “We saw many different chairs, benches, and booths with high padded backs that make for better privacy and an enhanced acoustic environment for employees.”
Comfort Is (Still) Key
Last year we saw a dramatic increase in furnishings that put comfort front and center. As many of us got used to working from home on the couch, we wanted the same level of comfort when we got back into the office.
One of the most innovative ways we’ve seen comfort put front and center is with the award-winning Cardigan chair. This year this chair won the Best of NeoCon Business Innovation Award, HiP Awards Workplace Lounge Seating Winner, and Metropolis Likes Lounge award! Designed by Patricia Urquiola, the back is made of stretchy and moldable digitally knit fabric that supports many different sitting positions.
Biophilia In Design
We’re big fans of Biophilic Design, and seeing it incorporated into many manufacturers' displays was exciting. “We saw many different biophilic walls, which is one big way to make an impact with biophilia. We also saw displays of planters in varying sizes and heights which is an easier way to add biophilic design to an office,” said Kris. See the example above with the Haworth Pergola and many different types of plants that can breathe life into your office.
Rich Deep Tones & Muted Neutrals Are The New “It” Colors
“From muted natural pinks to darker colors, we got an overall appearance that was richer and more moody. We didn’t see the ‘showroom white’ like you would normally tend to see,” said Marie. See the above example of muted neutral colors being used together with high contrast black accents.
“We also saw a lot of floral patterns as well as black accents and trim on furniture,” said Kris. “We really enjoyed the many different tables and desks we saw that incorporated different wood tones or utilized different materials together.” The Tuohy Faraday table, which utilizes wood and stone together in one table, is a great example of this.
To learn more about the latest products for offices and how they can work in your space please get in touch with Marie Richoux and set up a meeting. Send an email to marier@kvworkspace.com to schedule.
