DOWNTOWN — Coming to an office near you: jungle gyms and couches you can color on, according to the designers at NeoCon.
The gargantuan trade show highlights commercial design, giving attendees a glimpse at what their homes and offices will look in the future. It's spread throughout Merchandise Mart: Floors upon floors filled with all kinds of furniture and people "oohing" and "aaahing" over chairs.
Yes: chairs.
Oooooh.
Aaaaaaah.
It turns out people at NeoCon are really into chairs. Yeah, there are tables, pillows, beds, cubicles and other things to look at, but time and time again I saw people drawn to chairs. They bounced up and down on the cushions, pinched the fabric and tried to figure out where they were supposed to put their arms.
How different can one chair be from another? Well, here are some of the craziest, coolest chairs you'll see at NeoCon:
1. Jungle gym or chair?
... Or bed?
"It's fun!" one attendee said. Another chipped in: "It's like a tree house!"
2. A crowd gathered around this ... chair, wondering how comfortable it could be. One brave soul stepped forward and sunk in. We waited with bated breath.
She nodded: It was acceptable.
3. What?
4. This chair/desk/glass pod combo is the perfect place to put employees who you just haaaate listening to.
5. Perfect for blocking out coworkers immediately to the left and right of you.
6. Every employee wants their cubicle to have a bench that's just slightly larger than their chair. Who needs desk space?
7. One woman sunk into this chair but, unsure what to do with her hands, kept them on the "arms" near the top of her head.
"You look really ... comfortable," one tried to reassure her.
"What do I do?" she asked her friends, eyes wide.
8. These aren't that unusual, but has anyone ever sat in chairs like these and not been a Bond villain?
9. Perfect for those parties when you want your guests to be able to look forward ... and nowhere else.
10. If there's one thing every office needs, it's a chair-turned-coloring book.
OK, it is pretty cool.
11. Maybe these were meant for children?
12. A ... chair?
13. It sort of looked like a bean bag chair ... but it felt nothing like a bean bag chair.
14. Is ... is this a chair? I'm doubting everything I know about chairs now.
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