Korean Tradition Meets USM
In late October 2026, the exhibition THE FAMILIAR in Seoul reinterpreted the forms, structures, and formative beauty of traditional Korean furniture through the USM modular system.
Haengbok Jakdang (“Banding Together for Happiness”) is a yearly event in Seoul, organised by Korea’s leading lifestyle magazine Homeliving & Style and hosted by Design House Publishing. By opening up hanoks (traditional Korean houses) to the public, neighbourhoods are transformed into exhibitions, showcasing design brands and artists alongside a diverse cultural programming. As part of the 2026 edition, USM sales partner SpaceLogic curated the exhibition THE FAMILIAR at LAYR Hanok House in Bukchon, one of Seoul’s historic districts. Directed by spatial designer Minsoo Lee, it offered a fresh perspective on familiar objects and spaces.
Shared structural principles
The starting point of THE FAMILIAR was the structural similarities between traditional wooden furniture in Korea and the USM modular system. Korean furniture embodies the country’s unique lifestyle and aesthetics through balanced proportions, precise structures and understated forms. In particular, its construction principles and formative characteristics closely align with the design philosophy of USM furniture.
Utilizing the USM Haller system composed of steel tubes, ball joints and panels, the exhibition modernized the forms, proportions, and functions of traditional furniture. The layered structure of the chantak (kitchen sideboards) and the open form of the sabangtakja (multi-tiered open shelves), for instance, were realized through the USM system, demonstrating the shared aesthetic values of designs from different eras.
Traditions in a new light
Various interpretations of traditional Korean daily life and culture are reflected throughout the exhibition space. Elements such as the floor-seating culture, where people remove their shoes and gather around low gyojasang tables, everyday household objects, the munbang gimul (scholars’ objects) found in Confucian studies with their poetic spirit of pungryu, and the interplay of light and space filtering through Hanok windows and doors were all reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. Each space, down to the Hanok’s small courtyard with its one-of-a-kind USM objects, translated elements of traditional Korean living culture into a modern design language, completing a new landscape where the past and present naturally coexist.
