Seoul Auction The Concierge Interior Design by Hyunju Julia Lee is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Bronze A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design Competition Category.
BronzeInterior· 2025
Seoul Auction The Concierge Interior Design
Client: Seoul Auction
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Interior Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #164380The Design
About Seoul Auction The Concierge Interior Design
The Concierge at Seoul Auction redefines luxury retail through a minimalist space within a space concept. Seamlessly integrated into the gallery like lobby, it offers a serene, sophisticated environment where simplicity enhances the viewing experience. A large glass door and expansive window balance openness and discretion, while carefully placed artwork and floating shelves subtly guide visitors. By embracing the beauty of blank space, The Concierge elevates the perception of luxury, allowing the products to take center stage.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Seoul Auction The Concierge Interior Design is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Seoul Auction The Concierge Interior Design is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Seoul Auction The Concierge Interior Design splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Where to Get It
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We transform corporate offices, retail spaces, and showrooms into sophisticated environments that enhance brand identity. Our award-winning design approach combines minimalist aesthetics with functional innovation, creating spaces that inspire and perform.
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Grand Interview
Your innovative approach to balancing openness and privacy in Seoul Auction The Concierge Interior Design through strategic placement of the reception desk and transparent elements is remarkable - could you elaborate on how this design philosophy evolved during the project development?
At the beginning of the project, one of our core challenges was achieving both openness and privacy in a compact area located within a public lobby. We wanted the space to feel welcoming without exposing visitors to the gaze of passersby. This led to a question: how could transparency create intimacy?By strategically placing the reception desk perpendicular to the main glass opening, we allowed visibility into the space without sacrificing discretion during private consultations. The large glass door and window were not only formal gestures of transparency, but psychological tools to lower the threshold of entry. Throughout development, we refined the spatial layout to ensure that every line of sight was intentional. The result is a space that feels both open and serene, yet private and exclusive.
The seamless integration of Seoul Auction The Concierge Interior Design within the existing gallery space represents a masterful execution of the 'space within a space' concept - what inspired this architectural approach and how did it influence your material selection process?
The inspiration behind the ‘space within a space’ concept came from observing how Seoul Auction’s lobby already functioned as a curated, gallery-like environment. We wanted The Concierge to exist quietly within it, like a carefully placed object in a larger composition.This architectural approach called for a restrained material palette. We selected matte white finishes to reflect the gallery’s minimal aesthetic, along with subdued textures such as pale wood, light beige leather, vertically grooved ceramic tiles, and soft beige carpet. These materials were chosen to recede rather than compete with the surrounding artworks. Even the smallest details, like minimal hardware and handles, were curated to preserve the purity of form.
In creating Seoul Auction The Concierge Interior Design, you faced unique challenges with electrical and fire line routing - how did these technical constraints ultimately shape your minimalist aesthetic decisions?
Yes, the absence of an electrical floor box in the existing lobby significantly influenced our design strategy. Instead of compromising the clean flooring, we embraced a ceiling-based solution. Electrical and fire safety lines were routed from above and concealed along the column, seamlessly integrated within the minimal architectural form. This necessity ultimately reinforced our minimalist direction.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Located in Seoul Auction's lobby, The Concierge embodies minimalist architecture, seamlessly integrated with the white gallery. Designed as a space within a space, it balances openness and privacy with a large glass door and strategically placed artwork. Luxury products are showcased in rectangular boxes against all-white walls, emphasizing the beauty of blank space. This design highlights minimalist beauty, where every element serves a purpose and enhances the elegance of the space.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The Concierge is W4590mm x L5550mm x H3000mm, situated within a lobby with an overall height of 4300mm. To optimize the space, we integrated the lobby’s air circulation and air conditioning system using an exposed ceiling structure. This design not only ensures effective air flow but also enhances a sense of openness and continuity. As a result, the space feels more expansive and inviting, complementing the minimalist aesthetic.
- Tags
- MinimalistInteriorDesign, RetailInteriorDesign
- Production Technology
- The design required high-precision craftsmanship to achieve a minimalist aesthetic within the existing lobby. We used a seamless joint technique to integrate new walls with existing ones. Lacking an electrical floor box, we routed electric and fire lines from the ceiling along the existing column, seamlessly concealing them to preserve the minimalist design. Located at the lobby corner with two sides facing the unmodifiable facade, we planned construction meticulously to avoid impact.
- Design Challenge
- One challenge was maintaining openness while ensuring privacy in a compact space. We achieved this by strategically placing the reception desk and using a transparent glass door and window that balance visibility and discretion, offering a serene consultation experience. Another challenge was making the space discreet by day but a showcase at night. We used the building's perforated skin and wood display shelves to control visibility, allowing The Concierge to softly glow at night, drawing attention subtly.
- Research
- An in-depth study of minimalism in traditional Korean art and architecture influenced the concept of beauty of blank space, showing that simplicity enhances the perceived value of luxury products. This insight guided the use of blank space to highlight watches and jewelry. The concept of space within a space emphasized harmony with the surrounding environment, leading to the seamless integration of The Concierge with the gallery of Seoul Auction's lobby with carefully positioned artwork.
- Inspiration
- The design of The Concierge was inspired by creating a serene, sophisticated environment that reflects the values of Seoul Auction. We aimed for a space that showcases luxury items while enhancing the viewing experience through simplicity. The space within a space concept fosters intimacy, inviting visitors while maintaining privacy. Our research into minimalist architecture emphasized light and space, leading us to embrace the beauty of blank space to elevate the perception of luxury.
- Project Duration
- This project started in May 1 and finished in June 3, in Seoul, Korea.
- Operation Flow
- The large glass door and window create an open, inviting atmosphere, reducing psychological barrier to entry. Strategically positioned, the reception desk ensures privacy during consultations, offering comfort for high-end clients. This balance of openness and privacy enhances customer interaction. The layout guides visitors through a rhythmic sequence of display areas, encouraging exploration without overwhelming them.
- Team Members
- Designer: Hyunju Julia Lee
- Image Credits
- Photographer: Teo
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