The first commercially produced furniture piece made with Econyl regenerated nylon won two Best of NeoCon awards–the Gold Award for Guest Seating and a Sustainability Award–during the show this week.
Econyl is a regenerated nylon made from waste diverted from landfills including carpet, industrial plastic, fishing nets and fabric scraps. Designing with Econyl regenerated nylon uses waste in lieu of oil, lessening the global warming impact of nylon by up to 90 percent compared with petroleum-based alternatives.
The innovative chair was submitted jointly by Noho, a new furniture brand originating from Aotearoa, New Zealand and Aquafil, the makers of Econyl. Noho’s revolutionary design, created by Formway, transforms the traditional static nature of home furniture by integrating the dynamic ergonomic comfort of a premium office chair and sustainable design to create a chair that flexes and flows with the body.
The designers at Formway tapped into Econyl nylon for its sustainable and regenerative qualities to reimagine conventional furniture design. The chair’s patented auxetic mesh seat provides four-way flex and form-fitting support that cradles the body. Its dynamic forward-tilt and recline-flex combine to deliver fluid motion and ergonomic support, responding to every activity and posture, eliminating pressure points and improving circulation.
Noho manufactures all its furniture in New Zealand to ensure sustainability through the supply chain, while powering production with 82 percent renewable energy.
The Best of NeoCon 2021 honors new products in 58 product categories introduced to the U.S. market since the close of NeoCon 2019, since there was no NeoCon or Best of NeoCon due to the pandemic in 2020. Jurors are commercial interior designers and architects and corporate, institutional, healthcare and government facilities executives.