MODERN KOREAN LACQUER FURNITURE

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The lacquer is a traditional material in Korean craft &art history, and it was one of the most expensive and extravagance material for living craft products and furniture in ancient time. However, as the lacquer painting required very specific temperature & moisture control to dry as well as highly trained fine technique to brush that normally take relatively longer time than modern urethan based paints, it has almost failed to get attention in modern design industry. So, recently one of traditional lacquer producer in Korea has developed a new lacquer product that can dry out on room temperature and ordinary moisture environment just like modern paint products. Moreover, it makes modern design developer easily apply the traditional material on modern products.

During the recovery of traditional material, I could have chance to find the beauty of the material that can be injected on modern aesthetics. Especially the combination of lacquer and brass, which was quite ordinary hardware metal for conventional furniture piece in Korea in the past, shows that how traditional materials can be reinterpreted in a sense of modern beauty. In addition, the Top of the table was inspired by the stream line of Han river in order to symbolize the industrialization in Korea in the past, which often be refered 'miracle'. Because there has been lot of lost in term of tradition and craft identity during the hurry modernization, I wanted to bring the narrative out for modern living in the present where we still frequently forgot about our tradition and rudimentary roots.