2025-05-13
Emma Fitzgerald
Design Dispatch, New York
In today’s evolving corporate design landscape, the office is no longer just a place of work — it’s a strategic tool for reinforcing brand values, supporting employee wellbeing, and delivering adaptable solutions that grow with an organization. Two recent projects by Interior designer Chaewon Yang exemplify this thoughtful, human-centered design ethos: the LG Energy Solution Lounge/Work Cafe system and the customizable furniture system developed for KIA Motors Manufacturing.
For the LG Energy Solution project, Chaewon Yang was tasked with designing a dynamic space that embodies the company’s mission, recognizing that employees’ well-being equals the company’s ultimate success.
Yang responded by thoughtfully incorporating LG’s brand identity into the materials, furniture, and spatial zoning, including its iconic maroon tones and the smiling face embedded in its logo. Far from mere surface branding, this approach fostered a deep sense of belonging and connection among employees.
Yang’s layout balances high-density work zones with collaborative lounges, wellness corners, and private enclaves, offering employees a spectrum of settings to match different work modes.
The carefully curated material palette, warm terracotta and calming teal in lounge areas, neutral greys and natural textures in work zones, all tied together with subtle LG brand accents, reflects her keen attention to visual and emotional harmony.
By designing a space where brand, wellbeing, and function intersect, Chaewon Yang created more than just a workplace — she shaped a cohesive experience rooted in intentionality. One of the most striking examples of this is the lounge area layout, where furniture placement subtly echoes LG’s iconic ‘smile’ logo. This spatial gesture goes beyond visual branding; it serves as a symbolic reminder of the company’s mission to create a positive, people-first environment. Through this and other integrated design choices — from material palettes to zone planning — Yang crafted an environment that not only supports productivity but also fosters community, emotional connection, and a strong sense of company culture. The result is a space where LG’s iconic slogan, Life’s Good, comes effortlessly to mind — a testament to the memorable and intuitive design strategies embedded throughout. The success of the project also led to Yang being entrusted with the full design of LG’s Michigan office, further strengthening the ongoing partnership between LG and the design team under her leadership.
KIA Motors Manufacturing Customizable Furniture System: Reconfiguring for Real Needs
The KIA project took a different but equally innovative direction. KIA’s leadership sought a customizable furniture system that would improve the flexibility and efficiency of its workplace, but the existing products couldn’t meet these needs.
Stepping into this challenge, Chaewon Yang took on the redesign of the original product to create a new system capable of supporting KIA’s evolving workstyles. Working closely with the in-house team at a leading workplace furniture manufacturer, Yang developed a reengineered desk and storage solution that paired height-adjustable motion desks with redesigned, free-standing overhead cabinets, solving structural challenges while maximizing ergonomic and storage performance.
This bespoke solution met KIA’s practical requirements and aligned beautifully with the brand’s forward-thinking ethos, “Movement that Inspires.” Throughout the design, Yang ensured the integration of flexible, human-centered solutions, selecting materials and finishes that delivered both sophistication and functionality, particularly in executive spaces where ergonomic adaptability and visual consistency were critical.
Where Design Meets Purpose
Both of these projects exemplify Chaewon Yang’s design philosophy, where every decision is intentional, every detail serves a purpose, and every space tells a story — whether it’s fostering employee wellbeing or delivering a tailored product solution.
Through thoughtful integration of brand, function, and human experience, Yang’s designs not only meet client needs but they elevate them, setting a benchmark for future-forward workplace design.
About the Designer
Chaewon Yang is an award-winning interior designer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design and a Minor in Marketing & New Media from the University of North Texas. Yang brings extensive experience across corporate, hospitality, and commercial projects, having worked with notable firms such as Business Interiors and an established furniture solutions company, where she specialized in space planning, custom furniture design, and workplace strategy.
Yang brings a globally informed perspective to each project, blending problem-solving, adaptability, and meticulous attention to detail to create environments that meet functional needs while enriching the human experience. During her academic years, she served as Marketing Chair for the Interior Design Student Alliance (IDSA) and was actively involved with the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and NEWH. Her commitment to both leadership and creative excellence was recognized through multiple scholarships and awards, underscoring her early promise as a designer.