Living design trends

IKEA

• Published Apr 8, 2015 11:57 AM KST
• Updated Apr 8, 2015 11:57 AM KST

By Yun Suh-young

The Seoul Living Design Fair, held annually in Korea's capital city, this year showcased ways to style home interiors in a way that best shows off individual styles and hobbies. The fair was held at the COEX in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, from April 1 to 5.

Evolving use of homes

Whereas home decoration was pushed aside as secondary to purchasing a larger home for older generations, young people these days are more active about decorating their homes in their own way. Even a small house can be beautiful and stylish, displaying the characteristics of the owner.

"Home decoration is a new kind of enjoyment," says Kang Seung-tae, a 32-year-old male who lives on his own and is planning to stylishly decorate his home when he moves into his new house in May.

"I didn't care about decorating when I came into my current house, but now seeing so many homes decorated beautifully, I also want to dress up my new house. It's self-satisfaction."

The home is no longer just a functional space in which to eat, sleep and rest- it is also becoming a cultural space for enjoying hobbies and mingling with guests.

"Because I spend much time in the house during the weekends- relaxing, working, and sometimes inviting friends- a well-decorated house means a lot to me," said Kang.

With the increase in single-person households, more individuals such as Kang are inputting time and money into stylishly decorating their homes.

Nordic design still popular

Scandinavian design has been widely appreciated over the past few years in Korea and it still continues to be popular for interior trends as young people continue to seek out simple yet colorful designs.

This year's living design fair featured brands which cater to Scandinavian lifestyles, showcasing plenty of wooden furniture and functional designs.

Booths by IKEA, Dansk, and Hay were noticeable among the brands showcasing Nordic-style furniture and interior products.

Dansk, a Korean company that mainly imports vintage furniture from Denmark, introduced wooden chairs and tables, while Hay, a contemporary Danish design brand, featured accessories for modern homes.

For Swedish home furnishing company IKEA, which opened its first store in Korea in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, last December, this was the first time to participate in the fair. Its booth received a Living Design Award for "Noticeable Space" selected by 12 professionals in the field.

The booth featured three separate rooms displaying various styles of interior for children, families and single women, each displaying a different hobby.

"We wanted to work along the theme of hobbies. Home furnishing can also be a hobby, a passion," said Anton Hogkvist, interior design manager of IKEA's Gwangmyeong store, who designed the booth.

"There are different ways to store your collections for your hobbies. For instance, a guy who's into photography can use a wardrobe like this to not store clothes, but keep his gadgets in. It's up to you how you use the furniture."

When asked why he thinks Scandinavian design is so popular in Korea, Hogkvist said because it was "different."

"It's very different from what was in the market before; the wood, the solutions, the lighter feelings. I think a lot of Koreans were tired of the heavy, big furniture- the feeling that I have to place my grandmother's coffee table in the house," he said.

"Koreans are always looking for something new- they want to leave the old stuff behind them. So I think this trend will continue."

He also pointed to the launching of IKEA which prompted other furniture companies to compete.

"Sometimes I think the producers create these trends. I think a lot of companies anticipated IKEA coming and they went quicker to introduce the Scandinavian trend," said Hogkvist.

Scandinavian styling

As Nordic design received much spotlight, several of the seminars arranged by the organizer Design House were dedicated to learning about Scandinavian furniture and interior styling.

IKEA's interior design manager Anton Hogkvist presented a variety of room settings out of the 68 offered at the IKEA store in Gwangmyeong during his presentation.

"Swedish people like it simple, spontaneous and sustainable. Scandinavian designs are practical and durable but also beautiful," he said.

"When we did 'home visits,' we noticed that Korean homes are very children-oriented. For instance, all homes with children have their living rooms dominated by children's toys, see-saws and slides that are in strong primary colors of green, red, and blue but disturb the overall interior," he said.

"In our room settings, we tried to blend the children's corner into the living room using monochrome colored children's furniture that doesn't interrupt the overall style."

He also noticed that Korean parents like to be there when their children study, so he introduced styles blending the study room with the living room.

Hogkvist said that the biggest characteristic of Scandinavian design was the play between wood and strong colors.

"The base is white, but there are strong colors used to accentuate the blond wood. We use a lot of colors but just in certain spots," he said.

Kim Hyo-jin, CEO of Dansk, a company that imports Danish furniture, also introduced some tips on decorating the interior in Nordic style.

"What I noticed when I went to Denmark and Sweden was that the Scandinavians were very down to earth and efficient," said Kim.

"In terms of their interiors, I was surprised at how the children's spaces were clearly divided from the adults' spaces. Whereas Koreans' homes turn into children's playgrounds, Scandinavian living rooms are strictly spaces for adults. Children's spaces are limited to the children's rooms."

What's most important in styling the interior in the Nordic style is to be minimal, she said.

"Focus on minimalism for the overall interior and accentuate the empty spaces with furniture," said Kim.

"Carpet is the most important. It settles the atmosphere. Wall decoration is next. If the walls are empty, it feels as if the house is desolate. The floor, furniture and walls must all blend with each other. Then come the plants which are never left out in a Scandinavian home."

As an importer of Danish furniture, she also gave tips on purchasing vintage furniture.

"The condition of the furniture is very important. It mustn't be structurally deformed. Be sure to check the legs of chairs and the drawers of shelves. Then who designs it varies the price. With this, you may need to study or receive help from an expert. Last but not least, look at the material. Rosales are most valuable and of them, Brazilian ones are most expensive," she said.

A peek into French styles

With next year being the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, 2015 and 2016 were announced as years for cultural exchanges between the two countries. Celebrating this anniversary, the living design fair featured a special section dedicated to presenting French-style interior.

The classic French brands which were eager to meet with Korean consumers participated in the French furniture collection. Brands included Grange, Cote Table, Labarere, De Bournais, Les Histoires d'Alice, and Rouchon.

Many of the brands introduced had their history rooted in tradition. Cote Table, a tableware brand, had deep roots in the Bordeaux region, Labarere was inspired by the styles of Louis XV heavily using cherry trees, De Bournais began in the castle region of Touraine, and Rouchon was inspired by the furniture at Puymartin castle in Sarlat, located in the Perigord Noir region in France.

As many of the brands originated from castle regions, the styles introduced at the French booth were consistent and similar in their elaborate, classical and traditional styles, contrasting with the simple and minimalistic contemporary Nordic designs which were the dominant styles in the fair.

"History constitutes the biggest part of French style," said Jean Claude Labarere, president of Labarere, when asked what the biggest characteristic of French interior is. Labarere, who is the fifth generation owner of the family company, attended the booth at the Seoul fair.

"The 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries are very important in French life. Everybody in France lives with that history. And this furniture is inspired by that time. We only change the product by applying colors. With different colors we make old products into contemporary ones," he said.

"A lot of tradition is involved in French life. Although less and less now, in nearly every house in France you will find old pieces of furniture handed down from grandmothers or even from 200 years ago. We say that our best designers are from 17 to 19th centuries who worked for the kings at that time."

Regarding the popularity of Scandinavian design in Korea, he said it was a global trend.

"I think Scandinavian style is becoming popular all over the world- even in our country. But I think it's quite popular in Korea because Scandinavian style is not much different, not so much far from the Korean style using natural wood," said Labarere.