Chaeyoung Lee is a Seoul-based furniture and object designer. After studying Woodworking & Furniture Design and the Aesthetics of Art, she developed a craft-driven design practice rooted in narrative and intention.

Her work explores the translation of abstract thoughts into tangible, visual, and tactile experiences. Through furniture and objects, she gives form to everyday moments and examines the attitudes and emotions embedded within them.

Her practice continues to evolve as a way of engaging with life and the world—bridging the everyday and the artistic through making.

1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

I was born in Korea, and I am currently based in Seoul.

2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

My aunt is a painter, so my earliest memories of art come from visiting my grandmother’s home, which was always filled with her paintings. She often drew portraits of us, and we spent a lot of time drawing together.

3. Have you always worked in the art/design field ?

I studied Furniture Design and Art Studies in college and continued my practice through a master’s program. I currently work as a designer at a furniture studio while developing my own projects.

4. What led you to the design creation ?

I’ve always loved making things I could directly shape with my hands. It felt natural to deepen that curiosity and eventually build a creative practice around it.

5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

My work sometimes begins from a line of thought, and other times from an image. I like archiving, so I constantly collect images, texts, and small observations from daily life. Anything that catches my eye becomes material. When these fragments suddenly connect, the process naturally moves on to sketches, models, technical drawings, and 3D modeling.

6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

I don’t follow a strict routine. Since finishing an exhibition recently, I’ve been spending more time planning new work at my desk. I usually turn on a playlist, dim the lights, and pick up where I left off. Most of my time goes into research, sketching, and organizing texts that eventually develop into physical work.

7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

Materials are not just means to an end—they help me visualize ideas and discover new directions. Since I studied Woodcraft and Furniture Design, wood feels familiar and intuitive. But I approach materials openly, choosing different ones depending on each project’s tone and needs.

8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

I mainly work with wood and metal, emphasizing the physical traces left during the making process. Surface treatments like ebonizing, wood carving, and the Black-C technique allow time itself to accumulate on the surface, revealing the gestures behind the work. The focus is on the material’s responsiveness created through direct interaction between the material and action.

9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

I haven’t been presenting my work for very long, so this is advice I also give myself: don’t be afraid to try anything. You never know how or when certain attempts will connect and form something meaningful. It helps to see every experience as part of the process.

10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

If I had to choose, I would say Bauhaus. I value material honesty and craftsmanship, and my material choices directly relate to the ideas I want to express.

11. What designers and artists have influenced you ?

Artist Junghwa Seo has been a major influence. As my teacher throughout college and graduate school, he taught me how to observe material properties with honesty and how to build a coherent body of work through an exploration of process.

12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

I appreciate Kwangho Lee. He works in multiple series with different expressive modes, yet they all feel connected when viewed together. I also admire his fearless use of color, which contrasts with my own approach.

13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

I’ve been inspired by Lee Ufan. I appreciate the existential thinking embedded in his work, and I find it meaningful how a single core idea can unfold into diverse forms.

14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

Processuality.

15. Is there anything you would like to add ? 

I hope my work can be a small source of inspiration for others. I look forward to continuing my practice and sharing new stories in future conversations.

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)

11. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

It’s okay.

12. Which talent would you most like to have?

Effortless acceptance.

13. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

To be a little softer with myself.

14. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Maintaining curiosity.

15. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

A small, observant animal—like my hedgehog.

16. Where would you most like to live?

Seoul.

17. What is your most treasured possession?

My laptop—it holds all my thoughts.

18. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Disconnection.

19. What is your favorite occupation?

Design.

20. What is your most marked characteristic?

Persistence.

21. What do you most value in your friends?

Embracing heart.

22. Who are your favorite writers?

Alain de Botton.

23. Who is your hero of fiction?

Characters from Guardians of the Galaxy.

24. Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Maurice Merleau-Ponty.

25. Who are your heroes in real life?

Someone close to me who lives with quiet integrity.

26. What are your favorite names?

Song — a name that feels quiet and grounded.

27. What is it that you most dislike?

Staying up all night.

28. What is your greatest regret?

Worrying too much in the past.

29. How would you like to die?

With a sense of relief.

30. What is your motto?

Whatever.