Search

Friday Five with Young Huh

F5-Young-Huh-0-headshot

Young Huh is the founder and principal of Young Huh Interiors, a New York City based design firm that focuses on residential and commercial interiors. A career in law was to be expected after studying English at Smith College and then earning a law degree at Fordham Law School, but an interior design internship changed everything for the Detroit native. Her love of art and plenty of practical experience led to her setting up her eponymous office in 2007 where she works on various projects from around the globe. With her keen eye, diligence, and attention to detail, it’s no surprise that Huh was chosen to be a NKBA K+B Insider (National Kitchen & Bath Association Kitchen + Bath Insider). This week’s Friday Five explores some of Huh’s favorite things.

F5-Young-Huh-1-Boredom

1. Boredom
Boredom is one of the mothers of imagination and creativity. Anytime I manage to achieve this marvelous state, I have more ideas that I can use in the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, boredom is probably the hardest commodity on the planet to get in our highly scheduled and productive lives.

Photo by Doris Salcedo

Photo by Doris Salcedo

2. The works of Doris Salcedo
Salcedo’s work feels particularly relevant at this moment in time. Her work is about mourning people whose lives were lost through mass atrocities and social violence. I recently saw the largest exhibition of her works at the Perez Art Museum of Miami. Her untitled sculptures representing the every day existences and deaths of victims of political violence brought me to tears. Fragments and memories of human lives such as pieces of toys, beautiful dresses and dishes are entombed within concrete and broken furniture along with human bone, hair and animal skin. These were haunting and beautifully-made sculptures—a profoundly sad elegy for those who have been struck down by hate and politics.

Photo by Steve Freihon

Photo by Steve Freihon

3. My New Office – Fuigo Library
I recently moved into a new communal concept office space for designers called Fuigo. I always felt a little like a fish out of water until I fell into the design community. Working in a space that caters only to our kind really makes me feel at home! We have a 1200-square-foot staffed-library that has rocked my world. It is stocked with the latest-and-greatest products and other objects that I might normally miss in my day-to-day craziness. The library is also a great place to congregate and chat with other designers, not only to work, but also to share thoughts and small moments in our lives.

Photo by Amie Siegel

Photo by Amie Siegel

4. “Provenance” by Amie Siegel
“Provenance” is cinematic artwork that everyone in design needs to see. The film is about the progress of furniture pieces designed by Pierre Jeanneret for Chandigarh, a utopian city in India conceived by Le Corbusier and Jeanneret. Unfortunately, the city does not appear to meet the needs of its residents and its contents are heaped into piles and discarded, only to be swooped up by enterprising antiques hunters. The furniture pieces are taken to the US and Europe where they are refurbished, sold in the 6 figures and placed in luxurious and beautiful homes. The film is stylish and thought-provoking, leaving one to reflect upon the value of context and culture.

F5-Young-Huh-5-Sunday-Dinners

5. Sunday Night Dinners
I love my kitchen and look forward to weekends when I can cook and hang out with my family. Kitchens have become the heartbeat of a home. This year I became a kitchen and bath trendspotter for the NKBA and was able to attend several kitchen and bath trade shows including KBIS, Eurocucina and ICFF and talk about kitchen trends. It’s truly become an obsession.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.