Mia Jung is the Director of Interiors at Kligerman Architecture & Design. Born and raised in South Korea, she emigrated with her family to New York as a teenager where she eventually attended the School of Visual Arts. Mia has no predetermined formula or style in her designs; Whether it is a beach house, a mountain home, or a city apartment, each project is a unique blend of the client, the architecture, and her creativity. Her interests in literature, weaving, jewelry design, and ink-wash painting led Mia to appreciate craftsmanship and artisan traditions. Learn more about Mia and her unique designs in today’s Designer Friday.
This airy and light living room features a mix of whites and beiges with furnishings, artwork, and floor-to-ceiling draperies.
Andrew Joseph: What is your favorite type of space to design?
Mia Jung: I love creating a space for intimate retreat in homes. It could be a little reading nook, a window seat, a bedroom, or a library. Depending on how a person likes to relax, I like to create a space that evokes peace for them.
AJ: What is your favorite thing about being a designer?
MJ: I love creating and seeing how it can make people happy. It’s incredible when design can bring joy to my clients, and they truly appreciate it. I harbor relationships with the people I have worked with for years. It is such a great profession, and I tell young designers – it’s fun, you get to travel, and you meet great talents to collaborate with. And at the end of the day, you can always create a beautiful home for yourself!
Sunlight cascades through the floor-to-ceiling windows in this living area, dynamically shifting the hues of the ombre wall and drapery, adding a fluid color gradient to the room.
AJ: How do you approach designing for a specific location or cultural influence?
MJ: I very much consider the location of the project. If a design is based on history and roots and transcends from that starting point – even if it looks new, it forms a relevant language with where it lives. When I worked on a project in Cabo San Lucas, I wanted to use vibrant colors like you would see in Spanish architecture. I remember making multiple trips to get the colors right because the colors I picked in New York looked washed out in Cabo’s strong sunlight. I went on a shopping trip to Mexico City for authentic textiles, furniture, and pottery for that project. And currently, I am researching local Polynesian art and sculpture for a small boutique hotel in Bora Bora.
AJ: If you weren’t a designer, what would you be and why?
MJ: When I was a teenager in South Korea, I thought I would become a writer. I imagined myself sitting at a small desk, writing in a humble cottage covered in ivy. There would be afternoon sunlight coming in from a small window and I would be enveloped in quiet. Now, after working for a while and seeing much of the world, I think I could be a weaver or a Korean traditional Bojagi artisan. I am always drawn to beauty, and especially love when it has history and is interwoven with stories.
This stunning bedroom blends the interior and exterior with the earthy tones of the natural landscape, seen in the expansive window that acts as a living landscape.
AJ: What would your dream project or dream client be right now?
MJ: I joked with a client about him getting an old villa in Tuscany for me to work on. His reply was that it was too far. I would love to restore an old stone/plaster house set in a beautiful landscape. A house that has a soul and sits on a hill of Italian cypress sounds like a dream.
AJ: Best advice you’d give your teenage self?
MJ: You have control of life; you can make your own universe. And don’t be afraid.
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