Every year, the Valley Design team takes a trip to Chicago to attend one of the biggest shows in the furniture industry: NeoCon & Design Days. Each visit gives us the chance to spend time with partners, walk showroom floors, and take a closer look at how manufacturers are thinking about design, functionality, and evolving user needs.
Our 2026 visit carried a little extra meaning as we marked 40 years in business. That milestone made it especially valuable to step back, take in where the industry is today, and compare it to how far things have come. As always, the Merchandise Mart and Fulton Market offered a wide range of products and perspectives, leaving our team with insight into the year’s most prominent trends and ideas.
Flexibility & Reconfiguration
Flexibility continues to be a key focus across the industry. Many manufacturers featured lightweight, mobile tables designed for easy movement and shared use, similar to Valley Design’s Laptop Table. These were often shown alongside modular seating collections that support both collaborative and individual work.
Together, these solutions allow education environments, corporate offices, and multi-use spaces more options to adapt their spaces based on changing needs.
Height-Adjustable Solutions
Height-adjustable products appeared prominently across showrooms. Displays included sit-to-stand workstations, adjustable conference tables, and mobile lecterns for classrooms, training rooms, and events.
The emphasis remains on creating spaces that support different work styles and allow users to make quick adjustments throughout the day.
Color & Material Trends
Color continues to plays an important role in how spaces are designed. Manufacturers used both bold and subtle approaches to highlight their palettes.
Brighter colors remain common in education settings. While office, healthcare, and hospitality environments tend to feature warmer earth tones and natural finishes. Metallic accents also continue to appear across product lines, adding sophistication
and visual interest without overwhelming the space.
Consistent Energy Year After Year
One of the most consistent aspects of NeoCon & Design Days is the level of excitement and engagement from everyone involved. From the seasoned showroom staff to first-time attendees, there’s a shared enthusiasm for innovation and design. The diversity of products, their intended functions, and the common goal of meeting customer needs were evident throughout. Each space offered a unique perspective on how people work, learn, collaborate, and connect.
It’s this combination of ideas, products, and creativity that makes NeoCon & Design Days such a valuable experience year after year. We look forward to sharing these insights with our clients, continuing conversations sparked at the show, and seeing how these emerging trends influence future projects.