The Yumin Art Nouveau Collection by Danish practice JAC STUDIO was crowned the 2018 World Interior of the Year, marking the end of another INSIDE World Festival of Interiors. The last two days saw this year's nominated designers face off in a live competition at RAI Amsterdam in hopes to be named one of the 10 category winners. 

After one final round of presentations by the category winners, the jury awarded the coveted grand prize to the Yumin Art Nouveau Collection for “its crafted sensitivity, to both the building and the Gallé glass to which the museum [is] dedicated”.

The Yumin Art Nouveau Collection is housed inside the elegant interiors of the Tadao Ando-designed Genius Loci building, which is located on the coastal landscape of Phoenix Jeju in South Korea. The Collection is a permanent exhibition of delicate glass produced during the Art Nouveau movement between the 1870s to 1940s by prominent artists like Émile Gallé and the brothers Auguste and Antonin Daum.

Working closely with Art Nouveau experts, JAC STUDIOS used glass as the primary material to transform the welcome area and interiors of Genius Loci, with respect to Ando's existing design. The exposed concrete of the Genius Loci building helps create a moody, elegant backdrop for the art collection.

“The architecture by Tadao Ando plays a magnificent setting for the exhibition. The architecture is in itself a piece of art and visitors cannot avoid being touched by its beauty. The new museum is respectful but also challenges the context of the architecture,” commented JAC STUDIOS Founder Johan Carlsson. “The introduction to the exhibition begins from the approach to the Yumin Museum. The signage on the facade reflects the horizon of the sea.” 

Previous winners of the World Interior of the Year Award include: Fabricwood by Produce.Workshop, the Black Cant System fashion concept store by Hangzhou AN Interior Design, March Studio's Hotel Hotel, the MOTT32 restaurant in Hong Kong by Joyce Wang Studio, and David Kohn Architects' Carrer Avinyó.