A Korean Designer Can Solve All Your Space-Saving Needs
Minimalism: (n) a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity.
In the last ten years, the concept of “minimalism” has exploded. The days of adorning rooms and artwork with overly complicated designs are long gone, and the days of using simple, linear designs have arrived. This trend has exploded not only in the United States but also in countries all around the world. It is characterized by basic line structures, little to no patterns, and a simple design process.
One of our generation’s leading minimalist artists is based in South Korea. Jongha Choi, a design student at Eindhoven Design Academy, first became interested in the art form while researching topics for his master’s thesis. Eindhoven is located in the Netherlands, so Choi attended the school on a scholarship. He currently holds a Bachelor, Master of Fine Arts, and Master of Arts degree. In addition, he is pursuing fellowship training at a museum in Seoul, South Korea.
He knew that he wanted to create a thesis project that was functional, unique, and efficient all in one. So, he came up with the idea for De-Dimension. This is a set of basic furniture that can be used as seating or a table, but can then be folded up and hung on a wall.
While designing his furniture, Choi spent a great deal of time researching pop-up books and mechanical movement. He said it took several attempts before he was able to create a piece of furniture that moves freely. In the end, he elected to use a strong and smooth type of metal held together with simple hinges. The whole contraption is deceptively elementary. Even his design could be called minimalist!
Once it’s hung on the wall, the furniture serves as a beautiful piece of art. It takes up virtually no space but fills many individuals’ desire for minimalist designs in their living spaces. The basic, discrete designs look clean and professional, but the bright colors allow people’s individual personalities to be shown.
In his thesis paper, Choi questioned why we simply accept “an image’s confinement to a flat surface.” He makes an interesting point. In large cities that are filled with high-rise apartment buildings, the opportunity to have furniture that can be constructed and deconstructed as needed would save massive amounts of space. This could help cut living costs because it would make room for multiple people to live in one apartment. On a larger scale, this could lead to a reduction in homeless populations. That’s definitely a long-term goal, but Choi believes it’s possible!
De-Dimension furniture is not currently available for purchase, but Choi says that he is not ruling the idea out for the future. No matter what he decides to do, we love his furniture and can’t wait to have it in our own apartments!
The opportunity to save space and decorate with fresh, simple designs is always exciting. Thanks to Jongha Chang, we can look forward to getting to do just that. So, the next time you’re worrying about moving to a smaller apartment or packing up big, bulky furniture, just remember that a better solution is on the way!
