Abstract
Each ethnic group has a different cultural background and has developed its own culture in the name of a tradition. The interaction between different cultures is ever increasing through the process of acculturation or culture contact The purpose of this study is to provide baseline information about domestic living of Korean immigrants in Australia and Australians for a larger cross-cultural study project. As the first step, the usage of domestic space and seating styles of 52 Korean households in Melbourne were analyzed. Ethnographic research was conducted, utilizing a questionnaire. The findings of this research are as follows: 1. The most popular type of Living-Dining-Kitchen arrangement was the one which the kitchen is separated from the living and dining area. The level of satisfaction was the highest when the living room, dining room, and kitchen were all separated. 2. A laundry room was indispensable for Koreans in Australia, and they wanted to dry laundry and do ironing in there. Most people were satisfied with the toilet separated from the bathroom A drain hole on the floor of the bathroom was not indispensable for most Korean-Australians. 3. Korean-Australians tend to engage in various activities in their individual rooms, and they estimated that the size of most rooms were small. They also wanted to renovate the house to expand the rooms. 4. The seating style of Korean-Australians was mostly chair-seating. Yet, they often made beds on the floor for guests, and made kimchi sitting on the floor. Also, when they were relaxing, they were using both chair-seating and floor-seating. 5. Korean-Australians were not very satisfied with the use of floor carpets because of the dust collected on the carpets, and the difficulty to clean. It may be related to their preferred floor seating style, as well. 6. Almost all Korean-Australians take off their shoes inside of the house for hygienic reasons. They had a shoes cabinet at the entrance inside of the house. 7. The most popular heating system was ducted heating. The level of satisfaction about this was moderate because hot air contains lots of dust and it makes rooms very dry. Many were using electric blankets and their desired heating system was Ondol (heated floor). 8. Korean-Australians thought that the living room was the most important place for the family, and believed it should be decorated well to entertain guests. They also pointed out that the lighting was not bright enough in general.