The Hanson HomeDeco BY SEOG BE SEOG
Conceived by local practice BY SEOG BE SEOG, the project moves beyond conventional showroom tropes, introducing a layered experience that speaks to designers not only as clients, but as co-creators in shaping the environments we live and work in.
Founded as a manufacturer of MDF, Hansol HomeDeco has spent the past 30 years refining and expanding its offering: flooring, furniture boards, and decorative finishes under the broader Hansol Group, whose roots trace back to the paper industry. With a quiet confidence that comes from this legacy, the brand set out to create a showroom that didn't just house their products, but gave shape to their ethos: one that values creativity, design, and cultural relevance.
At the centre of the design brief was a single question: who is the showroom for? The answer was as focused as it was ambitious: interior designers who don't just specify finishes, but challenge convention. BY SEOG BE SEOG responded by shaping a spatial experience closer to an art institution than a commercial interior. Drawing from the logic of museums and galleries, the showroom is conceived as a journey that guides visitors through shifting atmospheres while staying grounded in tactility and narrative.
The layout unfolds in two distinct sections: the 'Special space' and the 'Permanent space' organised around the entry threshold. Each zone breaks down further into smaller content-driven pockets, creating a gentle cadence of discovery. Visitors begin their journey through the 'Special space,' where immersive installations reinterpret brand messaging with shifting material, colour and light. It's an ephemeral space, designed to evolve over time, reflecting Hansol's ongoing engagement with design culture.
Set within the heart of Korea's interior finishing industry, the first-ever showroom for Hansol HomeDeco isn't just a product display but a cultural gesture.
From here, a more grounded experience follows. The 'Permanent space' brings visitors into direct contact with over 100 board samples developed by Hansol HomeDeco. Product is not only displayed but activated allowing designers to test combinations of finishes, mix tones and textures, and explore how various materials respond to light and touch. There's also a dedicated area for experimenting with full-scale furniture doors clad in Hansol finishes, reinforcing the idea of the showroom as a working studio rather than a passive display.
Materially, the concept rests on a deeper structural language. BY SEOG BE SEOG chose to reveal the fundamental texture and build of MDF the brand's origin story as a central design element. Instead of concealing substrates behind polished veneers, the exhibition architecture openly showcases the edges, profiles and tactility of raw boards. In doing so, the very bones of the brand become the medium of the architecture.
In a moment where many companies look to say more, Hansol HomeDeco has opted for restraint. There's a discipline in the project's minimalism, its refusal to overcrowd or over-explain that leaves room for curiosity and interpretation. What emerges is a space that is both pared back and deeply expressive: a thoughtful stage for materials, but also a provocation for the designers it seeks to inspire.
Courageously, Hansol has chosen clarity over completeness. As a first foray into physical brand expression, this inaugural showroom makes a bold statement not by overwhelming, but by refining. In doing so, it sets the tone for a broader narrative that the company seems ready to unfold one rooted in craft, structure, and the imagination of those who bring interiors to life.
