Author: Ryan Castle, Product Designer
Each year, Chicago Design Week brings industry leaders together to explore new products, colors, and materials showcased across NeoCon at The Mart and Design Days block party.
I had the opportunity to walk both shows and see firsthand what “hot” trends were generating the most conversation and excitement across the industry.
You couldn’t walk through more than a few showrooms without finding yourself surrounded by warm, rich jewel tones. Deep sapphires, dark jades, burnt sienna, and muddled burgundy covered walls, fabrics, and finishes, creating a sense of comfort and tranquility that traditional corporate environments don’t always evoke.
The workplace continues to move away from institutional-feeling spaces toward environments that feel approachable and human. Spaces are being designed less around efficiency and more around creating places where people want to stay, connect, and spend time.
At Ghent, that shift reinforces something we continue to see across our own portfolio. Collaboration tools are increasingly expected to support a space rather than dominate it. Whether that means lightweight solutions that move with users, surfaces that bring warmth and color into a room, or collaboration products that blend into the atmosphere of a space, functionality alone is no longer enough.
Products are expected to contribute to the overall experience of a space, not compete with it.
One of the more interesting trends this year was not harmony, but contrast.
Inside these calm and organic environments were moments of bold interruption. Deep violet blues paired with burgundy. Warm textures placed next to polished metal. Soft forms contrasted with crisp detailing.
These moments were not designed to overwhelm. Instead, they created energy and offered different ways for people to engage within a space.
That idea feels increasingly relevant as organizations create environments for broader audiences with different working styles, stimulation preferences, and expectations for interaction.
For Ghent, this reinforces the importance of flexibility. Spaces are rarely designed for a single use anymore. Mobile collaboration tools, varied writing surfaces, and adaptable environments allow users to shift the tone and function of a space without rebuilding it.
Sustainability continues to shape specification decisions across the industry, but this year the conversation felt different.
Rather than broad messaging, manufacturers focused on demonstrating measurable progress. Existing product lines were updated with recycled content, circular initiatives, production improvements, and more transparent sourcing stories.
Sustainability is no longer a differentiator. It is the expectation.
That expectation continues to challenge manufacturers to think more holistically about the products they create and how they create them.
This reflects ongoing conversations we continue to have around responsible product development and finding practical, meaningful ways to reduce impact while maintaining performance and longevity. That includes decisions like designing our glass products with water-based paint and meeting the BIFMA LEVEL® 2 standard for sustainability.
To us, sustainability starts with creating products designed to perform for years rather than products designed to be replaced.
Another unavoidable conversation this year centered on the evolving expectations of Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Discussions increasingly focused less on where people work and more on how people want to interact with a space.
Manufacturers responded with adaptable products, flexible planning strategies, and environments designed to support multiple moments of use rather than a single ideal experience.
This shift aligns closely with what we continue to hear from customers. Spaces need to work harder. Products need to adapt faster.
That thinking mirrors conversations we have been exploring in our whitepaper Workplace Reimagined: Designing for the Gen Z Workforce, where we look at how changing expectations are influencing the future of workplace design.
One of the more surprising themes this year was the excitement surrounding lighting.
With the addition of Illuminate at NeoCon and lighting moments appearing across the show, conversations repeatedly moved from visual interest to active project discussions.
Lighting is increasingly being used to influence atmosphere, identity, and interaction rather than simply visibility. And while natural light remains the gold standard, our team designed a collection that enables productivity outdoors.
That same mindset applies beyond lighting itself.
As designers continue creating layered environments, every product in a space contributes to the overall experience. The question becomes less “What does this product do?” and more “How does this product make the space feel?”
That shift may be one of the biggest takeaways from this year’s show.
As we return from Chicago energized by everything we saw during Design Week, we also return with an opportunity to reflect.
The conversations happening across the industry reinforce questions we continue asking ourselves at Ghent: How do we create products that support agility? How do we help people connect more naturally? How do we contribute to healthier, more adaptable spaces?
The trends may evolve year to year, but the goal remains the same: creating products that help people do their best work in spaces they genuinely want to be part of.
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