Kim Joong-up House of Architectural Culture

WHY VISIT

Built in the 1970s, this two-story detached house was remodeled in 1986 by Kim Joong-up, who added exotic elements to every corner of the house based on traditional Korean architecture. This is a place where you can get a glimpse of the housing culture of the middle class at the time, and was designated as a Seoul Future Heritage in 2017. The KimJoong-up House of Architectural Culture harmoniously integrates Korean and Western architectural styles. The second-floor living room has an umul-maru , rafter structure, and windows covered with changhoji paper, which are mainly used in hanok , but with a modern interpretation. In contrast, the bathroom was designed in a European style. The dry bathroom with a dressing room attached, something that wasn’t common in Korea during the '70s and '80s, has a vintage jade-colored interior that stands out. Stepping out to the elegantly decorated garden, a water element, a characteristic of Kim Joong-up's architecture, is located on one side of the yard. Even equipped with its own small greenhouse, the Kim Joong-up House of Architectural Culture contains immense nature in the garden.