DesignScene Lights Up The Mart During NeoCon 2025
SANDOW Design Group’s DesignScene lounge at NeoCon was all aglow thanks to a playful installation created by LightArt and Interior Design Editor-in-Chief Cindy Allen. Located on the 11th floor of The Mart in Chicago during the show, the space dazzled visitors with countless glowing orbs, designed to be stackable à la Noguchi’s paper shades. From full-scale lamps to miniatures lining shelves in Interior Design‘s orange-hued area, visitors were encouraged to step into the role of designer and create sculptures of light.
And thousands—including 5,000 visitors alone on day one—did exactly that as they stopped by during this year’s show, which ran from June 9-11, 2025. Created in collaboration with Ryan Smith, chief creative officer of 3form and founder of LightArt, and his team, the space played host to countless talks, experiences, and activations—each showcasing the power of design. Cloaked in wallcoverings by Momentum Textiles and Wallcovering and grounded by a rich, rust-colored carpet by Bentley Mills with surfaces painted by Behr, the lounge doubled as a 70s-era fever dream.
From Interior Design‘s engaging roundtables with industry leaders, touching on the future of commercial spaces as well as hospitality and wellness innovations, to a meet-and-greet with young designers in the First NeoCon cohort and Metropolis‘s Sustainability Lab, SANDOW Design Group’s DesignScene lounge offered visitors an endless array of ways to ignite the imagination—and connect.
“We have the same sensibility and the same passion for design,” Allen says of her partnership with Smith during a SURROUND podcast episode recorded live during NeoCon. “I think that is a big connector for the both of us.” That inherent trust is what led to the creation of this year’s stunning, design-driven lounge and, in the words of Allen, wowza! What a win.
Want to learn more about the making of SANDOW Design Group’s DesignScene lounge? Listen to SURROUND Podcast Studio’s Live From NeoCon episode featuring Ryan Smith and Cindy Allen.
Explore DesignScene Activations At The Mart
Cindy Allen with Ryan Smith, chief creative officer of 3form and founder of LightArt, and Dax Pettibone, designer at 3form. 
Smith and Allen in DesignScene. 
A Hospitality and Wellness roundtable hosted in DesignScene. 
The First NeoCon group met with Allen in Metropolis’s area of DesignScene. 
Commercial leaders came together to share insights into the future of design in the lounge.
A special thank you to Interior Design‘s DesignScene partners: Behr, Bentley Mills, 3form, LightArt, and Momentum Textiles & Wallcovering.
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