Written by: Senior Design Lead, Sung wook Park
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THE STORY
One of my favorite things to do is travel. I get a lot of inspiration from outside of the office and from different trips I've been on.
Me and my wife enjoy going to Korea every year to see our family, as well as to visit Umbra's China office, located in Shenzen.
Since my wife loves traditional Korean food, we often go on road trips in order to find the best restaurants and many of these restaurants present their food in a very authentic Korean way.
We chose a restaurant with great reviews and I saw this really nice pot, which was used to serve Sinseollo (royal hot pot), or also known as Food of the Mountain Gods. This is an elaborate dish which is a staple of the Korean royal court table from Joseon times.
Traditional Sinseollo is prepared in a special cooking pot that combines a stove and pot in one. The center of the pot has a bottom where hot coals or stones are placed in the hole to in order to heat the dish and the food is served along the bottom tier.
I immediately noticed how unique the pot the Sinseollo was being served in, and thought it could be a nice vase. After drawing a couple of sketches, I knew this design could be versatile - especially for plants.
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MATERIAL
Selecting the best material for this product was an important part of the design process. We considered using metal and glass among other materials.
In the end, we chose ceramic for the material since it is known to be one of the best materials for plant pots. Another benefit of ceramic is that you can add texture. We decided to incorporate vertical texture with Fountain to add a small, unique detail to it.
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CUSTOMIZABLE ARRANGEMENT
One of my favorite parts about Fountain is that you can make your own small indoor garden by being able to customize where you place your plants. You can decorate it and make it your own by adding rocks, succulents and other decor.
Another important feature is its versatility. It can be used as a planter primarily but it can also be used for accessory storage or to display decorative items.
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Sometimes, the best inspiration comes when you least expect it.
To explore all of Sung wook's designs, click here.
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