As workers increasingly return to the office more than five years after the onset of the pandemic, office furniture and product designers are taking notice with the latest generation of multi-use workplaces that now aim to focus on more comfortable collaboration.
In 2025, the idea of designing for the individual worker has fallen by the wayside, according to Susan Chang, senior vice president of workplace design advisory for the real estate firm JLL. The consideration of groups as a whole will steer how office interiors are shaped moving forward, she said.
“The traditional industry focuses on the individual psychological safety, performance and measurement of days in the office,” Chang said in a presentation this past week at NeoCon, the big event for commercial design held annually in Chicago. “Now, what we’re seeing is the social contract and the focus on the group. What is that social contract held by the group? What are their rituals? What are the things that the group does together?”
Survey data from JLL found that 73% of employees saw socializing as the main motivation to return to the office, while 78% of employers cited face-to-face collaboration as their motivation. At NeoCon, held annually at theMART, the massive building formerly known as the Merchandise Mart along the Chicago River, Chang and product manufacturers noted that workplace design should meet both needs.
The findings come as the U.S. office market shows signs of a rebound from when the health crisis sparked a radical shift in American workplaces by making hybrid office policies and working from home the norm. Businesses, including Amazon, Boeing and JPMorgan Chase, have called employees back to the office and want to keep them engaged at the commercial properties they lease, oftentimes paying top dollar in markets such as New York.
Modular partition maker Visplay and furniture supplier Arcadia displayed product lines that can be adapted for working individuals and teams.
First workplace line
Visplay, the maker of modular space-defining systems typically used by retailers in stores, unveiled its first workplace line, noting the increase in demand for privacy and collaboration in open offices.
Arcadia’s ToothePoint chair-desk combo maintains a bubble of personal space, with the option of clustering together for group work settings. Global Furniture Group launched its Open Spaces line of modular walls, desks and storage units that emphasize an open office space. Rather than movable partitions, the line has walls with holes that allow for visibility and storage options.
More furniture that mirrors furnishings in a home gained attention, with Andreu World's Nina Lounge as an example. The setup gives workers an invitation to sit and chat with each other.
Other companies at NeoCon showed off modular pieces, giving office designers and users a way to adapt an area's function depending on the immediate need of an employee or team.
Keilhauer’s Unifi chair with a built-in tablet can stand alone or be pushed together for communal benches, while Sandler’s Kern line adds optional privacy screens to modular seating options. Andreu World showcased lightweight tables with handles for easy carrying and tables requiring just one hand to reposition or gang together.
While these new launches offer customization, manufacturers also noted a demand for fixed pockets of space. In Hawood’s showroom, a large glass conference room included a classic conference table and a large lounge sofa with small tablets.
“If you have a long meeting, you can get up and sit over there when you feel like you need a change of movement,” said Laura Kaminski, senior public relations project manager for Hawood. “You need to make sure you have these areas where people can sit and focus too, because there’s people coming in and out all the time.”
Recent office market data supports the likelihood of these types of meetings happening more often around the country. A CoStar analysis found new leasing in the first three months of the year neared 2019 levels, providing "the clearest signal yet that the office market has at last entered the recovery phase." Major landlords have reported positive leasing momentum.
Still, actual office visits are lagging, according to one closely watched measure. Big-city office traffic staged a post-Memorial Day bump in the week ended June 4, with 10 regions averaging 54.3% of their pre-pandemic attendance in the latest anonymous keycard tracking by Kastle Systems. That was up from 51% in the prior week and came close to the peak 54.5% posted in the week ended March 5.
In a separate Kastle study, workers at Class A+ trophy towers in major markets pushed through crowded lobbies and elevators at a much higher rate, exceeding 90% of pre-pandemic use on peak days.
Undercurrent of wellness
Throughout NeoCon, products on display were clearly designed with employees’ well-being and wellness in mind. Many had so-called biophilic, or natural themes to evoke a feeling of calm.
New furniture options maintained a softness with round silhouettes, looking more like living room furniture than office furniture. The pieces create a sense of comfort by removing straight lines and embracing organic shapes instead.
“Softer edges, less hard lines, more curvatures, even with table edge details, making it a little bit more inviting,” said Matteo Coscia of Coscia Contract, a sales representative of Andreu World.
The look can also be interpreted as a response to the omnipresence of technology, noted Shaw’s hard surface designer Philip Muller, whose flooring samples featured textured, organic finishes
“I think companies are responding to something that people are looking for, it’s a counterbalance to the digital world,” said Muller. “They’re looking for something that really has tactility so they can feel more grounded. Texture brings warmth to a space.”
As in past years, acoustic work pods were on display at NeoCon, meeting the needs for privacy in an open work environment. Hushoffice released new versions of its pods with touchscreen controls that offer circadian rhythm lighting. Loook Industries highlighted its Neuron Activation Pod that uses low-frequency vibration to tap into the nervous system, ultimately calming users and promoting better sleep, according to the brand.
More creative options
Individual desks with sound-dampening acoustic panels featured some of the show's more eye-catching designs, such as KFI Studios’ Canopy, created in collaboration with the architecture firm Gensler.
Acoustic panel manufacturer Turf showcased marble-and-wood panel designs while BuzziSpace had its BuzziBrella, an acoustic "shelter" for spaces with high ceilings. It works as both seating and an overhead acoustic panel in one.
Paint brand Behr drew attention for its 2026 color forecast in four palettes, touching on modern aesthetics, wellness and technology. The Fusion Dream palette included vibrant, almost neon hues.
“We’re influenced by the idea of tech coming to the forefront and bringing people back to work, energizing them, feel excited, help with wayfinding with these brighter colors,” said Erika Woelfel, vice president of color marketing for Behr.
Stephanie Lindsey, principal designer at Etch Interior Design in Austin, Texas, said she’s seen workspaces request more murals with bright hues, and that there’s a general craving for color post-pandemic.