<a href="https://modern-matter.com/blogs/modern-matter-blog">Modern Matter Blog</a>
Collaborator Spotlight: Young Huh
Named to the AD100 2023 and included in Elle Decor's A-List for the last four years, Young Huh has won critical acclaim for projects ranging from a historic Tudor in Illinois to a 19th-century country house in Dutchess County, New York, and a resort in Turks and Caicos.
Her New York-based design firm melds classic references with modern design principles to create interiors with a touch of wanderlust. Huh's hardware line for Modern Matter shares this common thread. Infused with a cultural and historical soul, the Jeweled Enchantress and Across the Pond collections combine functionality and sophistication that resemble modern artifacts.
Q: When did you discover that you had a talent for interior design?
A: I started out in law—which has helped me as a designer—but being an attorney did not feel right for me. My husband encouraged me to not let my education be a burden, and I’d always felt a strong pull to do something creative. I ended up meeting a designer at a cocktail party, and he told me what he did each day—it just clicked. I took design classes, interned at a design firm, and never looked back. Style and finding beauty in the world have always been important to me, and I find so much fulfillment in being able to help create those things for others.
Photography Jacob Snavey
Photography Brittany Ambridge
Q: Tell us about your creative process. How do you start your design projects?
A: The very first thing we do is work with our clients to determine the mood of the space; what emotions or feelings do we want to evoke when they walk into the room? Then, we build the design with that as our “north star.”
Photography Francesco Lagnese
Our goal is to interpret what our clients really want and deliver something that goes a step beyond what they could have imagined YOUNG HUH
Q: How did you develop your personal aesthetic as a designer?
A: Our projects really range in aesthetic and that’s one of the things I love about what we do! While we have guiding principles by which we work, our goal is to interpret what our clients really want and deliver something that goes a step beyond what they could have imagined. We are guided by classic design principles and modern living, we love mixing periods and styles, and we incorporate color and pattern wherever possible!
Photography Francesco Lagnese
Q: What was your inspiration for your hardware lines?
A: In our discovery for this collection, we were inspired by beautiful artifacts from the silk road: cameo rings with carnelian carvings, ancient coins, old doors, and the like. The collection truly reflects our love of history and the items that people leave behind when we create civilization and culture. As a design firm, we strive to bring that history into all new things we create. From curling snakes and evil eyes to references to the botanical world, the collection is rooted in global influences, beautiful materials, and a balance between past and present.
Photography Ngoc Minh Ngo
Q: Tell us about the process of creating Jeweled Enchantress and Across the Pond collections.
A: We tried to create a collection that could be used anywhere: kitchens, baths, library millwork, bars, interior and exterior doors, furniture old and new, and so on. I’ll be renovating my own kitchen soon and hope to use some of the hardware pieces with the carnelian gemstone—I love to embrace color in the kitchen. I also think the Corfu Ring Pull and Backplate would look incredible on a pair of antique doors!
Photography John Bessler
We interact with hardware from the moment we wake up and get ready in the bathroom until we close the bedroom door at night. It’s important we make it delightful. YOUNG HUH
Q: How do you think of hardware when designing a space?
A: Hardware is jewelry for the home! Hardware is also experiential. We interact with hardware from the moment we wake up and get ready in the bathroom until we close the bedroom door at night. It’s important we make this experience delightful.
Photography Jacob Snavely
Photography Ngoc Minh Ngo
Q: What do you look for when sourcing hardware for your clients?
A: We look for something with a point of view and that feels special in some way; it could be a unique form, an interesting material, or a gorgeous finish. We want the piece of hardware to be able to stand on its own while creating a beautiful dialogue with the piece of furniture to which it’s added.
Photography Jacob Snavely
Photography John Bessler
WORDS OF WISDOM
Young Huh
Expert tip: Take calculated risks and never skip the final edit!
Favorite finish: A rich brass that shows some age!
Favorite gemstone: Emerald and Green Jade; I adore Green!
Describe your style in 3 words: Elevated, Layered, Dynamic
Style icon: Diana Vreeland and Renzo Mongiardino
Pets: I don’t have any pets, but I love watching the wildlife at our home upstate—a family of beavers, ducks, chipmunks, and butterflies—they bring me such joy!
