Korean Picks Up Furniture Award at 'Design Oscars'

Published on 2012/04/27 | Source

At the Designs of the Year 2012 awards ceremony held at the Design Museum London on Tuesday, 33-year-old Kim Ki-hyun claimed the Furniture Award for his "1.3 Chair".

The annual awards are widely seen as the Oscars of the design industry. They are handed out to the best works in seven categories -- architecture, digital, fashion, furniture, graphics, product and transport. Some of the world's best designers were honored in this year's event, and the top honor, Design of the Year 2012, was given to British designer duo Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, who designed the London 2012 Olympic Torch.

"I felt like it was a dream when the presenter said, 'I love this chair'. The candidates included so many star designers, such as Jasper Morrison, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, and Konstantin Grcic", said an excited Kim by phone on Friday. "I'm so thrilled as I never expected it. I feel particularly honored because furniture design is really a new field for Korean designers".

Kim went to Britain in 2009 and graduated from the prestigious Royal College of Arts in London. He has since been working in the British capital.