[NE Log] My House Jang Cha-geun "I Can Create a Sweet Home on Instagram Within My Budget"

Editor's Note[NE Log] is a video content series produced for companies selected in ‘NEXT ELEVATION,’ a startup accelerator program established by Asia Economy.

Hello. I am Jang Cha-geun, CEO of MyHouse, a total interior platform.

My undergraduate major was vocal music. During a leave of absence from university, my parents decided to build a house, but the construction company we contracted with went bankrupt. The moving date was approaching, and we had to move in. At that time, I thought, "Let me take a leave and try to arrange and build it myself." Through that process, I experienced interior design and architecture. I have liked making and drawing things since I was young, so drawing blueprints and selecting materials was very enjoyable. Then I thought, "There is no future in vocal music, so let me try to make money through architecture." I believe that was the time I found my aptitude.

There are similar cases overseas as well. Musicians have become architects, and artists have become architects. Architecture is also a comprehensive art. Although architecture is expressed through drawings and mathematical figures, ultimately it is about expressing something the architect holds, a belief embedded in it. That itself is architecture. Vocal music is also a form of self-expression art, so vocal music helped me a lot as a trigger to confidently express and unfold my beliefs.

The Reason for Creating MyHouse

Architectural design is very detailed. The construction process and use of materials are highly mathematical, but our interior market is not yet that mathematical. For example, when customers bring photos and ask, "How much would it cost to do it like this?" contractors should provide an accurate estimate based on the photo. However, a mismatch begins between customers showing their needs by providing information and contractors providing information according to those needs. To unify such mismatches, I thought that interior design also needs a detailed process that can serve as a standard or criterion like architecture, which led me to conceive MyHouse.

What I felt most when meeting customers was that customers' demands were the same, but the estimates given by contractors varied greatly. "Why are customers' needs precise, but the estimates provided by contractors so different?" I searched for a way to solve this problem and eventually thought, "Let's start by providing accurate estimates."

MyHouse's Unique Strengths Compared to Other Platforms

We created the estimate starting from imagining where to begin when first meeting customers. Customers often show us a phone screenshot and ask, "How much would it cost to do it like this?" We aimed to solve that issue.

For example, customers can access MyHouse's web estimate program, input their space and information, and then select a budget range type. There are types from Repair, Standard, Premium, to High-end. After selecting the budget range, the most important point is extracting and displaying images of six key spaces like "I want the entrance to feel like this" or "I want the living room to feel like that." Then customers choose the images of the spaces they want, and based on that, the estimate is completed. The images set by customers are realized in real-time (like an AI-based metaverse space), where everything can be checked and prices set. This is an advanced version of a consumer-centered estimate.

The first estimate (which we have nicely modularized) is generated. For example, if you click on the bathroom, related items appear. You can customize by choosing what kind of faucet to replace or what color tile to use on a customization page that appears at the bottom of the estimate. Therefore, customers can either consult based on the initially set modular version or change some colors or materials and then consult. We offer both versions in open beta.

'Today’s House' is a community-based platform. Therefore, the 3D provided by 'Today’s House' is more focused on arousing consumer interest rather than being directly used for interior construction. The 3D model we are developing is a form where the consumer’s concept is fully realized in 3D, which can be seen as a '3D modeling' that directly connects to construction. I think this is a key difference.

The most important element I consider in interior design is combination. Which colors and materials combine better, which make the space look bigger and warmer, and how these materials and colors combine to fit the desired space are the most important factors in interior design. From a practical perspective, I also want to emphasize creating all spaces so that they are not inconvenient to use. For that, the interior structure must reflect one’s lifestyle to some extent, so that is also an important factor.

MyHouse’s Goals and Jang Cha-geun’s Vision for the Future

There are three main goals. First, as I mentioned earlier, let’s build consumer trust based on accurate estimates. The estimate is the price, and since consumers are buyers, providing accurate information about the purchase is MyHouse’s primary mission. Once this is achieved, we can move to the next stage.

The next stage is design. Given the same price and equally reliable estimate, who can provide a prettier design and better meet my needs? That is a matter of personal taste. MyHouse has satisfied customers’ needs with reliable estimates as a foundation and tasteful designs that differentiate us from other companies. These are integrated and provided as modules. MyHouse’s ultimate goal is to become the interior standard or benchmark in South Korea.

Among the basic necessities of life, housing occupies the largest part. When thinking about how to provide better information to customers who want to decorate their living spaces, I hope MyHouse becomes the standard. Our wish is for those who want their own design and home to think of MyHouse first. There are still many cases of damage in the interior market. It is too big a market to just overlook such issues as inevitable. We are now in an era of IT innovation, and I believe interior design must also keep pace with standardized and benchmark services. MyHouse aims to achieve that.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.