College of Arts and Design begins Collaboration with IKEA Korea for Education on Sustainable Design N
- Date2025.04.16
- 11621
IKEA Korea Retail Design Head holds lecture and workshops
Opportunities to visit the first IKEA Store in Seoul were also offered
The College of Art and Design (Dean Choi Kyung-sil) is launching a full-scale industry-academic collaboration with IKEA Korea by organizing a variety of programs for students, including special lectures, design workshops, and corporate site visits, all to foster sustainable design education.
In October of last year, the College of Art and Design became the first university in Korea to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with global home furnishing brand IKEA Korea to enhance education in sustainable design. Through this MOU, the two institutions planned collaborative programs, with also guest lectures by corporate professionals, extracurricular design workshops, and curriculum-integrated industry-academic programs.
As part of this collaboration, on Thursday, April 10th, a special student lecture organized by the Department of Spatial Design (Head Professor Lee Ji-eun) of the College of Design was successfully held at Ewha Womans University with participation from IKEA Korea’s Retail Design team. The lecture featured Magdalena Klosek, Head of Retail Design, and Christelle Gorez, Space Solutions Manager, as guest speakers. Under the theme “Living in a Healthy and Sustainable Home – IKEA’s Approach to Creating a Better Everyday Life for People and the Planet,” students learned about IKEA’s philosophy of sustainable design and the practical strategies employed to realize it.
Following this, on Sunday, April 13, a corporate site visit program was held, allowing students to tour an IKEA store in person. Around 60 students, including spatial design majors, were invited as VIP guests to the IKEA Gangdong store, the first IKEA store to open in Seoul. During the visit, students were able to directly experience a brand space that embodies IKEA’s future vision and engage in meaningful discussions with Ewha alumnae currently working on IKEA’s design team, gaining a deeper understanding of the brand’s philosophy and operational processes.
Additionally, during the first semester of this year, a curriculum-integrated industry-academic program is being run in collaboration between Ewha’s Spatial Design major and IKEA Korea. In the course "Spatial Design Studio III," students explore creative residential design concepts that respond to key issues of modern society—such as environment, family, work, and technology—under the theme “Well-being: The Art of Living Well.” The resulting works will be exhibited at the annual “MAYDAY Exhibition” in May, celebrating the founding month of the College of Art and Design. This project, which explores sustainability and quality of life based on IKEA’s design philosophy, is gaining attention as a new model of industry-academic collaboration that transcends the boundaries between education and professional practice.
Moreover, the “IKEA–Ewha Design Workshop” is scheduled for July. Held under the theme “The Future of Retailing,” the workshop will include 24 students selected from the official student design club Dpro and the Spatial Design major. Starting with an initial meeting in May, the workshop will take place during the summer vacation at both the IKEA Gangdong store and the Ewha campus. With IKEA professionals participating, this industry-academic project will allow students to experience the strategic thinking and creative problem-solving approaches of a global home furnishing company. The outcomes of the workshop will be exhibited on campus in early September.
The College of Art and Design and IKEA Korea plan to continue providing students with practice-oriented learning environments and opportunities to experience global design trends through ongoing industry-academic collaboration.