About

This research is an original and pioneering investigation that draws scholarly attention to the discipline of the history of interior design in South Korea. The historical study of interior design in Korea has suffered what was claimed as ‘double-marginalisation’ between the fields of architecture and design (Sparke, 2009). Interiority has been poorly articulated in design history studies, and architectural historians have rarely associated the interior with the analysis of architectural structure. Furthermore, discussions have largely been confined to the domestic sphere and the stylistic aspects of interior design.

To address these gaps, this research delves into the case studies of South Korea's post-Korean War reconstruction period by uncovering understudied figures in the field of interior design and the furniture industry. It provides detailed and multifaceted accounts of the practice of interior design as a profession in the industrial sphere, compiling the actual evidence of their lives and works. Furthermore, it will contribute to the historiography of global design history by advancing the analysis of modernity in Korean design and its postcolonial implications against the backdrop of regional and global historical contexts.

Another noteworthy feature of this research is that it will set an example for archival research practice. By employing a 'life-writing' approach to designers' personal narratives, this study will engage deeply with biographies, memories and professional legacies. Unknown individuals and their exchanges will be documented for the first time, both verbally and non-verbally, and unseen historical records and artefacts will be identified, creating 'scholarly resources' that are currently absent from the existing literature.

The significance of this research is that it will be the most prominent cross-cultural exploration of the history of interior design, incorporating unwritten agents into future scholarship. This transnational project will make an interdisciplinary contribution to the study of material culture, the built environment and modernity.