Chicago’s design trade shows this June feature the METROPOLISLikes 2026 Awards, highlighting 33 products that blend responsible manufacturing, innovative materials, and strong visual appeal.
Key Winners at River North and Merchandise Mart
At the River North venue, the Olive chair stands out with four nature‑inspired back‑frame colors and three coordinating mesh options—Venetian red, Grove green, and Azure blue. Its adjustable lumbar support, tilt function, and waterfall‑edge seat meet the ergonomic expectations for modern task chairs.
Nearby, the Land/Mark carpet tile translates everyday surface textures into subtle shifts in density, tone, and pattern, using regenerated nylon to emphasize material circularity. Designed by David Oakey for Interface, the Forest Within collection expands biophilic design with four patterns that move from muted neutrals to richer, expressive surfaces.
In the Merchandise Mart space, the Cleve porcelain series adapts quartzite’s layered look into a carbon‑neutral product, featuring a FeatherSoft™ finish that remains slip‑resistant. The Vicinity panel line, a collaboration between Autex Acoustics and Emma Hayes Textiles, offers four designs printed on Cube panels containing at least 80 % recycled PET, fully customizable in color and dimensions.
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The Lucy chair from Boss Design uses a bungee‑cord system to secure a removable cover, allowing on‑site reupholstery while keeping the internal steel frame recyclable and the foam cushioning eco‑friendly.
Crush’s performance textiles combine vivid color, layered patterns, and plant‑based content, including recycled fibers and marine plastic, to encourage designers to mix and match more dynamic interior palettes.
Lighting, Acoustic and Furniture Innovations
Henrik Pedersen’s Ambient Compass luminaire features a hand‑woven burlap or umber wool shade and sustainably sourced teak panels, offering three sizes of a portable lantern that blends craft techniques with serial production.
New York artist Liam Lee contributes four lively patterns for HBF, derived from paintings that mix abstraction and figuration, expanding the palette for experimental interiors.
When comparing these winners to previous years, the emphasis on circularity and biophilic elements appears stronger, echoing a broader industry shift toward sustainability without sacrificing design ambition.
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Additional Highlights Across Fulton Market
Designtex’s Dimensional contract textile presents a raised moss‑like pattern in four colors—Moss, Cloud, Poodle, and Teal—crafted from 100 % post‑consumer recycled polyester and tested for up to 100,000 Martindale cycles.
Jean‑Marie Massaud’s Aom chair reduces seating to two interlocking components, using expanded polypropylene and recyclable Breathair® cushioning to eliminate polyurethane and simplify disassembly.
The Classic Wood Table with Light Bar from Fríant Plus incorporates an LED rod within its top bar, delivering overhead illumination for collaborative work while maintaining a minimal aesthetic.
Outspan’s outdoor furniture line combines powder‑coated steel and high‑density polyethylene in restrained forms, while the Here and There system reimagines Aldo Leopold’s bench using 100 % recyclable HDPE for modular outdoor use.
Luum’s Craft Work collection by Dorothy Cosonas showcases textile craft from six global mills, and the Maharam‑Paul Smith partnership updates the Overlapping Stripe pattern with PFAS‑free water‑repellent finishes.
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Mannington Commercial revives punch‑needle rug hooking in carpet tiles available in four patterns—Loopfield, Amble, Grooveform, and Sketchflow—designed for high‑traffic environments.
Pallas Textiles introduces NetZERO Bio, a polyester and bio‑attributed polyurethane blend certified by the Global Recycled Standard, offering bleach‑cleanable fabrics that endure up to 500,000 double rubs.
Tarkett Hospitality and Kellie Sirna’s Wild Runway floor collection blends animal‑inspired motifs with architectural geometry, marketed as “couture for the floor.”
Teknion’s Blink task chair, created with Formway, features a plastic shell made from 73.45 % recycled content, precision‑molded with cuts and depths that flex with the sitter, available in eight saturated colors.