Poliform has a long-term partnership with Disamobili, one of the leading interior design retailers in South Korea with a national presence of 14 stores. Last October this prolific collaboration led to the inauguration of the new flagship store Poliform by Di’ome, affiliated company of Disamobili, in Seoul. We interviewed Young Choi, General Manager Di’ome, to discuss the synergies and projects that link the Italian brand of high-end furniture to this dynamic reality Made in Korea.
Could you tell us about the relationship between Di’ome and Poliform (the beginning of the partnership and the developing)?
It was 2013 when Disamobili started to collaborate with Poliform. In that moment we were looking for a renowned brand for high-end market, also capable of offering a total look for the home. Luckily, we found out that Poliform had just discontinued their relationship with its former retailer. Being partners with Poliform, we are able to expand our product range. Furniture systems such as kitchens and wardrobes were a big challenge at the beginning. However now it is the one of our core businesses and because of this we now have a full range of home items. Nowadays we have two Poliform stores in Seoul. One is Poliform Flagship store, run by Di’ome. Another is Disamobili main showroom which have two Poliform floors among 11 floors.
Poliform is a really high-level brand of interior design: how is the brand perceived on the market?
Poliform is one of the most important brands in furniture and interior industry worldwide. Of course, it is the same also in South Korea. Poliform is the brand requested from many clients who seek sophisticated style and high standard quality especially for luxury houses, villas and hotels.
What about the new showroom? Have products or collections been selected especially for this market?
We have a variety of collections in Poliform and Disamobili showroom. Poliform mono-brand store is more oriented to interior designers and architects. This showroom is strong for kitchen and wardrobes. Whereas Disamobili works more often with private customers where loose furniture pieces (sofa, table, bed, etc) are the main items. Basically, they have a total home concept. The main difference between the stores is who they deal with and what type of products are the most important for each of them.
What kind of projects did you recently realize?
We provided the wardrobes and walk-in-closest for the Suite-rooms of the Grand Hyatt Seoul, but even more remarkable is the project of the Seolhaeone Golf Resort in Yang Yang; for this project we took care of the entire furniture: kitchens, wardrobes and complements (here also took place the LPGA Legend match). We were involved in the furnishing of the Luxury Apartment Le Garden Hannam&Bangbae, in the richest area of Gangnam, for the supply of the kitchens of all units. But we have not only dealt with residential, for the PWC Samil Office, we provided the furnishings (by Poliform) for the public area.
Do you plan to inaugurate any other Poliform store in other cities?
Yes, we are considering opening another Poliform store in a big city such as Busan or Daegu, also in a department store. We are just waiting for the right timing and looking for a good location.
