In Tune with Nature
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- [ Written by Jo Jeon-hwan, President of Iyeon Architecture ]
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Bedrooms are the most important elements of hanok. Nowadays, bedrooms are limited for only sleeping. However, bedrooms for traditional hanok are a comprehensive space to sleep in, play in and eat in. With the sliding doors to each bedroom open, the entire inner space becomes one. With them closed, each bedroom becomes an individual space. There is no safe individual space or a perfect common space. That is to say, bedrooms in hanok are changeable spaces - opened or closed upon need.
The courtyard is a space that brings nature into the hanok. Passing through the front gate to enter hanok, one finds a courtyard surrounded by sections of the house or wall. Across the courtyard, there is sarangchae (outer wing) used to greet guests. Near the sarangchae, there is likely to be a strange-looking rock or apricot trees, bamboo trees, pine trees, orchids, or chrysanthemum, which symbolizes a scholar. Courtyards embody the wish of Confucian scholars of the Joseon Period to leave politics full of complicated tactics and live a peaceful life in seclusion.
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The latticework on doors and windows is a kind of inconspicuous embellishment that attaches importance to the overall proportion and regards the sense of rhythm made by changes in space as more important than anything else. It discloses the aesthetic criterion that stresses the importance of ruling out hyperbole and ostentation.
The ttisal latticework (latticework of thin strips) is the most common form used. A window built in the kitchen wall or on a high place on the wall of a barn to bring in more light is called gyochang or gwangchang. Crisscrossed latticework is usually used for such windows. Crisscrossed lattice windows display a simple, classical atmosphere. The stripes on the jangjimun (paper-covered sliding doors) adopt shapes similar to 用 (pronounced yong), 亞 (ah) or 卍 (man) in Chinese characters.
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The pyeongaek of a hanok is a kind of signboard placed between the door of the building facing the entrance and the cheoma (eaves), containing information about the building. In the case of a house of an important person, it was customary for the owner to take the trouble of paying a visit to a famous calligrapher, Buddhist monk or man of letters, asking him to write down a phrase for the signboard. And various styles of writing and/or embellishments were used based on formality. In olden days, people paid particular attention to the details of pyeongaek, i.e. the writer, materials used such as geumni (gold casings), eunni (silver casings), meok (Chinese ink), buncheon and hobun, patterns and colors. Thus, every pyeonaek can be regarded as a piece of art.
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Chimneys, usually placed in the rear side of a house, also displayed various embellishments. Those for houses of upper class people, a royal court or a Buddhist temple were especially beautifully shaped. Those in the Amisan of Gyeongbok Palace, or in the Nakseonjae or Daejojeon rear garden of Changdeok Palace are more like pieces of art. The hexagonal chimney at Amisan of Gyeongbok Palace is decorated with sagunja (apricot, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo), sipjangsaeng (the ten symbols of long life, i.e. sun, mountain, water, rock, cloud, pine tree, herb of eternal youth, tortoise, crane, and deer), phoenix and vine patterns.
- The Koreans’ sense of beauty appears in various places within a hanok including wooden floors, roofs and walls. Articles for the interior decoration, such as paintings, calligraphic works, simplistic but useful wooden furniture, and chinaware, are also important elements that finish the hanok.
- Curriculum vitae [ Jo Jeon-hwan ]
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- CEO, Iyeon Inc.
- Established Iyeon Hanok School.
- Displayed PR materials for Gangjin-gun at UNECO Paris.
- Built hanok hotel Lagung in Gyeongju.
