▲ Lee Eun-hae, Noh Hae-joo

Opening the showroom last November with a French furniture theme, Annesophie is rising fast as a new trend setter in the sleeping gear market. The products are lined up with a balance between not too grandiose and not too modern. 

CEO Lee Eun-hae named Annesophie by borrowing her western name ‘Anne’ and her daughter’s name ‘Sophie’. Lee worked for Amorepacific for 12 years and has led her career in cosmetics and clothes after being independent. The Co-CEO Noh Hae-joo also has experience running a children’s clothes shop and joined the business. 

They started with only 6 million won (US$5,332) but spent 4 years in preparation to secure competitiveness. Annesophie deals with almost all sleeping gears from furniture and beds to curtains, props and even pet goods. Lee and Noh caught the consumer’s wants precisely and are offering customized interior concept and recommendations. Thanks to this customer-friendly service, many of the clients are from Seoul and the capital area despite the business is based in Busan. 

Lee says “We design and make our own products to make differentiation. It is important to read the current second house trend and increasing number of our clients is paying a visit to our shop. We will keep offering our differentiated home deco ideas to each of our clients.”

Alongside self-designing and production, Annesophie also deals with imported furniture and sleeping gears from France and Italy while actively forming a partnership with various brands such as Dailysweet, Lunaroom, Maison de Paris and Maison de Dachaeroum. 

Sleeping gears and curtains of Annesophie are especially popular for unique details and outstanding materials while the padded blankets are practical and have a great value for money; you can also choose from various patterns and sizes that suit your need perfectly. 

In terms of furniture, Annesophie does not use MDF but hardwood and non-glossy French vintage styles, and the children’s nap package, in particular, is very popular for convenience and portability. Pet products such as latex beds and embroideries are also worth paying attention for good quality and rational price. 

To give a perfect match of the products with each house, Lee screens thoroughly the photos of the house each client sent and suggests ideal colors, layouts and compositions. Thanks to this hard work, the name Annesophie is spreading fast from mouth to mouth and through SNS platforms. 

However, Lee is not in hurry to expand the business despite a flood of inquiries for opening chain stores. “This is because cementing the business foundation firmly is more important than rapid growth of the business. When the time comes, I hope to increase the current 2 stores including a showroom to 11 through an effective win-win management. I want to make a success with Annesophie and I hope to pass down the business to my 6 year old daughter when she grew up.”