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Author: Emily

All About Acoustics

By Emily Siwek, Trend Futurist & Director of Architectural Design

Our team was in Chicago recently for the annual commercial tradeshow, NeoCon, to see what’s new in commercial furnishings and beyond. This year our main takeaway was that most of the energy and excitement is coming from the acoustics industry.

Turf Design

One of our first stops was the Turf Design showroom which had a nightclub vibe complete with a DJ and a line to get in. It was named the winner of the IIDA’s 2026 Showroom and Booth Design Competition held at NeoCon. Along with interesting bold designs, Turf Design expanded their science-based Hues palette with ten new colors born from neuroaesthetic research.

Turf Showroom – NeoCon

Slalom Acoustic

In a new permanent showroom, Slalom introduced architecturally interesting acoustic products like the geometric Spykon collection and colorways produced as part of their collaboration with Teklan.

Slalom Showroom – NeoCon

Momentum x Autex

Fabric manufacturer Momentum Textiles has partnered with Autex to expand their presence in the acoustical market with a variety of wall and ceiling products. The patterns and colorways support the textiles while providing additional sound absorption. We thought the Groove Duet pattern especially paired well with their new textile collection by Hip-Hop Architect Michael Ford.

Momentum Showroom – NeoCon

This is just a small sampling of the energy and excitement happening in the acoustic space.

Stay tuned for more of our finds and follow along for more dispatches from our travels and tradeshows! Click here to connect with us and follow our Instagram and LinkedIn.

Layered Living

By Emily Siwek, Sphere Trending Trend Futurist Director of Architectural Design

At the most recent High Point Market, we noticed a shift towards layered design in furnishings and lighting adding impact through doubled-up shapes and details. Here’s a look at some of the ways we saw this trend emerging at the show.

Layered Shades

Century Furniture introduced a new lighting line including this layered lamp shade for added architectural interest

Century

Layered Upholstery

This sofa from Cisco featured a layered, upholstered frame

Cisco Home

Layered Counters

At Vanguard, layered tables added interest with a mix of materials

Vanguard

Stay tuned for more of our finds and follow along for more dispatches from our travels! Click here to connect with us and follow our Instagram and LinkedIn.

Published
Categorized as Tradeshows

2016 Flashback

By Emily Siwek & Cathy Schneider, Sphere Trending Trend Futurists

Now that we’re in 2026, everyone is looking back to 2016 to see how far we’ve come in ten years. We thought it would be interesting to revisit some of the trend talk we were focused on back then and how it compares to what we’re seeing now. Here are some of our favorite color snapshots from then and now!

Ten years ago we were talking about colors that pair well with neutrals – here are a few that still feel relevant today:

Mineral Inspired Pastels (from 2016):

Mineral Pastels NOW:

Soft, mineral pastel hues continue with deeper accents leaning into browns and navy blue

Elitis – Paris Deco Off

Inky Indigo (from 2016):

Inky Indigo NOW:

At the forthcoming Kitchen and Bath Industry show (KBIS), James Martin vanities highlights their vanities against an inky stone backdrop

James Martin Vanities – KBIS

Warm Russet (from 2016):

Warm Russet NOW:

Seen at the most recent Maison & Objet in Paris, Warm Russet hues continue to pair with warm neutrals and crisp white

Vincent Sheppard – Maison & Objet – January 2026

Stay tuned for more of our finds and follow along for more dispatches from our travels! Click here to connect with us and follow our Instagram and LinkedIn.

From the Marché to the Market

By Emily Siwek & Riann Henkel, Sphere Trending Trend Futurists

Our team just returned from one of our most inspiring trips of the year, a visit to the Maison & Objet tradeshow in Paris. This year, along with retail trendspotting we also added stops at Paris Deco Off and the Paris Flea Market.

Interestingly, the theme for this year’s Maison & Objet tradeshow was Past Reveals Future, installations throughout the show focused on the evolution of trend where “each object is an echo” of the past, as seen in this endless loop of product transformations:

What’s New Retail at Maison & Objet – Curated by Francios Delclaux

Nowhere was this evolution of trend more on display than at the Paris Flea Market, Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, specifically the Marché Paul Bert Serpette which is a high-end, designer favorite described as “the jewel of the market.”

Here are a few of our favorite examples of inspiration from new and old with trend taking inspiration from the past and leading the future. Can you tell which one is new vs. vintage?

Vintage Style Lighting

Kersten at Maison & Objet
Paris Flea Market – Les Puces de Saint-Ouen

Metal Objects as Art

BHV – Paris Trendspotting
Paris Flea Market – Les Puces de Saint-Ouen

70s Style Seating

Ralph M – Maison & Objet
Paris Flea Market – Les Puces de Saint-Ouen

Follow along for more future round-ups! Click here to connect with us and follow our Instagram and LinkedIn.

Christmas in New York

By Cathy Schneider, Director of Color Theory

2025 Theme: The Bergdorf Soirée

To conclude our Christmas trendspotting we wanted to share this year’s window displays at Bergdorf Goodman which are under the theme “The Bergdorf Soirée” — an extravagant, festive celebration meant to evoke the energy, glamour, and joy of a holiday party. The windows are part of a broader “holiday world” for Bergdorf: the in-store design, curated gift guides, and associated campaign all align with the theatrical, glitzy mood of The Bergdorf Soirée.

The display was created by a team of 100 artisans over nine months, using handcrafted paper-sculpture, mosaics, soft sculpture and other artisanal techniques — a real “labor-of-love” approach. According to the store’s creative lead Linda Fargo, the windows are meant as an “invitation to celebrate together” — a festive, joyful and elegant way to bring people into the holiday spirit.

Sphere Trendspotting – Bergdorf Goodman – NYC
Sphere Trendspotting – Bergdorf Goodman – NYC
Sphere Trendspotting – Bergdorf Goodman – NYC

We wish you a happy and healthy holiday season! We will be back in the New Year with more insights. Follow for more of our finds and to see what’s trending into the new year! Click here to connect with us and follow our Instagram and LinkedIn.