Product Talk | What Will Define Chicago Design Week 2026 with BIFMA's Steve Kooy and Anthony Serge
55 minutes Posted Jun 2, 2026 at 5:00 pm.
— Why Chicago Design Week 2026 feels differentLauren Brant introduces the major themes shaping this year’s NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days, including wellness, adaptability, emotional comfort, and long-term product performance.
— Products are being asked to do moreThe conversation explores how manufacturers are positioning products as strategic tools that support flexibility, acoustics, maintenance, sustainability, and human experience—not just aesthetics.
— Emotional comfort and experiential workplacesLauren highlights product launches from brands like Designtex, Brentano, Allsteel, and HBF that reflect a growing focus on tactility, softness, and creating spaces people actively want to inhabit.
— BIFMA on what feels different heading into 2026Steve Kooy and Anthony Serge from BIFMA discuss how conversations around workplace products, wellness, and performance are evolving across the industry.
— Why modularity is no longer optionalLauren examines how adaptability has shifted from a premium feature to a baseline expectation across seating, acoustics, outdoor furniture, work pods, and specification technology.
— Long-term adaptability and lifecycle thinkingThe discussion looks at products from Silen, Emuamericas, DEDON, Turf Design, and Configura that prioritize reconfiguration, longevity, and collaborative workflows.
— Lighting takes center stage at NeoConLauren explores the debut of Illuminate at NeoCon and why lighting is increasingly being discussed as part of materiality, wellness, circadian health, and emotional experience.
— How lighting shapes perception and wellbeingThe episode dives into experiential lighting installations and how lighting design influences texture, finish perception, mood, and spatial psychology.
— From ergonomics to movementThe conversation shifts toward workplace wellness and movement-focused seating, including KI’s Cognetic Technology platform and the idea of designing environments that work with the body instead of against it.
— The future of specification and human-centered designLauren, Steve, and Anthony reflect on how commercial interiors are becoming increasingly outcome-oriented, with designers prioritizing adaptability, transparency, wellness, and emotional experience.
— Final takeaways for NeoCon and Fulton Market attendeesThe episode closes with advice for designers and specifiers on how to critically evaluate products, showrooms, and innovations during Chicago Design Week 2026.
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Show notes
Today’s commercial products are being asked to do more than ever before. Joined by Steve Kooy and Anthony Serge from BIFMA, Lauren Brant explores how wellness, modularity, emotional performance, and experiential lighting are shaping Chicago Design Week 2026.Key Moments in This Episode
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