Korean designer Kunsik Choi was inspired by contrasts for his diptych of mirrors, winner of Best Reflection in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2020. ‘Coldness and warmth, natural and artificial, good and bad, heavy and light: these images are always inherent in man and nature, creating an organic balance and subtle tension,’ he says. The duality of contrasts has long interested the Sweden-based designer, who has explored the idea of ‘putting conflicting concepts into harmony’.
Crafted from aluminium and leather, the pair of mirrors is an exercise in minimalist geometry. ‘Through the shapes and the texture of the materials, I wanted to express the reversal image that comes to mind when I think of a mirror,’ says Choi. The warmth of the vegetable-tanned leather contrasts with the cold metal to compelling effect.
The piece is part of a series of furniture and objects, including pond-shaped aluminium tables and stacked plinths, designed by Choi for the interior of eyewear brand Projekt Produkt’s boutique in Sinsa-dong, Seoul. The designer has created an immersive environment for the brand, with polished concrete floors, metal furniture and displays and neon lamps contrasting with subtle touches of colour, such as green upholstered benches, dusty pink carpet and curtains covering the full-length windows. The pared-back pieces fit seamlessly into the sleek industrial environment.
Choi worked closely with artisans in Seoul’s Mullae-dong neighbourhood, and every element of ‘The Mirror’ was made and assembled by hand, resulting in a perfectly balanced design.
INFORMATION
‘The Mirror’, €33,100, by Kunsik Choi
-
Travel editor Sofia de la Cruz’s gift guide for the discerning globetrotterWallpaper* travel editor Sofia de la Cruz curates her festive wish list, packed with stylish essentials for those constantly on the go
-
Paul Smith’s Claridge’s Christmas tree is a playful slice of ‘countryside in the centre of London’Sir Paul Smith is the latest in a long line of fashion designers to curate the iconic Claridge’s Christmas tree. Here, he talks to Wallpaper* about the inspiration behind the tree, which features bird boxes and wooden animals
-
Victoire de Castellane nods to Dior motifs in a new fine jewellery collectionFor the latest additions to the My Dior collection, Victoire de Castellane turns the house’s signature cannage motif into golden wonders
