View Profile

MANO design studio is a Seoul-based studio founded in 2016 by Bo Ah Kim. With a background in interior design in Korea and further studies in Product Design in Milan, Kim develops work at the intersection of traditional Korean craft and contemporary design. Her practice focuses on lighting and objects made from Hanji, traditional Korean paper hand-pressed from mulberry bark. Each piece is made by hand: cutting, folding, and stitching to draw out the quiet dialogue between light and material. At the heart of her work is the act of stitching itself. Each stitch is not decorative, but a record of time, attention, and the steady rhythm of the hand. The work holds what cannot be seen: the duration and care inscribed into every mark.