Woodworking Trend

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Woodworking is fast becoming a favorite hobby among Koreans. Making customized, one-of-a-kind items is said to be one of the main appeals of DIY woodworking. On today’s close up, we visit a shop specializing in handmade furniture.

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This is a home decor shop. It has seen a sharp increase in the number of customers placing orders for customized furniture. Personalized furniture is popular since customers can pick their own designs, wood, and colors.

[Soundbite] Kim I-sak(Furniture Designer) : "Ash and oak furniture are popular. The wood grains are beautiful and there isn't much shrinkage, swelling or twist. As for color, a deep blue with a touch of purple is hot, because people don't get tired of that color easily."

Interest in do-it-yourself furniture-making classes is also soaring. Students in these classes make furniture pieces themselves.

[Soundbite] Lee Won-gyu(Furniture Designer) : "Even if they use the same design and same type of wood, wood grains and their skills are all different, so they can create one-of-a-kind furniture pieces of their own."

You would think that there would be more male students learning woodcraft, but there are just as many women as well. Because woodcraft is not as labor-intensive as you might imagine, anyone can learn the craft easily.

[Soundbite] Lee Mi-gyeong(DIY Woodcraft Student) : "I can create a piece suitable for my room and express my personality in its size or style. That's why I'm learning woodcraft."

Students can learn to make a variety of customized woodwork, from small household items to big furniture pieces. Let's visit a home decorated with handmade wood items. All the wood accessories found in the house, from a toy display rack and a bookcase to a wooden speaker, are made by the wife.

[Soundbite] Kim Hyeon-hee(Seoul Resident) : "I shopped around for household items, but they were too expensive. So I started making them myself and found it to be more affordable and practical."

These handmade furniture pieces are not treated with chemical substances or paint, so they're safer for children. And the pieces are all the more cherished because everyone in the family pitched in.

[Soundbite] "Try your hand at DIY woodcraft!"

Try your hand at making customized woodwork, which is more meaningful and safer because you make it yourself.