Seoul-based designer Jeonghwa Seo has furnished a cafe and wine bar with furniture that celebrates the qualities of raw materials.
The furniture was custom made for Et Cetera in Seoul, a space that features a raw concrete interior. To complement this, Seo chose to make pieces with an unfinished quality, using cast aluminium, oak and brass.

"The most important aspect of this project was to show the pure quality of the materials," said Seo. "I wanted to create a space where people can experience them."
The larger pieces stand on bases made of cast aluminium, welded into elongated elliptical shapes. The welding join-lines were not ground down, in order to show off the making process.

"I have been using aluminium throughout my previous works because cast aluminium is light, cost-effective, and can be 100 per cent recycled," said Seo. "It can also be welded without its shape changing in the heat." Oak was selected for the seats and finishes on the chairs and tables, while brass is mainly used for the lighting.

As well as concrete, the cafe interior also makes good use of glass. The entire facade, including the door, is made from the material, meaning the space is completely visible from the street.
To emphasise this, the designer chose to place one bench through the glass wall at the front of the cafe, to provide seating both inside and outside.

"In order to express the theme of 'continuity of space', a bench, lights, and sto...