Korean Furniture - Strong Influences
on Design
The two main influences on Korean
furniture styles were and continue
to be climate and available materials
for furniture construction. Since
the climate provides extremes
in temperature and humidity with
somewhat limited building materials,
it became common to build floors
in the home that would allow fire-warmed
air-flow through the floor (through
flues) for heating called an ondol
floor. A raised wooden floor called
a maru was used for the summer.
Not only did this system influence
the height of the actual house,
it also prompted the inhabitants
to adapt to staying as low and
close to the floor as possible
for temperature comfort, thus
influencing the construction of
low tables, cabinets, bedding
and other Korean furniture.
 Korean
Furniture Building Materials
Since wood is the most prevalent
resource for Korean furniture,
one can find wonderful pieces
from many woods such as pine,
elm or mountain ash, paulownia
(a preferred wood), and persimmon
wood yielding attractive swatches
and streaks of orange and black.
Such woods as white birch, red
oak, maple, pear, date, chestnut,
walnut, and mulpurae were also
used in furniture. Bamboo has
long been associated with Korean
furniture in that nails are not
used in the construction of the
pieces and pins of bamboo are
expertly holding the pieces together.
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Korean Furniture
Decoration Staples
Korean furniture
decorations can typically include
the use of inlaid Mother-Of-Pearl,
hand-painted Ox-Horn (a more delicate
technique than it initially sounds),
and lacquer work. While later
pieces of Korean furniture sported
lacquer, the application of red
and black lacquers were more of
a social status statement and
reserved for certain classes of
people to use. More commonly,
stains, powders and oils were
used on woods for creation as
well as for maintenance of the
woods throughout the years of
use.
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