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Category: Commercial Trends

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.

Commercial Trends

By Emily Siwek, Director of Architectural Design

Tracking trends in commercial markets including hospitality, multi-family, office, education and healthcare, gives us the opportunity to look outside of the home and identify both the uniqueness and crossover that drives these ever changing environments.

Our annual commercial macro and design reporting has uncovered many leading trends, here are three we’re currently watching:

1. New Segments

Susan Yashinsky, Sphere Trending Vice President of Innovation notes that various segments of commercial continue to be reinvented for a “new era of productivity that reflects the distinctive needs of five adult generations and their shifting expectations.”

An example is the rise of ‘Zen Dens’ coming in to commercial segements. For today’s sensory deprived society, ‘sensory enabled architecture’ focuses on environments that can help reduce and manage stress.

A Zen Den at Montclair University

We see significant shifts as commercial moves beyond function to include community and creativity.”

-Susan Yashinsky, Sphere Trending VP, Innovation Trends

2. Return to Classic

As identified by Mandi Mankvitz, President at Sphere Trending, “commercial spaces embrace more humancentric attitudes.” An example of this can be seen in a return to classic hospitality in the travel segment. Mankvitz notes that “Curious young travelers are rebelling against modern low-contact accommodations and moving toward genuine, conversation-driven hospitality.”

Take The Henson for example, a 16-room inn located near the Catskills where they “want to see people reading by the fireplace or grabbing a drink to stargaze by the fire pit, guests arriving as strangers and leaving as best friends.”

3. The Organic Office

Lastly, office design is shifting from rectilinear work environments composed of cubes and private offices, to a more amorphous organic landscape that embraces curves, softness, and areas for respite.

A great example is the new Jean Novel seating collection for Coalesse that is “inspired by elemental forms reminiscent of pebbles that combine seamlessly into organic forms — office lounge seating that flows naturally.”

Jean Novel seating collection for Coalesse
Niwa Office by Sight

These are just a few of the insights in our 200+ pages of commercial reporting available now in our 2027 Commercial Macro and Design Forecasts.

We would be happy to offer a free 10 Minute Preview Presentation of the 2027 Commercial Reports – reach out to schedule your call! Reach out for more information at info@spheretrending.com

Home Away From Home

By Riann Henkel, Sphere Trending Trend Futurist, Director of Interior Home

At Sphere Trending, we keep our eyes on all aspects of design from Residential to Architecture to Commercial Design – and this commercial design project stopped us in our tracks. Resimercial (the blending of residential design into commercial spaces) is not a new conversation. But this LSU Locker room project from Designer Wendy Sharp and Artistic Tile took Resimercial design to another level… a level perfect for national champions. We’ve been just as captivated by NCAA ladies basketball as the rest of the country, so seeing sports, resimercial design and elevated luxe blend together so perfectly was inspiring.

Follow along for more evolving home philosophies. Click here to connect with us and follow our Instagram and LinkedIn.