SeonHee Sunny Kim has long recognized the art in product design. “I enjoy making objects that I can share my time and experiences with,” she says. “Once an object contains memories, it is not just an object anymore.” This philosophy carried the designer through her woodworking and metalsmithing studies at Chung-Ang University in her home country of South Korea. During this time, she started working at the local studio of installation artist Seon Ghi Bahk and cut her teeth on collaborative projects with Samsung, Mercedes Benz, and Christian Dior—for which she spearheaded a lighting installation in Seoul featuring acrylic crystal and plates held together by nylon and wire threads.
Hungry for a new challenge, Kim moved to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in 2017 to pursue a master’s degree in 3D fine arts at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She put roots down in the suburb after graduation with the launch of Studio Sunny Kim. Her practice specializes in giving basic, flat materials volume—an exercise that is immediately apparent in her Depth of Surface collection, which consists of two chairs, a sofa, a tabletop, and a pin board that are each made from soft fabric artistically stretched over a striking wooden structure. “I enjoy the moment that nothing becomes something with a simple action,” she explains.
The Depth of Surface collection features soft fabric stretched over striking wooden structures to create chairs, sofas, and tabletops
The Light Lights series, Kim’s latest, is her return to lighting, featuring a simple frame of fabric and paper that can house a variety of shapes. “It’s a lighting bed that people can plant various types of shades in,” she explains. “The beauty of the light is covered by the surface and makes the air warm.”
Though Kim unexpectedly moved back to South Korea because of COVID-19, she is already working on her next project: a highly customizable line of lighting that offers robust possibilities. In fact, it’s inspired by the abrupt nature of her leaving. “I couldn’t say goodbye to my friends [the way I wanted to, so] I would like to create a product that feels like a letter to them,” she says.
This article originally appeared in HD’s 2020 Product Marketplace issue.
