'I want Jang Won-young's sofa': High-end furniture flying off shelves at tens of millions of won

"You can't see the Cassina pieces right now. You need a reservation."

The Conran Shop, a lifestyle concept store inside Lotte Department Store's Gangnam branch in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, drew a steady stream of visitors on May 28 — a weekday afternoon. Shoppers browsed sofas, lighting fixtures and tables throughout the floor, pausing to consult with staff.

Deeper inside the store sits a VVIP room, operated by appointment only to meet strong demand for luxury furniture. The space is furnished with pieces from Cassina, the Italian high-end furniture brand, including sofas, tables and lighting — each item running into the tens of millions of won.

Products at The Conran Shop routinely exceed 1 million won (about $665) even for a single small chair, yet consumer interest remains intense. One shopper, surnamed Kang, said she visits often. "I like having beautiful furniture at home — it lifts my mood," she said. "I'm drawn to chairs, lighting and other pieces that can change the feel of a room."

Wells/Dearstance, a high-end furniture concept store also in Gangnam-gu, had a similar atmosphere the same day. The item drawing the most inquiries was a 78-million-won sofa positioned at the front of the store — Edra's "PAC" sofa, which became widely known after BLACKPINK member Jennie was seen using it.

"These days, many customers come in with photos of pieces used by celebrities — Jang Won-young's sofa, Jennie's bed — and ask for the exact same model," a store representative said. "Products with limited availability command a premium in the secondhand market, so some people buy them as investments. We're also seeing more high-end furniture brands from Scandinavia, Italy and Germany entering the Korean market."

Industry insiders say demand for ultra-premium furniture has grown as a trend toward investing in interior design — rather than moving to a new home — has taken hold. The consumer base has also broadened. What was once a market dominated by shoppers in their 40s and 50s now includes people in their 20s and 30s drawn to interior design and aesthetics. Furniture is increasingly treated as an investment, driven by growing consumer emphasis on design, brand prestige and scarcity.

The numbers bear this out. Shinsegae Department Store's high-end furniture sales in the first quarter (January through March) rose 31.7 percent year on year. The ninth-floor living specialty section of its Gangnam branch now carries Hästens, the Swedish luxury bed brand associated with IU and Jennie. Shinsegae recently sold top-tier Hästens lineups — the Grand Vividus, Vividus and Dreamer, priced in the hundreds of millions of won — through its VIP-exclusive curation platform, The Showcase.

Sales at The Conran Shop inside Lotte Department Store climbed 50 percent year on year in May, driven by rising demand for ultra-premium brands such as Cassina and Knoll. Among younger shoppers, designer furniture brands including Herman Miller and Vitra are particularly popular. Lotte Department Store operates The Conran Shop at its Gangnam, Jamsil, main, Dongtan and Incheon branches.

Hyundai Department Store posted high-end furniture sales growth of 29.6 percent. The retailer reinforced its luxury furniture offering through renovations at its Trade Center and Mokdong branches. The Trade Center branch added Duxiana and Bye Spring, top-tier brands selling furniture priced at 30 million won and above. The Mokdong branch expanded its experiential space, creating areas such as a "sleep fitting room" where customers can try products before buying.

"More customers are approaching furniture not as a basic household item but as an element that completes the sensibility and character of a space," said Kim Dong-ho, chief buyer of the Conran team at Lotte Department Store. "Because high-end furniture can carry asking prices in the tens of millions of won, there is strong demand to experience the materials and feel in person — so we are continuing to expand showroom-style pop-up content that plays to the strengths of the physical retail channel."

Online platforms are seeing the same trend. Transaction volume in the furniture and interior category on 29CM rose 53 percent year on year from March 1 through May 26. Sales of Finnish furniture brand Artek on the platform more than tripled year on year from January through May 27. "Even as consumer sentiment has softened overall, spending on interior design that reflects personal taste and lifestyle has consistently held up," an industry official said.