How One Chair Changed the Life of the Man Behind Café mk2
Editor Eunkyung Jeon | Photographer Soonae Park
Café mk2 has occupied the same spot in Seochon, near Gyeongbokgung Palace, for 17 years. In a café scene that changes almost daily, it has stayed popular across generations. Jongmyung Lee is a photographer and collector who runs a vintage furniture shop alongside café mk2. For him, furniture is more than something for storage. It is an object of pure appreciation and pleasure. His fascination with furniture began with a tubular steel chair by Mart Stam, and for more than 30 years he has steadily brought in new pieces. Together, they now define mk2’s distinctive style.
This interview is featured in Issue 4 ‘Fauteuil Grand Confort’.
Every time I see you, I remember how much fun we had 17 years ago, touring Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Weimar, Dessau, and Berlin together for the Bauhaus exhibition at the Kumho Museum of Art. You’ve said your interest in furniture began while you were studying in Germany.
It started when I went to study at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. I began collecting furniture around 1995. Germans may dress plainly, but they keep their homes beautifully furnished. When the living room lights are on, you can catch glimpses of the interior, right? In the evenings I’d go for walks or ride my bike around. Looking into homes through the windows, I gradually became interested in furniture. That’s when my obsession with objects began. (laughs)
So you went to Germany to study photography but ended up studying furniture even more.
I think photography is a medium that feeds your interest in objects and your obsession with them. Seeking out a particular motif and capturing it with a camera has something in common with hunting for furniture. While studying photography, I explored all kinds of places around the city, and furniture always caught my eye. Vintage wasn’t as popular as it is now, so if you had a good eye, you could find great pieces. Later, I’d even go out for walks at night just for the thrill of scoring something among discarded furniture. Whenever I found a chair, I’d go to the library the next day and look it up. There was no internet and no eBay, so information was scarce, but researching and comparing was hugely rewarding. That’s how I developed my eye for furniture.
Some people ask whether I’ve stopped taking photos, but I feel I’m still taking them. I haven’t given up photography. It’s just that, so far, furniture has satisfied me aesthetically, so I don’t feel the need to reach for a camera. I’m still chasing all kinds of beauty with my eyes. As an aside, I went to Germany to study photography under Gerhard Richter, but he retired in the meantime. So I studied with Magdalena Jetelová, a Czech land artist.
So you admit you’re definitely someone who loves objects? (laughs) What was the first piece of furniture you bought?
What got me into furniture was Mart Stam’s tubular steel chair. I was captivated by its cantilever form. It’s one of the defining chairs of the Bauhaus, and I loved its distinctive simplicity, but above all, it gave me a great sense of freedom. Just as mastering the fundamentals frees you up enormously, starting with a Bauhaus chair meant I could go in any direction. That chair led my life and my work toward furniture, so it truly was a case of one piece of furniture bringing in another. Even now, I welcome a wide range of furniture, as long as it stays within the boundaries Mart Stam taught me.
I’m curious what kind of furniture you prefer and whether you have particular criteria when choosing pieces.
I prefer work from the Bauhaus period, but anything from before the 1930s feels too old, so I like German, Swiss, and Austrian furniture from the 1950s. It also goes well with the furniture I already own and with the 3 Fauteuil Grand Confort. Düsseldorf, where I lived, was a small town close to Cologne and Frankfurt as well as the Netherlands and France, so it was open to many cultures. It was free-spirited but had a style of its own. Rather than going far afield, I focus closely on furniture that comes only from that region. Even the same chair differs slightly from town to town. Because I know the area well and have seen so much there, I’m confident I can pick the better pieces. It also helps me maintain the style I’ve built up over the years. The style that defines mk2 is the result of all that effort.
These days, there’s a wealth of information about furniture, and more people have encountered good pieces at cafés and concept stores.
Customers’ tastes and knowledge have grown, so instead of asking which furniture is famous these days, many ask about the exact piece they’re looking for. The difference is that the general public wants to know whether we have a specific item, while designers and professionals want to know if there’s anything new. People who run cafés or concept stores often look for pieces they haven’t seen anywhere else. Some trust mk2’s eye and ask for recommendations. Standing between collectors and sellers, I also introduce a variety of furniture to help broaden people’s eye and taste for vintage. On the other hand, because I’ve been doing this for 30 years, everyone wants to know what I’m bringing in. So when I go back to buy, prices have already gone up. (laughs)
What does furniture mean to you as both a collector and a dealer?
The fun part of being a furniture dealer is that I can change my furniture every day. Even if I can’t afford to keep something, I can buy it if I like it and then sell it, so I can buy with peace of mind. There’s a saying that “furniture brings in more furniture,” and that’s true for me too. When you choose a piece, you have to be prepared for it to bring in others. And since you’ll live with it, you need a sense of responsibility. You also need to know how to send it on to someone else in good spirit. It’s a kind of inheritance. Furniture wasn’t something you used carelessly and threw away. It was something you cherished and used well for a long time before passing it down to your children or grandchildren. That’s why so many pieces in good condition still survive today.
Why do you think the Fauteuil Grand Confort has stayed so popular, and what is its appeal?
The Fauteuil Grand Confort is a chair that always holds a weighty place in the minds of furniture lovers. In proportion and form, it serves as a kind of anchor that shows what an armchair should be. Honestly, in my view, no armchair matches it. With these proportions and this cushioning, it offers more than enough comfort. True to an architect’s approach, the design sets cushions into a frame, which gives it a different kind of pleasure from other designers’ furniture. That said, I do warn people up front that it can be a little uncomfortable because it lacks a backrest. (laughs)
The 3 Fauteuil Grand Confort has been sat in by celebrities like Steve Jobs and is one of the chairs best known to the public through the media.
Part of the reason for the Fauteuil Grand Confort’s popularity is rising incomes. People have also realized they can satisfy their aesthetic desires through spending, and they’ve become willing to invest in furniture. Given how expensive apartments are in Korea, people can now put a few percent of a home’s value into furniture. Along with its reputation as a famous chair, a desire to own one has emerged.
Actually, the Fauteuil Grand Confort used to be a hard piece to bring into the home. Its materials feel cold, and it has a masculine, businesslike air, so for a time it wasn’t easy to place in a house. But as living environments changed, it now fits in domestic settings too. Another iconic piece that arrived alongside the Fauteuil Grand Confort was USM. Both were the kind of furniture you’d see in the lobbies and offices of large companies. The vintage pieces that remain today were mostly used in offices rather than homes, so they tend to be in good condition.
How did you come to own the 3 Fauteuil Grand Confort in this house? I’d love to hear the story behind it.
It was left to me by my friend, the artist Seokho Kang. It was produced by Cassina in the 1970s, a velvet version filled with polyurethane foam. The cold metal was painted black so the chair would sit more easily in a home. Today we think of a metal frame as stylish, but back when wood dominated interiors, metal felt a bit excessive. After more than 50 years, the foam has completely deteriorated and hardened into the shape of a seated person. Perhaps that’s why it has a slightly animal-like feel. Looking back, part of my style today came from him, and my style rubbed off on him, so we influenced each other. When we were studying in Germany and there wasn’t much information about furniture, we talked a lot and shared what we knew, and a real camaraderie grew between us. Beyond its design value or significance, every time I sit in it, I remember him and honor his memory.
How do you know which chair is right for you? What advice would you give on choosing the chair of a lifetime?
I think the chair that shapes your posture and gestures is the one for you. I sometimes say you shouldn’t buy a camera after taking pictures with it, but after hanging it around your neck. The point is whether you look right holding it. If you do, you’ll naturally reach for it more and shoot more often. In truth, every chair is comfortable. Stand for a while and then sit down. They’re all comfortable. So don’t make comfort your only goal. Ask a friend how you look sitting in the chair and whether it suits you. If you look good in it, you’ll like and enjoy that chair more. Choosing a chair is like choosing clothes. Some chairs make you lie back, and others keep you sitting in all sorts of ways, right? I recommend choosing with that balance in mind.
Rolf Fehlbaum, chairman emeritus of Vitra, said something similar: “There are chairs that make you look a little better when you sit in them. That is your chair.” Hearing you, it seems furniture offers both comfort and visual pleasure.
If I’d approached furniture only in terms of function, I wouldn’t have loved and enjoyed it this much. Take the bookcase in the middle of our living room. In most homes, people would find a bookcase this large inconvenient in the center of the room. But I put it here because I wanted to enjoy its beauty and look at it more closely. I enjoy arranging furniture for appreciation rather than for everyday movement.
You use a wide variety of furniture and chairs at home. Is there a piece you’re especially attached to or would like to introduce?
People tend not to like the furniture I like. Maybe it’s because pieces that look frugal and plain cross a line and come across as less than middle class? (laughs) The sofa I’m using now was designed by Egon Eiermann. The rattan piece right in front of it is also by Eiermann. They may not look like the work of the same designer, but I admire it as a rare piece.
In fact, I’m one of the people who made Egon Eiermann’s chairs widely known in Korea. And please understand that the Le Corbusier shelf I use as a shoe cabinet by the front door isn’t being used carelessly. It’s there so I can enjoy it every day. (laughs) Another feature of this house is that there’s no built-in furniture. Built-in cabinets are convenient, but I want to be able to swap furniture or change the layout whenever I like. I’m especially fond of kitchen furniture, so I’ve been trying different pieces. The one I’m using now is a mobile bulthaup kitchen.
But the piece that stands out most in this house, like a UFO, is a work by the artist Mikyung Lee. It was shown a few years ago in the exhibition ‘Life: A User’s Manual’ at Culture Station Seoul 284, and now you’ve brought it home.
The exhibition’s concept was to create a space, a piece of furniture, of your own. Like a small house with walls and a ceiling, it’s enclosed by bookshelves, a desk, and countless shelves. Sitting in the chair, I can reach everything I need just by stretching out my arm. Maybe that’s why it feels cozy inside and I can focus well.
Do the two of you ever disagree about the furniture you bring into your shared space?
Our tastes are complete opposites. We even like different food, so we eat breakfast together but often have lunch and dinner separately. We’ve lived together for more than 30 years, and we’re still discovering differences. ‘Oh, this is different too!’ We develop our ideas in different ways, so rather than influencing each other and blending, we run in parallel, like train tracks. That makes it more interesting. In that sense, I don’t think there’s any compromise when it comes to furniture. I make the decisions entirely, but that doesn’t mean I do whatever I want. I persuade Mikyung Lee and ask for her permission. Furniture is something the whole family uses together.
In 2020, you moved your home and showroom to Yangpyeong. The first and second floors, with their prominent columns and stairs, serve as the showroom, and the third floor is your home. Tell us about this space designed by the architect Byoungsoo Cho.
Whenever I was in Zurich, I’d visit the Pavilion Le Corbusier with Seokho Kang. It was Le Corbusier’s last building. It wasn’t intentional, but in this house, in its slanted angles, its roof, and the shape of its columns, I feel some of what I experienced at the Pavilion Le Corbusier. After buying the land, I said to Byoungsoo Cho, whom I knew well, “I bought some land. Want to take a look?” He stopped by on his way between Earth House and Concrete Box House in Yangpyeong, looked around, and said, “You want something like a warehouse, where you can’t see much from outside, but once you step in, the furniture comes into view, right?” We were completely on the same page.
I told him that was exactly what I had in mind, and he drew me a sketch. (laughs) He knows me well, so rather than planning the space in detail, he figured that if he gave me a suitable framework, I’d take care of the rest to my own taste. The house was built with only its basic form so the space could always be changed. When I saw it empty, I thought the architecture would be overpowering, but once the furniture came in, everything quickly blended together. I felt the power of a true master.
Any advice for living well with furniture?
If you start with masterpieces by greats like Jean Prouvé or Le Corbusier, your standards are high from the outset. I don’t mean furniture has a ranking. It’s just that as you gain experience, you can discover and enjoy all kinds of furniture, and it’s a shame to skip that pleasure. It’s like starting out with a Chanel or Hermès bag. Even though there are plenty of distinctive and fun bags out there, it becomes hard to bring yourself to carry them. So I’d gently suggest working your way up carefully. Don’t rush to follow the path others have already laid out.
Come to think of it, there don’t seem to be any new things in this house.
Even as a kid, whenever my mom bought me new sneakers, I had a habit of deliberately kicking coal briquette ash or getting them dirty to hide the fact that I was wearing something new. That doesn’t mean I prefer patina, though. I like things that are old but in good condition. (laughs)
This is a question Magazine C asks every interviewee. What is your favorite chair?
The ‘Kramer chair’ by Ferdinand Kramer. It’s plain, but to my eyes it’s beautiful. I bought it for about 20 euros, but to me it’s as good as Jean Prouvé’s Standard chair. (laughs) It was designed for Goethe University Frankfurt and has the basic form that comes to mind when you think of a chair. It has a simple secret. From the outside, you can’t see where it’s screwed together, because the joints are concealed inside. That kind of refined technique was used on a chair mass-produced in the 1950s. My favorite chair could change at any time, but for now, I hope you’ll understand that this is the kind of aesthetic I love. Since my job is dealing in furniture, I think my favorite chair can keep changing. Call it the freedom to change my favorite chair. I don’t feel the pressure of having to use something for life once I’ve bought it. So the chair I’m using right now is, in effect, the one I’m most attached to.
Want to dive deeper?
Issue.04 Fauteuil Grand Confort
The greatness of the Fauteuil Grand Confort, designed in 1928 by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand, does not lie simply in comfort. It became an icon of modernity through the then-novel concept of the chair as a 'machine for sitting' and the innovative use of tubular steel, the most advanced material of its time. Its form borrows the vertical and horizontal elements, modular concepts, and piloti structures familiar from Le Corbusier's architecture, recalling his assertion that a chair is architecture. In the Fauteuil Grand Confort, machine-pure form, the discipline and order born of a simple structural system, and the interplay between them come together in rich beauty—a truly great chair.
