The U.S. office furniture industry continues trending upward, with pre-election projections for U.S. production reaching $10.8 billion in 2017, and consumption hitting $14.4 billion, according to earlier figures from IHS Global Insight/Business & Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Assn. Likewise, projections from research group Statista have the total revenue of office furniture manufacturers in Canada reaching $4.41 billion.

So what are people buying? Along with interest in furniture sustainability, trends gleaned from this year’s NeoCon shows the continued move toward open and informal meeting areas, making soft/lounge seating, data management systems and acoustic products a hot commodity. A large number of  manufacturers also touted their ability to customize desks, seating, storage and partitions, particularly with regards to size, color and material.

(Click on the infographic to enlarge.)

Information Sources: Business & Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Assn. (BIFMA), IHS Global Insight, StatCan, Statista, U.S. Census Bureau, Canadian Government Trade Data

Category: Contract furniture includes: business/office furniture, government furniture, home office furniture, education furniture, healthcare furnishings, institutional furniture, hospitality furniture.