South Korean studio Niceworkshop has designed a pared-back interior for a cafe in Seoul, where concrete walls and stainless-steel furnishings are finished to mimic wood.
Set in the city's multicultural Itaewon district, HaHouse Cafe operates alongside an exhibition space on the floor above, designed by Niceworkshop founder Hyunseog Oh in 2022.
Niceworkshop has given Seoul's HaHouse Cafe a pared-back makeover
The initial demolition phase revealed a pair of concrete walls that informed the spatial arrangement of both the gallery and the cafe, as well as influencing the raw material palette applied across both interiors.
Oh used concrete, metal and wood to reference the project's urban setting, adding natural textures to the manmade materials to create a sense of visual cohesion. The studio etched a wood grain pattern onto stainless-steel furnishings
"The wood inside HaHouse Cafe serves as the basis for the texture that expresses nature," the designer explained. "It bridges the modern urban environment with nature, symbolising their coexistence."
The interior applies the same principles as Oh's Neo-Naturalism furniture series, which features a wood grain pattern etched onto geometric stainless-steel seats and tables.
Hand-sanded doors with opaque framing lead to a storage area and restroom
The use of concrete for the walls and ceiling was informed by the two existing walls that delineate the space. Concrete applied to the surfaces was stamped with wood to...