Liaigre, Seoul

As part of its expansion in Asia, Liaigre opens its first showroom in Seoul, South Korea.

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As part of its expansion in Asia, Liaigre opens its first showroom in Seoul, South Korea, in April 2019 in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu where the most luxury brands’ flagship stores are located This opening embodies a privileged relationship with the country initiated in the early 2010s through the interior architecture and the realization of the TCC private golf club, as well as a strong affinity with the local know-how that infuses Liaigre accessory collections.

Credits: Seoul showroom by Chanwoo Park, calligraphy by Yuhui He, Kanagawa by Mark Seelen.

Burnt wood Nagato stool, Seoul showroom.

This ancestral technique used in Korea and Japan called Nak Dong or Yakisugi helps protecting the wood naturally by burning it.

This technique has been used by Studio Liaigre to create a unique shade of wood available on the iconic Nagato – previewed at the Seoul showroom – but also for this private interior project in the Kanagawa region of Japan.

A few hours drive from Seoul, in the middle of the countryside, you reach three small houses : one is inhabited and the other two are workshops heated by wood fires. The garden is lush and the atmosphere is pleasant and inspiringly relaxing. This South Korean artist, shy but welcoming, has worked the wood for over 20 years. Out of respect to the material he cherishes, he uses an ancient traditional Korean technique known as Nak dong. After creating the shape himself out of a rather heavy, dense wood, he burns the parts he wants to darken. The result depends on perfectly controlling the technique. He then briskly brushes the dark areas with rice straw and a special sponge to remove the residue. No chemical products or paint used here, only an occasional coat of wax or natural varnish. The abstract forms come as he touches and shapes the wood creating a perfect osmosis. He particularly likes the contrast between the natural raw wood aspect and the black carbon effect which comes from the traditional technique. A set of three plates is currently showcased in our NoMad showroom in New York.

In renovating this private club house, whose owners have given Korea three art museums and foundations, Liaigre pays homage to the extraordinary richness of Korean culture.
The exterior architecture of the club house was designed by American architecture firm Altevers Associates and resembles a fortress. In contrast, the atmosphere of Liaigre’s interior emulates the design of popular bygone gathering places—which have largely been destroyed—through the use of black lacquered doors, massive sculpted wood columns made from a single tree trunk, and beams and floors made of stained distressed wood…

Liaigre, Seoul

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