South Korea
In October 2025, I travelled to South Korea for the first time to attend a Master Course in Tufting in Ulsan, a city in the south of the country. Before heading there, I spent a few days in Seoul — and the city left a huge impression on me.
I found Seoul to be an organised chaos. Walking through the streets, I was surrounded by an eclectic mix of shop signs, bold window displays, and buildings in all kinds of shapes and styles. What left an impression on me was the amount of well designed cafes that all spoke their individual design language.
Before the trip, a friend who had recently visited warned me that it’s dangerously easy to spend money in Seoul — and she was absolutely right. With so many unique shops I had no trouble filling my suitcase to the max. Local designers seem to enjoy pushing boundaries, experimenting with form while maintaining sophistication, which I found incredibly inspiring.
As a passionate foodie, the first thing I do when visiting a new country is explore the local markets. Seoul’s markets were full of unfamiliar and sometimes strange-looking dishes. So many meals were vibrant and red, thanks to Korea’s generous use of kimchi — even the food felt like a design reference. At one of the food stalls, we ended up sharing a table with some locals, who invited us to join them for a round of soju, Korea’s version of sake. It was such a generous gesture and the perfect welcome to our time in Seoul.
South Korea as a whole felt like a successful blend of tradition and fast-paced innovation. Even the location of my tufting course reflected that duality. The workshop was held in a beautifully preserved traditional building, once a stable, now transformed into a modern creative studio. The time I've spent during my tufting masters course at Villa Oasis surpassed my expectations. Shoyun, the instructor and now a close friend, taught me many new techniques, that I will be able to apply in my future art pieces.
Oh and big news! The second art piece I've made there will be shown at the Ulsan International Art Fair!
