When I first went to NeoCon a few years ago, the design expo for commercial interiors, I was hunting for an indication that our workplace environments were going to get healthier or greener.   The pickings had been pretty slim.  At this year’s NeoCon East in Philadelphia, November 9 – 10, attention to human well-being, including environmental consideration, was the norm!  Commercial designers deserve credit for catching up quickly and should be getting attention for the ways in which they are beginning to surpass other industries in health-conscious design. 

The sheer volume of sit/stand desks was an indication we’re moving in the right direction. 

Here are a few other favorite products I’m looking forward to seeing around the office. 

The view above - Ceiling tiles are getting better looking, longer lasting and recyclable.  Above View Artisan Ceiling Tiles make ceilings stand out with ornamental plaster.

Greener pastures - Modular planters by GreenWalls LLC make it easy to maintain plant life on the walls and are a delightful touch to any spot, especially a workspace.  AIS, one of the leading manufacturers of office furniture and seating, gave planters to attendees.  With 14,000 solar panels their facility is one of the largest solar installations in the state of Massachusetts.  

  Infusing friendliness - Spacestor from England makes furniture that combines California cool with London design to "feel friendly" and it does.  Loftwall makes really cheerful and colorful room dividers as well as sound booths for open floor plans that really, really work!

Repurpose space - You can transform a living room, playroom or office in seconds.  Digilock lockers give people their private space whether or not they are there to claim it.  Vidget Organic Seating System is ingeniously designed to give three options to transform your chair into a desk or stool by simply turning it over so you can build your own environment based on the needs of the individual or group.  Cubii is the first under the desk elliptical.  I can imagine myself doing the Tour De France during conference calls. 

More things are getting ergonomic makeovers - Humanscale is dedicated to ergonomics and is bringing it to technology with a range of tools to enhance the modern, ever-evolving computer experience. 

Rethinking chairs – X-Chair is breaking boundaries in the way we sit.  It’s Dynamic Variable Lumbar (DVL) support adjusts itself to your body every time you move so you can stay comfortable without adjusting.  Outcome Seating Solutions has some impressive yoga-like moves too. 

It comes in bamboo too – Dasso makes everything from flooring to furnishings out of bamboo so there is no excuse not to consider elements free of VOC’s, PVC, formaldehyde, chromium and halogen flame retardants.

If you have any questions about what’s in your interiors, check the Chemical Services Abstract Registry,  the most authoritative collection of disclosed chemical substance information, containing more than 123 million organic and inorganic substances and 66 million sequences. 

I’m looking forward to experiencing even more wellness in the workplace thanks to the wonderful innovations spotted at NeoCon.