由HE:ARTS、RVMN打造的首尔框架丨韩国首尔

Architects:RVMN

Area:170m²

Year:2025

Photographs:Yongjoon Choi

Lead Architects:Yonghyun Kwon, Hyoju Kim

Category:Retail Interiors

Design Team:Jeongwon Choi

City:Seoul

Country:South Korea

Text description provided by the architects. K-Beauty continues to grow, with increasing global and domestic interest. In particular, visitors to Korea now engage with everyday beauty experiences—such as hair salons, dermatology clinics, and beauty brand pop-ups—as key parts of their travel itineraries. Beauty is no longer just a service, but has become a distinct form of travel experience. This shift extends beyond international visitors, reflecting a broader cultural trend in which people seek to make each day feel meaningful, accumulating moments that enrich the density of everyday life.

Located in Hannam-dong, a district frequently visited by international tourists, SEOUL FRAME is proposed as a new type of cultural space centered around beauty. The project unfolds through the concept of "Scene Archive," where an ordinary day is captured and transformed into a sequence of extraordinary moments.

The layout consists of customer-oriented programs—including a studio, hair and makeup area, shampoo room, and store—alongside supporting operational spaces. Within a limited budget, the design addresses both functional requirements and experiential qualities, allowing a variety of programs to coexist while enabling a natural transition of spatial sequences.

The project embraces the existing building's raw character and sculptural qualities, guiding users through a spatial narrative where scenes unfold along the circulation path. The non-orthogonal geometry—defined by diagonal lines and rounded columns—is actively incorporated, allowing each element to function as an object, contributing to the rhythm and depth of the space.

Located on the basement level, the store features two points of entry: one directly accessible from the exterior and another connected internally within the building. The exterior entrance is established as the main approach, forming an open and welcoming threshold for visitors. Upon entering, a luminous Barrisol ceiling softly illuminates the space, while sculptural shelving extends between rounded columns and raw finishes, framing the displayed products. This area is not merely transitional, but a place to pause—an initial scene of arrival and reception.

The retail area unfolds with double-sided shelving and a central island display. Aligned with the circulation, products are naturally revealed, encouraging exploration as visitors move deeper into the space. The blue-toned central island reflects SEOUL FRAME's identity color, introducing warmth within the otherwise cool atmosphere created by raw architectural textures and mirror-finished vibration stainless steel. Here, visitors engage with and test products, gradually discovering what suits them best.

At the heart of the space lies a flexible, multi-purpose studio. Designed to accommodate photography, lectures, and seminars, the space remains open and adaptable. Rounded columns, ceiling elements, and a movable mirror wall enable the continuous transformation of spatial scenes. On the opposite side, a media objet functions both as a communication device for the brand and as a sculptural element, adding another layer of character to the space.

Beyond the studio, the hair and makeup area is composed of layered spatial elements. Inspired by the accumulative nature of beauty practices, the space is partially veiled with satin glass, where columns appear as soft silhouettes behind its translucent surface. Within this setting, the act of service itself becomes another scene.

While maintaining a cohesive tone and atmosphere throughout, SEOUL FRAME offers a sequence of shifting scenes as visitors move through the space. These accumulated moments form a narrative, allowing visitors to record their day—transforming the ordinary into something memorable, and ultimately conveying the identity of the brand.

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