Creating sophisticated, atmospheric interiors rooted in a quiet and understated luxury, the spaces of Seoul-based interior architecture and design practice studio HJRK are crafted and led by emotion from a context of carefully-curated textures, tones and design that ages well.

Helmed by designer Hye-Jin Ris Kim, the studio intersects interiors, art and decoration with a contemporary elegance and striking visual language. The studio’s refined, curated spaces range from high-end residences to restaurants, characterised by historical design references and timeless aesthetics creating a new modern context ‘translating inspirations from history, travel, and client narratives into thoughtfully composed spatial experiences.’

Kim’s global background reflects her illustrious and diverse design-thinking — from studies at Northwestern University and École Camondo, to experience at revered art auction house Christie’s and Parisian interior design studio India Mahdavi.

As if ‘composing a scene’, Kim designs with emotion, art and a culturally-informed sensibility. If you aren’t familiar with her work, it’s time to start now. It’s clear that Hye-Jin Ris Kim is one to watch. Ala Champ Magazine Founder Joanna Kawecki sat down with the Seoul-based designer to discuss her approach, defining projects and her ambition to build a body of work where space, objects, and experience form a coherent visual universe.

Joanna Kawecki: For each design project, what is your usual starting point and style of approach?

Hye-Jin Ris Kim: I usually begin by imagining my clients moving through the space — what they might feel there, and what kind of memory the space might hold.

Emotion comes first. Logic follows.

For me, designing a space is less about decorating a room and more about composing a scene. I tend to see space not simply as a three-dimensional environment, but as a visual composition — much like a painting or a photograph. Form, color, volume, and texture are arranged the way a painter constructs a canvas.

Each moment within a space becomes part of a carefully constructed mise-en-scène.

Your work features a cohesive yet abundant use of textures, colours and patterns — how do you approach creating a holistic harmony for a space?

Perhaps because of my background in art history, I often draw inspiration from artworks.

In a compelling work of art, colours and textures rarely exist in perfect harmony. They are often intentionally composed in tension, yet together they produce a stronger expression.

I approach interiors in a similar way. The question is not whether every element matches perfectly, but whether it contributes to the artistic intention of the scene.

What ultimately matters is whether the composition feels complete.

What was the biggest turning point for Studio HJRK since its founding?

In many ways, the turning point is happening now.

After years of building experience and refining our perspective, we feel the studio is entering a new phase. Alongside a new visual identity, we are preparing for a broader step forward.

Using the foundation built through our interior work, we hope to explore new directions — both within interior projects and beyond them.

Please tell us a little more about your in-house furniture and object collection. Where is manufacturing based, and what instigated your own production?

Designing furniture became a natural extension of our spatial work. Often the piece that completes a space simply does not exist yet — so we design it ourselves.

Through Collection Voyageuse, many of our objects are inspired by the sensibility of travel. Going forward, we hope to introduce more pieces designed for curious and aesthetically minded travelers.

Our objects carry a slightly exotic sensibility, yet are conceived and produced in Seoul in collaboration with local workshops. Working in Seoul also shapes our perspective. It is a city where tradition and modernity coexist closely, and that layered cultural sensibility inevitably finds its way into our work.

Can you share your own personal inspirations — are there any global spaces or experiences that directly inspire you and your work?

Travel has always been one of my strongest sources of inspiration.

I am particularly drawn to small museums and galleries in different cities — places where a culture’s identity is distilled and expressed through art. Observing how different places articulate beauty and meaning is endlessly fascinating to me.

At the same time, inspiration often comes from the opposite place — my own home. Quiet, ordinary moments when everything feels calm and in place. Those peaceful moments often become the ground from which new ideas begin to grow.

Please share what is coming up in the future for Studio HJRK:

In the coming years, we hope to expand our work internationally while continuing to create deeply personal projects. We have always felt a strong passion for hospitality, and one day we would love to design — and operate — a hospitality space of our own. A place where architecture, interiors, objects, and service come together as a single experience. Ultimately, our ambition is to build a body of work where space, objects, and experience form a coherent visual universe.

What is something you’d like to see the design world addressing more?

I am interested in design that ages well. Not only visually, but emotionally — spaces that people continue to enjoy living in over time. In a world where trends move quickly, there is something meaningful about creating spaces that remain relevant and loved as time passes.

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Interview: Joanna Kawecki
Images: Courtesy Studio HJRK
With Thanks: Jillian Choi