Inspired by traditional Korean crafts, Arijian re-imagines centuries-old techniques to create contemporary design with soul.
Founded by South Korean Designer Jian Yoo, who studied interior design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, Arijian offers a diverse range of furniture and accessories that perfectly balance skill and artistry to give prominence to traditional Korean crafts.
Expressing heritage and culture through furniture design runs in the family. In 1978, Jian’s father, Yoo Cheol-hyeon established ‘Traditional Korean Craft’, a studio that worked with exceptionally skilled artisans to create furniture for celebrities, collectors, and aesthetes during Korea’s era of rapid economic development in the 1980s and 1990s.
Continuing this tradition of refined furniture-making, Jian works with the same community of artisans, imbuing a sense of modernity and sophistication to their skills to create pieces that whilst speaking to their Korean heritage are at home in the most stylish rooms around the world.
In Korean, Arijian translates as ‘to engrave beautiful light’. The studio’s name is particularly serendipitous as it not only incorporates the founder’s name, but more importantly, implies their oeuvre. Arijian’s work extensively features traditional lacquer, mother of pearl inlay and gold engraving – materials that playfully reflect light to lend depth, charisma and a sense of luxury.
The use of mother of pearl and natural shells such as the abalone and the conch reached its peak in Korea during the Goryeo Dynasty, around a 1,000 years ago. These semi-precious materials were used to line luxury goods and gifts for royal families and aristocrats. Coveted for their radiance and pliability, soon mother of pearl was used in decorative inlays, taking the shape of birds, flowers, and mythical creatures brought to life by skillful hands firmed by generations of experience.
Arijian preserves such treasured heritage, adapting it in the most beautiful ways - from consoles and tables to vases, trays and wall panels – to offer a new generation the opportunity to discover it all over again.
To find out more about Arijian, click here.
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