Architects:Indiesalon

Year:2018

Photographs:Hongkyu Yang

Lead Architect:Seokjoon Jang

City:Seongdong-gu

Country:South Korea

Text description provided by the architects. Since time immemorial, caves have been used not only as residential spaces for human beings but also as cultural spaces. Seven students in the film <Dead Poets Society> gathered in a hideout, ‘cave,’ asking questions about life, and in Hollywood films, romantic narratives made between men and women have also been carried out inside caves.

When first visiting the 1st branch of Munhwa Bistro, a couple of the highlight of the dark interior was seen. Candle dropping accumulated while the candles melted creating a unique appearance looking like a mysterious stalactite and becoming a secret place in a cave only for the couple. By taking the cave which is a spatial inspiration of the 1st branch of Munhwa Bistro as a medium, Indiesalon melted diverse miseenscenes into the 2nd branch of the Munhwa Bistro Seong-su project.

Interior Details - In the Seongsu branch of the cultural space, diverse spatial imaginations exist, and through these, its guests can experience a hidden space named ‘cave’ which is totally distinguished from the external world. Guests first encounter the deep cave space through the small window at the entrance. Looking at any part, the space is designed to show a scene making harmony among curves of ceiling and table, the light of the reflected lighting, space separation through the wood barrier, and spatial imagination created by the mirror wall. The ceiling in a big arch shape creates a cozy cave atmosphere, and the comfort given by the soft curve enables people to sit and enjoy food relaxed. By placing a mirror at the end of the arch, a deeper sense of space was added, creating efficiency for the narrow space and deeper cave atmosphere. Acryl's lighting on the ceiling expressed the shiny interior of the cave reflected by the light outside of the window.

The delicately glittering lights attract the attention of the people on the street out of the restaurant and stimulate their curiosity about the secret space. The Indiesalon’s oasis table, which will be the first experience for the guest when coming into the space, occupies a large part of the middle of the space. This furniture is a signature design that Indiesalon has developed for a long period of time and can be converted into diverse sizes and shapes in accordance with the nature of each space. The detail reminding of cave stalactites and the massive stream-lined table of the signature design plays a role to connect people to people.

The space design melting this architectural narrative invites customers to an entirely different space of hideout from the external world. In the cave which is a space having a distinct color, Munhwa Bistro Seong-su provides a sensuous experience to people, and their own romantic scenarios fit the place and new cultures are being created in the space even at the moment.

Project gallery

Project location

Address:2f, 45 Seongsuil-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea