Design House, which has contributed to the development of Korean design culture through specialized publishing and cultural content, celebrates its 50th anniversary with the exhibition 《MAK》.
 
Held from October 27 to November 25, 2026, at Design House’s headquarters in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, the exhibition brings together 26 creatives representing 18 teams across design, craft, architecture, graphic design, fashion, and food. Their works explore new possibilities in materials, forms, and methods of making.
 
The exhibition title, “MAK,” draws on familiar Korean expressions such as maksabal (a traditional Korean ceramic bowl associated with an unpretentious, informal aesthetic), makgeolli (traditional Korean rice wine), makguksu (buckwheat noodles), and makchum (improvised dancing). In this exhibition, “mak” refers to an approach to creativity characterized by freedom, experimentation, and a willingness to move beyond established forms and conventions.
 
Reflecting on 50 years of Korean design culture, the exhibition examines how design has expanded beyond industry and consumer products into craft, art, and everyday life. Through works that reinterpret familiar materials and methods of making, it explores the relationship between design and daily life while highlighting the possibilities of contemporary creative practice.

Transforming an Entire Building into an Exhibition Space
 
The exhibition occupies 17 spaces throughout Design House’s headquarters, designed by architect Seung Hyo-sang, including the entrance, lobby, garden, meeting rooms, and café. The works are integrated into the building’s existing spaces, allowing architecture, furniture, landscaping, and graphic design to interact with their everyday functions.
 
Creative director Jung Kuho presents Baekgoldong, a transparent reinterpretation of a traditional Korean bandaji chest, combining traditional metal fittings with Plexiglas. Spatial designer Jonghwan Baek introduces Sambangtakja and Obangtakja, reinterpretations of traditional Korean furniture, while industrial designer Joongho Choi presents his new furniture series ‘New Perception’. Designer and maker Park Giljong exhibits Yeogijeogi Igeotjeogeot (Here and There, This and That), a collection of upcycled objects created from discarded materials and objects.
 
Together, these works demonstrate different approaches to design by combining traditional furniture structures with contemporary materials and reinterpreting the functions and forms of familiar objects.

Expanding Design Through Material Reinterpretation and Participation
 
Textile artist Eunha Kim presents fabric objects inspired by goimsang, the elaborate ceremonial food arrangements of the Joseon royal court. Using discarded clothing and fabric scraps, she recreates pomegranates, yugwa (traditional Korean sweets), and okchun (decorative sugar candies), alongside macarons and cakes. By transforming used textiles into representations of food, her work connects traditional culinary culture with contemporary approaches to materials.
 
The collective Dada Friends, whose participants include architect Yoo Byungan, actor and photographer Park Sangwon, photographer Kim Yongho, and architect Choi Siyoung, reinterprets the Louis Ghost Chair, designed by Philippe Starck for the Italian furniture brand Kartell. Using the same industrially manufactured chair as a starting point, each participant transforms it through an individual creative perspective, producing different visual and sculptural interpretations.
 
Floral artist Leo Kim presents an installation using seasonal plants and natural materials in the headquarters’ persimmon-tree garden. Creative group Rebel9 introduces a graphic work tracing Design House’s 50-year history through key activities and themes, alongside Color Shake, an interactive digital graffiti installation in which visitors contribute colors and text to transform the screen.

Connecting Craft, Food, and Everyday Culture
 
Spatial styling duo Seven Doors, consisting of Min Songyi and Min Deulle, oversees the planning and visual direction of the café space. Chefs Kim Hee-eun and Yoon Dae-hyun of restaurant SOUL present special dishes inspired by Korean food traditions, including makguksu, makgeolli, and gamjajeon (potato pancakes). The menu features buckwheat capellini inspired by makguksu, steamed rice cakes fermented with makgeolli, gnocchi inspired by potato pancakes, and desserts incorporating traditional rice-cake mold patterns.
 
Ingredients, cooking methods, tableware, and spatial presentation together create a design experience that engages sight, taste, and touch. These culinary interpretations connect with other works in the exhibition through their reinterpretation of traditional forms and methods using contemporary materials and sensibilities.
 
 
 
Exploring Contemporary Design Through the Spirit of “MAK”
 
Over the past 50 years, Korean design has undergone significant changes. During the industrialization of the 1970s and 1980s, greater emphasis was placed on product functionality, production efficiency, and corporate visual identity. In the 1990s, design expanded into new areas alongside changes in consumer culture and lifestyles. Since the 2000s, digital technologies have supported developments in graphic, interaction, spatial, and service design, while more recent practices have increasingly engaged with traditional craftsmanship, sustainability, and independent design.
 
Against this backdrop, “MAK” gives tangible form to its central concept through the reinterpretation of traditional furniture, the reuse of discarded materials, the transformation of industrial design objects, and audience participation. By bringing together creative practices from different fields, the exhibition illustrates how contemporary design extends beyond function and form to engage with everyday culture and artistic experimentation.

About Design House
 
Founded in 1976, Design House is a Korean publishing and media company that has documented domestic and international design developments and introduced the work of designers and other creative practitioners, primarily through its flagship publication, Monthly Design. The company subsequently expanded its activities into architecture, interior design, and lifestyle content, contributing to the development of Korean design culture.
 
Published continuously over five decades, Monthly Design serves as an important documentary resource for understanding the evolution of Korean design and the activities of its creative practitioners.
  
 
Exhibition Information

Exhibition: Design House 50th Anniversary Exhibition 《MAK》
Campaign: 《Mak, Creative!》
Dates: October 27 – November 25, 2026
Venue: Design House Headquarters, 272 Dongho-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Participants: 26 creatives representing 18 teams
Opening Hours: Monday–Friday, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM (Closed Saturdays and Sundays)
Admission: KRW 10,000
Reservations: Naver Booking
 
 
References

Design+, Article on Design House’s 50th Anniversary Exhibition
Luxury, Exhibition Feature: 《MAK, Creative!》
Sports Donga, Report on Design House’s 50th Anniversary Exhibition
NewsPim, Report on the Opening of Design House’s 50th Anniversary Exhibition