Hasta La Ideas

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.

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 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.

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 create a natural texture.

The serving counter and utility spaces along one wall are clad in aluminium with a subtly reflective satin finish.

A pair of doors leading to a storage area and restroom feature reflective surfaces that Oh sanded by hand to create an opaque frame around the edges.

“Through the opaque reflective surface, I wanted to show both the artificial nature inside the space and the real nature outside the window,” he told Dezeen.

Much of the furniture used in the cafe was created especially to complement the interior’s pared-back material palette.

Expanding on the Neo-Naturalism furniture series from 2023, the chairs and lights were engraved using a Dremel tool to create a wood grain pattern.

The NN tables are made from solid ash and red oak, bringing warmth and tactility to the otherwise austere space. The legs and tops are joined at the corners using simple nuts and bolts.

Other furniture items include the NN stools, which are informed by standard-sawn timber logs. Four of the 20-by-20 centimetre sections are combined to create a stool with a concave seat.

According to Oh, the main objective with the HaHouse project was to create a cultural space that appeals to a variety of people and provides them with a new spatial experience.

Previous experimental projects from Niceworkshop include a furniture collection made using skyscraper formwork salvaged from construction sites that was presented at this year’s Milan design week.

Oh founded his studio in 2021 after completing a bachelor’s degree in interior architecture at Soongsil University. He works alongside Sangmyeong Yoo, who manages the office’s business affairs.

The photography is courtesy of HaHouse Cafe.

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