Edward Keegan

I only arrived a half-hour late to NeoCon this year, a delay more by design than mere tardiness, since I know how congested Chicago’s River North area gets during rush hour. Showing up at 9:30, I thought, would help me…

Composed purely of recycled cork and rubber, Expanko’s XCR3 seems to have a rather high-tech name for an all-natural product. In fact, the moniker is simply an acronym for the tongue-twisting “Expanko cork-rubber, 3rd generation.” Expanko’s iteration of the cork-flooring…

Milwaukee architects craft a stunning lakeside retreat that blends naturally into the rugged hillside setting.

Inspired by the organic language of nature, the Root light bollard offers a distinctive profile while providing ample illumination, which it directs at the pavement, rather than the pedestrian. In its wood-finish option, the Root could well be mistaken for…

Initially, Lees’ Wovensquare MTX Collection looks like ordinary carpet tiles, but their holographic surfaces alter when you view them from different angles. And the 24” x 24” tiles aren’t really carpeting at all: they’re made of an abrasion-resistant vinyl polymer…

It’s hardly surprising that the first chair to be designed by Pininfarina would have the sleek lines and sophisticated technology usually associated with sports cars. After all, the company’s legendary designers have been sculpting the automobiles of Fiat, Lancia, Alfa…

Last year, Interface sent out enough carpet samples to match the height of the Empire State Building six-and-a-half times, according to the company’s regional VP Joyce LaValle. Reflecting upon this, Interface is utilizing innovative—and more environmentally sensitive—methods to introduce its…

Brayton’s new Ripple lounge can either be a squiggly shape across your floor or a wiggly seat under your bottom. Designed by Arquitectonica principal Laurinda Spear, this couch can be placed upright, so that you sit snugly between a pair…

Linx’s name is a play on this seating system’s cat-like maneuverability and its distinctive steel-and-nylon linking mechanism that attaches each six-sided piece to its neighbor. The length of the seat i s potentially limitless, and the easily rotated link makes…

An empty auditorium usually looks like just a sea of empty seats. With kron’s Tulip, however, that auditorium can look like a field about to blossom. With a petal-inspired seat, arms, and back, the Tulip not only offers a visual…

Doyle Crosby’s elegant new Rail Wall Bracket allows designers lots of possibilities for exciting lighting installations. The ultra-thin fixture—its finished frame is a mere 1-3/4” square—projects, at most, only three-and-a-half inches from the wall, which makes the bracket compliable with…

The Luna chair is sophisticated, with its thin steel frame and pin-striped, laminated wooden seat and back. (You can choose between black or mocha-colored stripes, too!) But the sheer simplicity of the chair, particularly its single-piece construction, gives it a…

As flooring has become more sophisticated and affordable, resilient wall bases have lagged behind. Now Johnsonite is offering 11 different profiles in their Millwork Collection; all are designed to mimic traditional wood bases in size and appearance. These single-piece rubber…

Chicago-based Skyline Design’s FOTOglas is a new proprietary process that etches photographic images onto the surface of glass. The etching is permanent, translucent, and can be used on either one or both sides of the glass to create varying illusions…

“It’s a dynamic composition that allows users to work at a variety of elevations—standing, sitting, and lounging,” says Metro senior designer Otto Williams about the new Topo furniture system. The firm’s in-house design group did “road trips” to offices around…

This amoeba-shaped stand raises your laptop screen to eye-level; this more ergonomically correct position prevents back strain. A hinged, clear plastic leaf allows you to choose three different heights and angles for your machine, while carefully located openings at the…

With a small tug of a handle, the Seattable Model ST.L converts from chair to table and then back again, alleviating the need for stocking a space with lots of different types of furniture. With its sled base available in…

Designed with a hip-side pivot, Vecta’s Rocky chair can move with any punch you throw at it. Sleek in style, the two-part seat is designed for comfort and looks, and is reminiscent of the aerodynamic curves common in classic modern…

Leave it to an Australian-based textile company to produce one of NeoCon’s more distinctive booths. Instyle’s space features two apparently woven walls; look closely, though, and you’ll see those walls are actually a panelized wall and ceiling system, called “Wovin,”…

ZOOM Seating’s as-yet-unnamed prototype office chair features a five-point wheeled base, fully upholstered seat, and a polypropylene back with five different options. Designer Sava Cvek draws on many contemporary chairs with this seat’s slightly vertebrate frame and the de rigueur…

At noon on Monday, June 14, Metropolis editor in chief Susan S. Szenasy delivered NeoCon’s Technology keynote, entitled “Future-Shaping Technologies.” Joining her in the presentation was Fred Dust, of the multidisciplinary design shop IDEO; Dust is best known as the…

Glass Tile USA’s Live Tile line is an example of old-world tradition being revived for modern needs. The tiles, which are produced by Czech glass craftsmen, come in different silhouettes and strengths, in order to support internal and external uses.…

By their very nature, suspended ceiling systems float free of a building structure. Many designers exploit this property by leaving their ceilings short of the wall. But then they run into a problem: The blunt edges necessary to conceal the…

Fixtures Furniture claims that its Fetch chair is “your new best friend.” If so, you had better prepare for a lonely summer, since the company won’t be fielding orders for Fetch until September, and won’t be delivering it before Oct.…

By the time NeoCon’s second keynote event, “The True Art of Collaboration: Learning from the Theatre,” began Tuesday morning at ten minutes past eight, it was evident that the audience was already witnessing a tremendous act of collaboration. “It’s unusual…

Nessen’s Abacus table lamp takes a visual cue from the ancient counting instrument; that’s fitting, because the fixture is as graceful and pure of form as its namesake. The 24” lamp, which is comprised of three solid wooden beads joined…

Inspired by the forms of the human body, Teknion’s prototype for the Contessa was a tough seat to get into even during the quieter times at NeoCon. It always seemed as if the hoards needed to rest their weary feet…

Allermuir’s 50:50 chair has a cleverly cleft seat that can be adapted into a side chair, high stool, or low stool. The piece’s unremarkable, four-legged tubular steel frame supports a fascinating, origami-like seat that seems most appropriate when rendered in…

For Denis Darragh, president of Forbo Flooring North America, sustainability is not a marketing issue: It’s a socio-economic responsibility. While Forbo’s linoleum products have been green since that term was only a color, the company doesn’t see this as a…

“Bentwood” furniture has been synonymous with Thonet since the company’s inception in 1830. So it’s appropriate that the firm’s new Genus chair—which features a slick bent plywood seat and back—is a distillation of the elements that helped establish Thonet’s reputation.…

Los Angeles-based designer David Dahl has fused several motifs in his Spot lounge chair, created for Carolina Business Furniture. The piece has the chunky solidity of a ’50s club chair yet floats above the floor on a quintessentially ’80s arched…

A response to the constantly evolving workplace of today, the Liquid Workspace is an assortment of kidney-shaped elements that add up to an extraordinarily flexible product with a highly contemporary look. Unlike typical systems workstations, the Liquid solution utilizes lightweight…

The Silencio chair looks like a cross between an egg and Volkswagen’s updated Beatle. Even without its optional acrylic side panels, it’s a virtual cocoon whose plush upholstery really does cut down surrounding noise—just as its name promises. Launched last…

Verde Interior Products boasts that furniture made with its materials is “green to the core.” That’s because Verde’s core product is the innovative SONOBoard3D honeycomb fiberboard, a 100% post-consumer waste paper fiber that can be used as a substrate for…

As a preview to its forthcoming collection of carpets, Atlas is showing Spyro—a prototype pattern that’s reminiscent of your old Spirograph, because that’s exactly what Atlas’ designers used to create its swirling motifs. The sample utilizes a new interloop, full-repeat…

Snowboarding, biking, and other technology-driven sports inspired the design of Christophe Marchand’s first chair. “Sports have intelligent systems that aren’t used in business,” explains the Swiss-based Marchand when describing the unusual assortment of materials he sculpted into the ProActive chair.…

Plastic laminate was never this clear before. But it is now because 3form uses an co-polymer resin called PETG that’s similar to the plastic found in drink bottles—so the product is not only translucent, but also fully recyclable. Depending on…

If you’re looking to set sail on a tossed and rolling ceiling, the new TOPO system can make it happen, at least within the constraints of a typical 2-by-2 lay-in tile. TOPO is available in an 8- or 12-inch depth…

Settings brings the modularity and flexibility of systems furniture to the private office. Changeable panels mount to conventional partitions and provide the backdrop for a large selection of worksurfaces, storage units, and accessories. Finishes vary from wood to paint to…

The Mimic task light is clear plastic evidence that Apple’s i-Mac-inspired designs are still with us. It features a “glow ring” touch-sensitive dimmer that allows the user to choose either 60 or 100 percent power output, depending on need. Its…

You can sit high in the saddle all day long according to the makers of this equine inspired stool. It’s touted as one of the most comfortable and healthy ways to sit, but bridle and stirrups are not currently available…

Wednesday is the quiet day at NeoCon. That’s not to suggest that it is an uncrowded place, but it is possible to find space on elevators and even the hottest showrooms can be casually strolled without the crush of rush…

Light in color and design, the Diffrient Task Light moves with just the slightest touch of the finger. Available as a base, clamp, or wall mount, the elegantly designed frame has just enough of a skeletal feel to remind one…

Tuff-Hide is a spray-applied product that eliminates the usual two-step skim coat and primer coat process necessary to achieve the highest level five gypsum board finish. As designers ask for more sculptural qualities from gypsum board, Tuff-Hide promises to translate…

Resilient flooring is going back to the 1960s with the tie-dyed patterns of Johnsonite’s new Olio. Designers can mix colors, patterns, and textures online at the company’s web site to produce an endless series of psychedelic floors. Custom production capabilities…

The nxt (pronounced “next”) chair is an Italian design that hangs a squarish back (kind of resembles a window shade) and a contrasting oval lumbar support from a single central support column. The best (or should I say “bst”) version…

Early press literature promised that NeoCon’s Tuesday afternoon Green Walk would mean dozens of manufacturer’s reps wearing “Ask me why I’m green” buttons. I was concerned that this promotion might spring an army of eco-friendly alien creatures on an otherwise…

The Gracie is a simple design that doesn’t look or feel like a stacking chair, though it is stackable. It’s a hefty piece, though its weight belies its pleasing lines and makes it feel more expensive than it is. It’s…

The prototype Piretti Dance Chair is like so many new chairs already available—extremely light and capable of being folded, nested, or stacked for easy storage. But its playfully colored, dimple-patterned plastic back has a notch that allows the chair to…