Photos courtesy of ESTERN EDITION

SPACEBASE visited two showrooms in person: ESTERN EDITION's Nonhyeon Atelier, newly opened this past June, and the SIDIZ Nonhyeon Flagship Store, the flagship of the chair lifestyle brand.

How does SPACEBASE look at a brand's space? Rather than stopping at a simple "that's pretty," we examine elements like circulation, lighting levels, and materials to see how a brand's philosophy permeates its space. Just as important is the process of experiencing firsthand the functions and feel of a product, which are hard to grasp from online information alone.

This visit began with exactly that purpose. At SIDIZ, we checked the functionality of the chairs and the seating experience directly, and at ESTERN EDITION, we observed how a range of materials and finishes are applied within a space.

A Harmony of Tradition and Modernity: ESTERN EDITION Nonhyeon Atelier

The first stop, ESTERN EDITION's Nonhyeon Atelier, was a showroom that captured the philosophy of ‘a harmony of tradition and modernity’ within its space. What stood out was that the brand did not simply display furniture but designed the backdrop and the space itself to match the brand concept, framing where each piece would sit.

Photos courtesy of ESTERN EDITION

Stepping inside, the first things to catch the eye were the high ceilings and the calm lighting. The space stays warm and cozy overall, while certain zones lower the lighting to heighten focus. Thanks to this design, a visitor's gaze is naturally guided to rest on the furniture.

The SPACEBASE team looking around the showroom (Photos courtesy of SPACEBASE)

The window frames carry a detail that reinterprets the traditional lattice patterns of the hanok in a modern way. A stool that looks as if traditional floor cushions, rooted in a floor-sitting culture, had been stacked one atop another reads less as a straight restoration of the old than as an interpretation reworked for today's living. These details clearly express a brand philosophy that newly proposes a ‘timeless aesthetic, unchanging through the years’ within a modern space.

Photos courtesy of ESTERN EDITION

The way furniture and space connect naturally throughout the showroom was also worth noting. ESTERN EDITION's displays were not merely arrangements of furniture but stagings that show how each piece might be placed within an actual living space. We could feel firsthand how the power of this delicate, refined staging carries the brand's philosophy to the visitor and lends it persuasiveness.

Where Expertise Meets Experience: SIDIZ Nonhyeon Flagship Store

Photos courtesy of SIDIZ

The SIDIZ store is a space that conveys the brand's expertise more intuitively. A concept emphasizing the functionality of the chair runs through the interior as a whole, and by drawing on cool-toned metal finishing materials to compose the entire space, it naturally folds in the mechanical, ergonomic image of the chair.

Photos courtesy of SIDIZ

The chairs on display are lined up neatly, giving the impression of an exhibition hall, and the clean circulation and systematic display approach further underscore the brand's expertise. Visitors can stroll through the store, sit on the various product lines, and experience them directly, checking for themselves the seating feel, the operation of functions, and the finer points of design that are hard to gauge online.

Photos courtesy of SIDIZ

The SPACEBASE team looking around the SIDIZ showroom (Photos courtesy of SPACEBASE)

By pairing a chair with a single-person motion desk as a set, the SIDIZ store faithfully recreates an actual office environment, and it is carefully designed so that visitors can go beyond simply sitting down and experience the feel of use within a work setting. Seeing these details, the SPACEBASE team could sense how deeply the brand considers the user's experience through the space of a showroom.

Photos courtesy of ESTERN EDITION

Both showrooms translated their brand philosophy into the details of their space. ESTERN EDITION wove a harmony of tradition and modernity into detailed elements such as furniture arrangement and lighting, designing the space so that visitors naturally take in the brand message. SIDIZ, with an experience-driven space that recreates an actual office environment, let users feel the brand's expertise intuitively through hands-on experience.

Photos courtesy of SPACEBASE

Through this visit, the SPACEBASE team was able to read firsthand both the message a brand seeks to convey through space and the user's experience. Beyond merely looking at products, we confirmed how the details and experiences within a space connect to the brand philosophy, an experience through which we could grasp the heart of spatial branding. A showroom, in this way, serves as an important window for a brand to convey product, philosophy, and experience all at once, offering a chance to feel and interpret the message a space holds.

"Meet SPACEBASE's wide-ranging perspective on space design in the 'Insight' column."

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