From Tradition

A soban is a small portable table used in Korea, functioning as both a tray and a table. The size is perfect for presenting three to four dishes, a rice bowl, and a soup bowl on top. It is light enough to move easily and good for a table of drinks and snacks, too.

Choi Doyoung’s soban (small tray-like table) series “Ok(屋)” was made with the eaves of Hanok (traditional Korean homes) as its motif. A traditional design of Gujokban (dining table) was designed in a contemporary way with diverse colors.

This is a plate in the shape of gujeolpan (platter of nine delicacies) produced using the dry lacquer technique consists of hemp cloth, mud powder, lacquer, and mother-of-pearl. Mother-of-pearl inlay was applied only to the outer rim of the flower petal-shaped design.

This stone object was made of amphibole from the Jangsu region in Korea. Such an object has been used since the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), when objects made of amphibole from Jangsu were used on the king’s table.

Metal craftsmen Heo Daechoon and Ahn Ihwan have made metal ornaments attached to traditional Korean wooden furniture for decades. They made this brass fork set.

Since the Goryeo Dynasty, tteoksal has been used to make rice cake patterns. It has an intaglio or embossed pattern on the side to press on rice cakes. It is used by pressing it like stamping something.

Unlike her existing products that experimented with the potential of hanji in various forms and colors such as bowls, trays, and notebooks, this is a simple form of an object that focuses purely on the texture and color of hanji.

The rush mat, which made people forget about the hot weather—even if for just a moment—is called hwamunseok, a traditional craftwork (a mat woven with painted rush and patterns like flowers), and goes back more than a thousand years.

These show a modern version of one of Korea’s most notable antique cabinet sets, which encompass two different types of traditional cabinets.