Every year, I look forward to attending
NeoCon because it's always so inspiring. No pun intended, but this year the highlight of the show, for me, was the lighting. There was a focus on lighting and educating us about the importance of getting it right in our projects. They even had displays that demonstrated the
difference that various types of fixtures and applications can make.
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| the same materials under different lights |
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| wall wash vs. wall graze |
I was impressed with the variety of lighting companies that were featured. There were many innovative designs.
In addition to the informative displays, the Illuminate program also included
Spotlight Sessions, talks given by lighting designers. There were also other talks throughout the show, many of which were recorded as podcasts. I look forward to listening to everything that I missed while checking out the showrooms.
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| The NeoCon Podcast Studio |
My favorite showroom this year was
Momentum. This year's featured designer collaboration is with architect
Michael Ford, who cites hip-hop as an inspiration for his work. It was reflected in the music that was playing in the showroom. They even had a record player and crates of vinyl.
Another source of inspiration for Michael Ford is his young son Mason. His "Breakin'" wallcovering and fabric pattern is based on one of his drawings. The playful design was used for what might be one of this year's most coveted tote bags. Mine looks right at home in my studio.
Another Black designer I learned about at this year's show is
Mark Grattan. He collaborated with HBF Textiles.
As an artist, I always enjoy seeing artwork at NeoCon. This year, I learned about
ArtLifting, an art consulting firm that represents artists with disabilities.
Another artsy installation this year was this interactive one from
Interior Design magazine.
I love seeing new sustainable products, and something I found out about this year that was really impressive is
Flora Materials. Their arch of fresh tulips caught my eye, and I found out that they chose that particular flower because they are working on a new flooring product made from tulip bulbs!
I always enjoy retro designs, and the
Takeform showroom was like a 1970s department store time capsule. They even had a payphone in the front.
But when it comes to dining experiences, you can't beat free food. The
Thermador showroom generously offered the Bosch Bakery this year. They provided attendees with a delicious assortment of baked goods prepared in their ovens. There was even herbed butter for the bread.
And here are some other beautiful things I saw, in no particular order.
All this furniture is miniature.
And finally, my favorite floral arrangements. Okamura was doing the most this year with a bold, avant-garde display, so I will start with them.
This year's focus on lighting has made me aware of a significant improvement in the booths and showrooms over the years: better light fixtures. Since I take a lot of pictures, it's easy to notice when I use my photo editing tools. This year I hardly needed to make any adjustments to the color temperature of my pictures. The advancements in color rendering in newer light fixtures really make a difference. And if you want to see even more pictures I took this year, they're all on Flickr.
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