Interior designers in search of some of the latest developments in glass and glazing will find many new options when they attend NeoCon, North America’s largest contract furnishings trade show, taking place June 10-12 at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. More than 40,000 are expected to attendee, and thousands of new products will be featured by more than 700 exhibitors, including a number representing the glass and glazing industry.
The Glass Association of North America (GANA) is on-hand showing numerous decorative glass samples, which were provided by companies in the glass industry from all over North America. In the GANA booth the visitors can touch and feel various decorative glass samples using different type of technologies.
“The world of glass has evolved so much in the last couple years. With the development of the technology it is easy these days to be confused on what is out there,” says Ashley Charest, GANA account executive. “The good news is that the visitors are invited to ask questions to the industry leaders for decorative glass solutions.”
She adds, “GANA is a presenting sponsor of NeoCon for the past six years. This year we are exhibiting again and the fun is seeing designers picking up the glass samples and being amazed at what we can do with our versatile medium of glass. Our most popular questions have been about printing on glass and marker boards.”
GANA is also inviting attendees to stop by its booth and share an example of why decorative glass was an important part of a particular project. Those who share will be entered for a chance to win an iPad Mini.
“Glass is a wonderful and flexible material to work with. There are so many possibilities that it is impossible to mention them all. But between the creativity and the needs of the designers, the glass industry is there to provide answers for those needs,” adds Danik Dancause of Walker Glass and chairman of GANA’s NeoCon Show Task Group for GANA.
Also at the show, Gardner Glass Products Inc. of North Wilkesboro, N.C., is introducing its matte color glass, a new addition to the Dreamwalls Color Glass product line. The new product is made by using low-iron acid etched glass that incorporates a durable, heat-cured, dual-coated back painting system. The purity of the glass ensures that the color specified is the color achieved, according to the company.
“I am excited to see this product used in more large-scale environments, playing with the glossy and matte versions of Dreamwalls Color Glass to create patterns and interest,” says Mandy Marxen, vice president of marketing. “It’s a product that begs to be touched and the softness really speaks to today’s hospitality and medical interior design.”
Likewise, Skyline Design, which recently announced its new permanent showroom at the Merchandise Mart, is launching a new digital glass portfolio that features collected works by artists. Skyline Design is expanding its collaborative circle to work directly with artists for the new line. The portfolio will offer a selection of images for digital printing on glass by eight commissioned artists, photographers and designers from across the United States. This initial launch represents the first phase of an ever-growing collection, with the work of new artists to be added.
The new portfolio showcases the talents of artists energized by working on a large scale in the medium of printed glass for interior architecture. For Skyline, Doug Fogelson, Bryan Nash Gill, Bill Sosin and Herman Yu have drawn inspiration from the natural world, creating patterns and textures based in sources as varied as raindrops, tree rings and skeletal winter branches. Other artists, including Jim Krantz, Anne Lindberg, Sonnenzimmer and Thirst, redefine manmade elements—fabrics, letters, symbols—into immersive environments.
