Kitchen Design Contest Held for Some 2,500 RDs Nationwide

Building a 'Standard Model for Kitchen Consulting Services' Through Outstanding Design Content

Hanssem Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Yu-jin), a comprehensive home interior specialty company, announced that it has successfully concluded the 'Hanssem Euro Layout Festival,' a competition to discover a standard model for kitchen design held for Hanssem Rehaus interior consulting specialists (hereinafter RD, Rehaus Designer) nationwide.

The 'Hanssem Euro Layout Festival' is Korea's largest 'kitchen design contest,' held for some 2,500 Hanssem RDs nationwide. Held for the first time this year, the event was designed to strengthen the design and consulting capabilities of Hanssem RDs and to discover outstanding design content in order to build a 'standard model' for future kitchen consulting services. Hanssem has some 2,500 RDs with overwhelming expertise in the interior field and some 3,000 construction partner technicians. Based on approximately 280,000 consultation requests and a cumulative total of some 85,000 construction data points each year, the company has presented residential spaces optimized for the Korean lifestyle as Korea's No. 1 interior firm. Kitchens in particular are a core area of Hanssem's Rehaus business. Since introducing Korea's first modern kitchen in the 1970s, Hanssem has recorded an unrivaled market share and number of installations, and, as the only company in Korea with a nationwide sales and construction system, has completed a remodeling value chain.

By establishing a standard model for kitchen consulting services, Hanssem plans to systematize optimal customized customer consulting and kitchen design tailored to customers' diverse needs and lifestyles, thereby providing consistent, high-quality service. The outstanding design ideas ultimately selected at this 'Hanssem Euro Layout Festival' will be used to build a standardized consulting model for Hanssem's direct and construction consulting.

Numerous RDs gathered from across the country competed fiercely, presenting layouts for 'Hanssem Euro,' Hanssem's flagship kitchen product, based on their own original ideas and hands-on experience. First, in the preliminaries held online this past June, a total of 843 participants took part, ranging from RDs with over 20 years of tenure to those who had just begun their work. In July, judges evaluated the 500 who earned tickets to the finals over a 10-day period across the country, based on kitchen design files and prepared talking-point scripts. The final round, held on August 14 at Hanssem's Sangam headquarters, was conducted with seven RDs—selected through 120-to-1 competition—each choosing one of seven customer personas (fictional figures representing customers) and presenting a kitchen design presentation they had prepared in advance. The venue was filled with a festival-like fervor throughout, with drones flying overhead for filming and audiences cheering. The final judging was based on a 'design review,' which evaluated how well customers' lifestyles and requirements were reflected as well as circulation and space utilization; a 'delivery review,' which evaluated communication and persuasiveness; and the number of on-site audience votes. The panel of judges consisted of 13 people, including Kim Yun-hee, head of Hanssem's Rehaus Business Division.

The honor of this year's grand prize went to RD Kang Jin-wook of the Hanssem Rehaus Designhada Dealership Integrated Gangwon Team 1. Having chosen 'Customer Persona A (mid-60s / self-employed couple),' RD Kang Jin-wook stood out for a communication style in which he first raised the topic of a space's usability and functionality before making interior design proposals, and then naturally proceeded with the spatial design along with an explanation of the customer's home structure. His presentation, which explained each feature of the Hanssem kitchen model applied to the interior design in detail, was praised for conveying a sense of meticulousness.

RD Kang Jin-wook, who won the grand prize, shared his thoughts: "Watching all the participants on this stage today make design proposals from their own fresh perspectives inspired me greatly and became an opportunity for me to grow another step. I consider this a result achieved together with all of Hanssem's RDs rather than my own effort alone, and I will continue to do my best to lead customers' lives in a better direction."

In addition, prizes were awarded along with plaques as follows: △Gold Prize to RD Jung Young-hak of the Busan Jungang Dealership and CEO Kim Jung-min of the Inside Lab Dealership; △Silver Prize to CEO Lee Jung-sil of the Oreuda Dealership and CEO Ko Jae-gyun of the Mibbeuda Dealership; and △Bronze Prize to RD Kim So-na of The Grand Design Dealership and RD Park Jae-seok of the Shin Sang-mu Dealership.

▲ RD Kang Jin-wook (fourth from left), who won the grand prize at the Hanssem Euro Layout Festival