The basic function of a showroom is to show “someone” what the target is. The target is sometimes a brand product, and sometimes the brand itself. The showroom we designed this time is a place to show the brand itself, “Hansol HomeDeco” to “designers”.
Established as a company that produces MDF, “Hansol HomeDeco” is a company and brand that has been developing and producing various interior finishing materials such as furniture boards and flooring for 30 years. Considering that “Hansol,” the holding company of “Hansol HomeDeco,” is a company that operates based on the paper industry, the history of “Hansol Home Deco” is much longer.
Museum of Hansol HomeDeco
In creating the first showroom of “Hansol HomeDeco,” the most important issue was “who” we would show “Hansol HomeDeco.” Fortunately, both the client and we agreed on the idea of “designers working in the space field.” We went one step further and narrowed the scope of the target even further, defining it as “designers who pursue creativity and never stop trying.” We assigned this showroom the role of conveying the image of “Hansol HomeDeco” containing the keywords “creative,” “design,” and “culture” to them. We thought that in order for “Hansol HomeDeco” to properly fulfill its role, it needed to approach it with a service structure familiar to “designers.” We thought of the service structure of “art galleries” and “museums.”
So the space is divided into two areas, ‘Special space’ and ‘Permanent space’, centered around the entrance. And the two areas are composed of small parts with content. The two areas and each part are divided visually and functionally, but they each play a role within the flow of the space, like the plot of the story.
What is important in the two areas is that users can feel the brand and products by moving around. In the ‘Special space’, users can feel the brand’s message while moving through spaces that change according to the content. And users enter the ‘Permanent space’ after understanding the brand’s message while experiencing the ‘Special space’. In the ‘Permanent space’, users can actually see and touch over 100 board sample chips developed by “Hansol HomeDeco”. And in the space where users can match furniture doors made with “Hansol HomeDeco” finishing materials, they can try out combining finishing materials of various moods and feel them for themselves.
Structure & Texture of MDF
It is important for the design of the space to be harmonious within the context, but in the case of the brand’s first offline space, it may be more important to show a design language that can be visually imprinted. We thought that in order to effectively imprint the design language on people, it was necessary for “Hansol HomeDeco” products to play that role and have meaning. So we designed it to show the fundamental structure and characteristics of MDF, and we tried to show it through the structural beauty of the board, which is the basic form of the product. This also includes our will to show that “Hansol HomeDeco” products, which were proposed for residential spaces, can be used in various spaces.
The more a space contains, the less concentrated the message it wants to convey. We believe that brands need to have the courage to give up if they create a space that contains their message. The message of the space created in this way can be simple and clear. This is very difficult for companies and brands that have a long history and a lot to show. However, “Hansol HomeDeco” has mustered up the courage and created its first space with a clear message. We hope that this first space will serve as a good introduction to the grand narrative that “Hansol HomeDeco” wants to tell.
