Furniture designer Juwon Seo studied chemistry at Han-Yang University in South Korea until she realised an ambition for design. She then came to the UK and started an Art and Design Foundation course at London Metropolitan University, which led her to a BA Furniture Design course at Bucks New University.
She received two awards last year – the New Designers John Lewis Award for Design & Innovation and the Makita Award for Excellence of Design Combined with Excellence of Craft.
“My ambition is to be a designer who creates playful, functional and unique pieces of furniture that people enjoy using,” she says.
Her nest of tables, Cosmos, mixes traditional Korean influences with modern appeal. “Koreans traditionally ate using a small portable table called a Soban," she says. "When a Korean family had a meal, the family members brought their Sobans together.
“Cosmos can be used as a one-person dining table or transformed into a group/family dining space when more than one table in the nest in used. The table can be personalised with pictures and cards, to remind people of their family, friends and past experiences when they eat alone at home.
“Cosmos helps bring a human connection to the solo dining trend – people often forget the importance of having company due to technology and individualised consumption.”
This article was published in the November 2015 issue of Furniture News magazine.
