The Berlin-based Korean designer Sanghyeok Lee was named winner for his project ”Useful Living Space”. He graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2011 and now has his own design studio.
The jury for the award commented, “The jury finds Sanghyeok’s work to be very interesting. In general, his work shows strength both in idea and in aesthetics. His design has a minimalistic and simple approach and bridges design values between East and West. ‘Useful Living Space’ is a fine example of design that aims to give more for less – furniture design that, though economic in the use of materials, still offers a range of possibilities for construction and use.”
When Sanghyeok Lee entered Time to Design he had been working on a project called Useful Arbeitsloser (Jobless), which he now wishes to develop further. Lee commented, “One day, standing in front of a scaffolding structure, I decided to use that as a source of inspiration. Scaffolding structures are moved around the city where they are needed. They live a rather unstable life, but they are of great importance where they are used. To me that was very similar to my own situation as a newly graduated jobless designer.”
The project resulted in a series of self-assembly furniture consisting of a bookcase and a desk that represented Sanghyeok Lee’s nomadic lifestyle. During his stay in Denmark, he will be expanding this concept. He explains: “I would like to show the possibilities of the project. Since the beginning of this project, I have dreamed of making it into a living space. I look forward to seeing how will it look all together, how far I can develop it. I do not know the limitation of the project yet, but I expect that this will be a big and exciting challenge.”
