Press Release
Booklover Multifunctional Bedside Table by Hyunchul Shim Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Furniture Design
Hyunchul Shim recognized for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 25, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category for Booklover Multifunctional Bedside Table by Hyunchul Shim, designed for Alex Studio. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
About Booklover Multifunctional Bedside Table
Booklover is a bedside table designed for reading before sleep. The design draws from the open structure of traditional Korean furniture and is adapted to a contemporary context through the combined use of wood and metal. A brass hanger holds a book at the last read page, allowing continuous reading. Integrated lighting provides adjustable brightness and color temperature to support both reading and rest. The design is based on traditional reflections on balance and restrained use of space, which are naturally conveyed through use and reflected in everyday life.
About Hyunchul Shim
Hyunchul Shim is a furniture designer and craftsman based in Korea, exploring the balance between traditional structures and contemporary sensibilities. Working primarily with wood, Shim examines the relationship between form, structure, and negative space, creating objects that integrate function and sensory experience. His practice is grounded in a deep understanding of material properties and woodworking processes, emphasizing simplicity and structural clarity. His work is shaped through direct engagement with materials and making processes.
Award Record
With this recognition, Hyunchul Shim is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Furniture Design Award
The A' Furniture Design Award is an international furniture competition recognizing good furniture designs by best furniture designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to furniture designers, product designers, industrial design studios and furniture brands from all countries. Entries typically include chairs, tables, sofas, beds, cabinets and shelves. Awarded furniture designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/furniture
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/173869
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/173869
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!173869
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/352200
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://bit.ly/3HxPPRR
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Booklover Multifunctional Bedside Table
- Function
- Multifunctional Bedside Table
- Category
- Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Lavender, Saddle Brown, Silver, Sienna and Rosy Brown
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Alex Studio
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Hyunchul Shim
- Country
- Republic of Korea
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #173869
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photographer Jeon Jaekyung, Perspective View, 2025.; Photographer Jeon Jaekyung, Side View Detail, 2025.; Photographer Jeon Jaekyung, Book Shelf Detail, 2025.; Photographer Jeon Jaekyung, Drawer Detail, 2025.; Photographer Jeon Jaekyung, Actual Usage Example Mood Light On, 2025.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Booklover is designed for those who enjoy reading before sleep, reinterpreting the open structure of traditional Korean furniture to suit their lifestyle and sensibilities. It maintains the simplicity of traditional construction while harmoniously combining wood and metal to achieve both aesthetic and functional balance. The brass hanger embodies practicality within its restrained form, and the smart lighting allows adjustment of brightness and color temperature, creating an ideal environment for both reading and relaxation.
- Inspiration
- This design is inspired by the traditional Korean sabangtakja, an open-frame table with all sides exposed. While preserving its original form, the piece has been reinterpreted with a modern sensibility. The primary inspiration behind the design lies in a deep respect for Korean aesthetics rooted in the values of emptiness, balance, and line and in the desire to carry forward a contemplative way of life shaped by traditional lifestyle.
- Research
- This design reinterprets the structural strengths of traditional Korean furniture into a form suited for book lovers. By reflecting on daily living patterns, it reimagines traditional elements to fit contemporary needs, making them more practical and accessible. Users can feel the poetic beauty of tradition and gain a sense of comfort in their space. The use of wood and metal in balance symbolizes the intention to connect past and present.
- Challenge
- By integrating lighting and a book hanger into an open structure, this design offers a warm, practical space for both reading and relaxation. A key challenge was maintaining the furniture overall proportions while accommodating a compact lighting area without compromising usability or sustainability. To solve this, an accessible G9 LED bulb was chosen, and a modular socket holder was custom designed to enable easy replacement within the limited space.
- Realization and Technology
- This table is entirely handcrafted. Its main structure is built using traditional joinery techniques with solid walnut, while brass is used for the bookend, book hanger, and drawer handles to create a subtle contrast and provide refined visual accents against the dark wood. The lighting element is designed with sustainability in mind, using a modular structure for easy maintenance. The lampshade is made of polycarbonate covered with linen, allowing the light to diffuse softly and warmly.
- Operation and Interaction
- The upper lighting unit connects to a smartphone via Wi-Fi, allowing users to freely adjust brightness and choose between cool white, neutral, and warm white color temperatures. A touch switch on the back enables intuitive power control even without a smartphone. Below the light, a book hanger serves both as a bookmark and a display for current reads. Underneath, shelves and a drawer are arranged to efficiently store books, reading accessories, and bedroom essentials.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started with the design phase at Alex Studio in Korea in January 2023 and was completed in May 2023.
- Specifications
- Dimensions Width 298 mm x Depth 298 mm x Height 990 mm Materials Solid walnut wood, brass, brown glass, polycarbonate, linen Techniques Traditional joinery ensures structural strength and fine details. The modular lighting system allows easy maintenance and bulb replacement. Finishing Plant-based hardwax oil was applied three times inside before assembly and three times outside after, enhancing wood texture while improving durability and moisture resistance.
- Keywords
- bedside table, mood light, Korean furniture, multifunctional table
