A Home Full of Objects That Spark Ideas

A warped Persian rug, a mother-of-pearl stool, a gorilla-shaped accessory stand—Saytouché's products can never be fully explained by the logic of buying out of need. Yet the ingenious, unfamiliar twists within them have made it a brand that creative people love and return to for pure satisfaction.

“At first, the brand was a pure reflection of my own taste. I've always preferred pop colors, vintage moods, and warm atmospheres over cold steel or black, and I think that sensibility showed through in Saytouché. Now that the brand is expanding, I no longer insist on my style alone—but one thing hasn't changed: it has to be something I myself want to make.”

Every object Lim makes or chooses shares a consistent code: green, in the many tones of a green Land Rover and motorcycle, the dark-green leather Togo sofa at home, and an array of houseplants. And it isn't only color. There is a vintage chair with a strikingly thin, tall backrest, a basketball-shaped beanbag, a cup never once used for drinking water, a dinosaur-shaped planter, even an enormous bow that will never be drawn. This home—settled into after nine moves within Seoul—is full of objects that spark new ideas at a glance and draw a quiet laugh. Each one won Lim over after careful deliberation; each is something at which Lim called touché.

“The longer I do this work, the more specific my criteria become for what I want to own. I'm drawn to twists—swapping out a typical material, or shifting familiar proportions. The Togo, for instance: boldly removing the sofa's legs, wrapping it in a single material, and filling it entirely with foam—that surprised me, and I liked it a great deal. I also love vintage pieces, whether fashion or furniture. Beyond rarity or trends, I find value in the simple fact that they still serve their function after all this time.”

For Lim, home is the ideal space to keep mulling over products as a brand director while making sure that spontaneous, curiosity-stirring ideas don't simply slip away. That is how the potato-chip-bag cushion came to be—a perfect companion, it seems, for the “couch potato” who becomes one with the sofa, watching TV and eating chips.

“One day, lying on the Togo, it struck me that the image of a chip bag matched the size and texture of a cushion with satisfying precision. There were plenty of options—nacho chips, jelly, popcorn—but after much thought I settled on potato chips and pretzels. I had also just bought the Togo, so I was thinking I should make cushions for the sofa. We do release new products with the brand lineup in mind, but many still begin with an idea that pops up out of nowhere like this, rather than from strategy. I love the new kind of fun that emerges when a familiar object is placed outside its intended use.”

This way of thinking runs through the full breadth of Saytouché's products—from the Roman Table, whose legs recall the columns of a Roman temple, to furniture like TV side tables and floor lamps, and on to room shoes, wall clocks, and tissue cases. Heading to the office each day with the dog Billy, Lim is preparing a range of new products, including furniture soon to be released.