London based specialist F&B design studio, Blacksheep has just completed work on The Cooking Library in Seoul, for Hyundai Card (HC), one of Korea’s largest credit card companies. HC have conceived the Hyundai Card Libraries, as a series of four inspirational spaces designed to provide an ‘analogue’ antidote to the fast pace of city life in the digital age and to stimulate meaningful and inspiring experiences in everyday life. Each of the Libraries touches on the refined knowledge of various lifestyles, covering realms of Travel, Music, Design and Cooking, the last Library in the series. Working in collaboration with Choi Wook of One O One Architects, Blacksheep were commissioned to bring the Hyundai Card Cooking Library to life as the last and most ambitious chapter in the series. Blacksheep created the complete guest experience from interior design through to branding, staff uniforms and packaging. The Cooking Library creates real-world experiences that unfold as you navigate the space to explore the universe of cooking and food. The design brief challenged Blacksheep to create a connected experience over five-floors of the Library that celebrates and brings to life the joys of cooking in Yeongdeungpo-gu, one of Seoul’s most affluent neighbourhoods.

Design concept:

Blacksheep worked to create an inspiring world where craftsmanship provides fundamental luxury, tactility invites human touch, and analogue detailing allows visitors to get lost in the romance of time. The Blacksheep design team envisaged a humble factory setting on the outskirts of Europe and translated that into a food laboratory in the heart of Seoul. It has specified an array of high-quality products from leading European furniture and lighting brands to bring the concept to life and enrich the experience for all HC Cooking Library visitors.