Best of NeoCon 2021 winners announced; DARRAN Furniture wins Best of Competition for groundbreaking workspace system

by Theresa Giarrusso — October 4, 2021 — The NeoCon commercial interiors show has just unveiled the winners of the 30th edition of the highly coveted Best of NeoCon Awards. Each year, top manufacturers across the commercial design industry compete for recognition for their latest product introductions. This year, the highest award of Best in Competition went to DARRAN Furniture for Honey, a groundbreaking furniture system.

BoN DARRAN Honey

DARRAN Furniture’s Honey won the Best of Competition for its groundbreaking design. Image courtesy DARRAN

Best of NeoCon Awards are judged by a highly qualified jury with a unique composition of leading architects, designers, specifiers, enterprise clients and facilities managers. After several days of in-person judging and on-site deliberation, a group of 50 Best of NeoCon jurors selected the products for their overall excellence and positive contribution to the built environment.

The 97 awards, in 52 categories that ranged from acoustics to lighting, upholstery, flooring and furniture, were officially announced this morning, Monday, October 4, at a celebratory breakfast at theMART. The event was presided over by industry veteran and Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of officeinsight Bob Beck.

The Best of NeoCon Awards have been an institution at NeoCon since 1990. Awards Competition Director Eileen McMorrow of The McMorrow Reports led this year’s jury through an extensive two-day in-person judging process.

Lisa Simonian, VP of Marketing for NeoCon, commented:

We tip our hat to all of the Best of NeoCon entrants and extend our congratulations to the winners. It is no small feat to garner this level of recognition and accolades from such a discerning group of industry professionals.

The Best of Competition 2021 award winner, Honey by DARRAN Furniture, is a stylish, highly adaptable workplace system. Designed by Mark Müller and Christopher Wright, the innovative solution addresses individual users’ needs, their varied work styles, privacy and well-being.

The BoN jury noted:

What a beautiful, well-considered workstation! Suitable for both fixed and mobile (untethered) applications, Honey’s hexagonal shape is not only eye-catching, it contributes to space efficiency. Its 120° planning grid creates a flowing geometry that meanders through a room and offers numerous configuration possibilities. Even the smallest details were considered and well-executed.

See the full list of winners below. They are organized by category, award, company and product.

Best of Competition

  • Best of Competition: DARRAN Furniture Honey

Acoustics & Privacy

  • Acoustic Solutions — SILVER: Snowsound USA Dunes
  • Acoustic Solutions — INNOVATION: Snowsound USA Dunes
  • Panels/Partitions/Screens/Space Dividers — GOLD: Stylex Still
  • Panels/Partitions/Screens/Space Dividers — SILVER: Haworth, Inc. Pergola
  • Work Pods — GOLD: SnapCab Work+
  • Work Pods — SILVER: Framery Framery One
  • Work Pods — INNOVATION: Silen OÜ MindSpa

Flooring

  • Carpet: Area Rugs — GOLD: Mohawk Group Rheo Morph
  • Carpet: Broadloom — GOLD: Mohawk Group Urban Shores
  • Carpet: Broadloom —  SILVER: Patcraft Inspired Connection
  • Carpet: Modular — GOLD: Shaw Contract Collective Collection
  • Carpet: Modular — SILVER: Patcraft Spatial Palette
  • Carpet: Modular — SUSTAINABILITY: Mohawk Group Data Tide
  • Hard-Surface Flooring: Natural Materials — GOLD: Tarkett Color Splash Speckled Rubber Tile
  • Hard-Surface Flooring: Vinyl/LVT — GOLD: Armstrong Flooring Rest & Refuge Rigid Core Flooring
  • Hard-Surface Flooring: Vinyl/LVT — SILVER: Teknoflor Aspecta Contours
  • Specialty Flooring — SUSTAINABILITY: Shaw Contract Bottle Floor
  • Specialty Flooring — INNOVATION: Shaw Contract Bottle Floor

Furniture

Teknion’s Byward garnered a Silver award in the Case Goods category. Image courtesy Teknion

  • Benching — GOLD: Mantra Inspired Furniture Ellis Benching System
  • Case Goods — SILVER: Teknion Byward
  • Collections for Collaboration — GOLD: Watson Furniture Group Watson Haven
  • Collections for Collaboration — SILVER: The Senator Group Play
  • Conference Room Furniture — GOLD: Watson Furniture Group Watson Haven
  • Conference Room Furniture — SILVER: HALCON CREW
  • Furniture Systems & Enhancements — GOLD: DARRAN Furniture Honey
  • Furniture Systems & Enhancements — SILVER: Dfm BLEND Mobile
  • Lounge Furniture Collections — SILVER: Davis Furniture Industries Cantina
  • Seating: Benches — GOLD: Watson Furniture Group Watson Haven Recharge Benches
  • Seating: Conference — GOLD: Andreu World Capri Executive
  • Seating: Conference — SILVER: Davis Furniture Industries LightWork
  • Seating: Ergonomic Desk/Task — GOLD: Studio TK Essa
  • Seating: Ergonomic Desk/Task — SILVER: via seating Onda
  • Seating: Guest — GOLD: ECONYL x Aquafil noho move Chair
  • Seating: Guest — SILVER: Andreu World Liceo
  • Seating: Guest — SUSTAINABILITY: ECONYL x Aquafil noho move Chair
  • Seating: Modular — GOLD: Allsteel Jetty:Mod
  • Seating: Modular — SILVER: Davis Furniture Industries SoMod
  • Seating: Modular — SUSTAINABILITY: Andreu World Forest Club
  • Seating: Sofas & Lounge — GOLD: Andreu World Nuez Lounge BIO
  • Seating: Sofas & Lounge — SILVER: Andreu World Adela Rex
  • Seating: Sofas & Lounge — SUSTAINABILITY: Andreu World Nuez Lounge BIO
  • Seating: Sofas & Lounge — INNOVATION: Andreu World Adela Rex
  • Seating: Stacking — GOLD: via seating Eclipse
  • Seating: Stacking — SILVER: SitOnIt Seating | IDEON Sprout
  • Seating: Stools — GOLD: Stylex Underline
  • Seating: Stools — SILVER: Davis Furniture Industries Sachet Barstool
  • Storage — GOLD: Watson Furniture Group C9 Trolley
  • Storage — SILVER: HALCON CREW
  • Tables: Communal — GOLD: Watson Furniture Group Watson Haven
  • Tables: Communal — SILVER: Groupe Lacasse QUORUM MULTICONFERENCE by Lacasse
  • Tables: Conference — GOLD: Davis Furniture Industries Tavo
  • Tables: Conference — SILVER: Nucraft Ascari Conference
  • Tables: Height-Adjustable — SILVER: Nucraft Two4Six Media Table
  • Tables: Occasional — GOLD: Scandinavian Spaces Tinnef
  • Tables: Occasional — SILVER: Stylex Trim
  • Tables: Occasional — SUSTAINABILITY: Scandinavian Spaces Tinnef
  • Tables: Occasional — INNOVATION: Scandinavian Spaces Tinnef
  • Tables: Task — GOLD: Steelcase Elbrook Table Collection
  • Tables: Task — SILVER: HALCON CREW
  • Tables: Task — INNOVATION: Steelcase Elbrook Table Collection
  • Work from Home Solutions — SILVER: Otelier Eat-Work Table (Linak Showroom)
  • Workplace Accessories — GOLD HALCON: HALO Hand Sanitizer Station

Healthcare

  • Flooring — GOLD: Armstrong Flooring MedinPure PVC-Free Sheet
  • Guest & Lounge Seating — GOLD: Kwalu Modena Lounge Collection
  • Guest & Lounge Seating — SILVER: Kwalu Cori Lounge and Wingback
  • Patient Seating — GOLD: Kwalu Modena Patient Chair and Ottoman
  • Storage & Accessories — GOLD: GMI Companies – Ghent, VividBoard & Waddell Swing Changeable Glassboard
  • Textiles — GOLD: CF Stinson C.A.R.E. x Stinson
  • Textiles — SILVER: Momentum Group Every Space Has a Story

Interior Products & Solutions

  • Architectural Products — GOLD: CARVART modularWALLCLAD
  • Signage & Wayfinding — GOLD: Vestaboard, Inc. Vestaboard
  • Signage & Wayfinding — SILVER: APCO Signs Aspire
  • Surfacing Materials & Finishes — SILVER: 3form Flek Pure
  • Surfacing Materials & Finishes — INNOVATION: Kwalu Metallics that Aren’t Metal?
  • Wall Treatments — GOLD: Wolf-Gordon CLAIR
  • Wall Treatments — SILVER: Momentum Group P3TEC Advanced Wall Protection Collection

Lighting

  • Decorative — SUSTAINABILITY: LightArt Coil Collection Naturals
  • Task — SILVER: Koncept, Inc. Z-Bar Generation 4

Outdoor

  • Furniture: Seating — GOLD: Allermuir CROP
  • Furniture: Seating — SILVER: Davis Furniture Industries Ariel Steel
  • Furniture: Tables — GOLD: Allsteel Constellation
  • Furniture: Tables — SILVER: JANUS et Cie AllSize Extendable Dining Table Rectangle
  • Furniture: Tables — SUSTAINABILITY: Allsteel Constellation
  • Furniture: Tables — INNOVATION: Allsteel Constellation

Technology

  • Accessories & Support Devices — GOLD: Zgo Technologies Zdock
  • Accessories & Support Devices — SILVER: Steelcase DeskWizard
  • Integrated Solutions — GOLD: Configura Stage, a Web-Based Product Configurator
  • Integrated Solutions — SILVER: Scanomat TopBrewer
  • Integrated Solutions — SUSTAINABILITY: Reseat Reseat
  • Integrated Solutions — INNOVATION: ERGOBOND ERGOHUB – Upgrades Any Standing Desk

Textiles

  • Performance & Specialty — GOLD: Arc|Com Summit and Equinox
  • Performance & Specialty — SILVER: Wolf-Gordon Sirona
  • Performance & Specialty — INNOVATION: Camira Fabrics Camira Knit
  • Upholstery — GOLD: Camira Fabrics SEAQUAL Collection
  • Upholstery — SILVER: Momentum Group Aleksandra Gaca Collection
  • Upholstery  — SUSTAINABILITY: Camira Fabrics SEAQUAL Collection

This year’s Best of NeoCon winners received a striking sculptural object designed by award-winning graphic design firm Maiarelli Studio and manufactured by 3form using its Chroma material. The commemorative object is composed of translucent resin in Best of NeoCon’s signature blue hue.

Photos of each winner and entrant are posted on the Gallery of all the Entrants & Winners webpage.