Design Map · Eindhoven
Manual Living
Graduation project by Jieun Kim at Design Academy Eindhoven, 2026. Shown during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven on Design Map, location F5.
‘Manual Living’ stems from the observation that certain domestic environments can make everyday life increasingly automatic. Growing up in South Korea, Jieun Kim became interested in the predictability of many contemporary concrete apartments, with their familiar layouts, smooth surfaces and recurring furniture arrangements. The project proposes three domestic structures that interrupt routine in different ways: a rocking seat that keeps the body adjusting, a bench that unexpectedly tilts as weight shifts, and a freestanding threshold that creates moments of pause without dividing space. Together, they make ordinary actions more noticeable. These structures combine concrete with paper mineralised in potassium silicate. Concrete reflects the material language of contemporary housing, while paper introduces variation through its fibrous structure. Given that the project seeks alternatives to standardised living, its making process also avoids complete repetition. Rather than relying entirely on moulds, it combines mould-making with hand-forming, allowing variations in colour and texture to emerge.