Teacher Hong Art is an atelier space based on the hobby art for adults and the atelier helps adults to inspire and draw paintings comfortably. Our client asked us to design a sensible atelier reflecting Teacher Hong Art’s own identity and points rather than a traditional cold art academy, or commonly seen cafe feel atelier. Atelier Teacher Hong Art has a feature of hall-type complex shop and there were limitations of the design that could be shown from the outside. Therefore, instead of designing the whole space, we needed the power of point space seen from the inside.

Our design started from the question, “In what kind of space will the adults get inspired, draw paintings and talk about paintings? What kind of space will allow the formation of such adult group?” We started from having an interesting perspective as the artists who have the same purpose and who like painting instead of a commercial perspective as the customers visiting this space. We also investigated on the time flow of the artists, thinking that gathering of all artists of the modern time, doing arts as their hobby, started to talk about arts, share their arts, and draw paintings in one place.

We were greatly inspired by the movie “Midnight in Paris”. Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dali, who have reached their height in the literary world and the art world, drank tea in their own space while sharing their pieces and left their traces in the space. We assumed every customer as an artist and designed the space where the customers can feel art sensibility and recollect memory of their own best days. On the space called ‘Cafe Zone’, we reflected the point power requested by the client and expressed space concept most effectively. We separated and floated spaces to design a show room with the part of the atelier in the space.

We also abstracted the atelier’s reference to the unique design of Teacher Hong Art. Inspired by the shape of easel, one of the art supplies, we drastically expanded scale and brought the shape of easel to the wall design and added conceptual. We also made a large frame using the gold sus panel which gives the different feeling among the coating backgrounds. We also buried lightings and hang them, adding the grandeur to the space. The integration of the worktable-like furniture shape and the roll paper also gives the feeling of the installation art. The lighting shown in the atelier, ladder, and shelf adds the utility and amusement to the space.

We also had to consider about empty space since the atelier need the room for artists’ paintings or the paintings drew inside the atelier. We minimized the color or shape design and allowed only the functional shape for hanging the paintings. We also buried indirect lightings to maximize the effect of exhibited paintings. We also deployed a large worktable so that people can draw paintings while looking at the exhibited paintings. The worktable mainly used in the atelier had to reflect both utility and design concept in detail.

The space is designed widely since the space is for painting. In order to add the feeling of the atelier, we abstracted the space to the unique design of Teacher Hong Art inspired by the worktable vise. The shape and component were also deployed to express the furniture design. Even the atelier type wastebasket was made to fit into the space concept of Teacher Hong Art and added amusement to the space. The wastebasket is designed to look like a sketchbook on the easel and the wastebasket seems like one of the pieces decorated on the wall.

Design: Hyunju Jang, Hyesu Han / wanderlust
Photography: Jaesang Lee