Plastic fantastic: Wallpaper* visits Seoul’s latest music hub, Vinyl & Plastic
Itaewon, a thriving inner-city district of the South Korean capital of Seoul, sees an exciting new addition to its vibrant scene – the Vinyl & Plastic store. Opening its doors a few weeks ago, the neighbourhood's newest music hub comes courtesy of the country's leading credit card issuer, Hyundai Card, and provides the city's residents with the perfect spot in which to browse music, enjoy a coffee, sit back and relax.
Vinyl & Plastic is strategically positioned next to another of Hyundai Card’s cultural ventures – the Music Library, which houses over 10,000 records and some 3,000 music-related books. But unlike the Music Library – which is exclusively accessible only to those who possess a Hyundai Card – Vinyl & Plastic is open to all.
The store boasts an impressively-curated collection of media, containing over 4,000 vinyl LPs and 8,000 CDs, covering a wide variety of musical genres.
Featuring an exterior designed by young local architecture firm Samuso Hyojadong, the structure spans three floors and also contains the exhibition space on the lower ground floor. The space, titled Storage will show a selection of contemporary pieces from a variety of disciplines, spanning art, film, architecture and design.
Instead of completely altering the pre-existing structure on site, Hyundai Card made sure that its original façade and materials still have a presence in the new scheme. The architects aimed to remove ‘the weight of the façade’ by adding an 8m-high metal and glass frame. This gesture provides exposure and a new identity for the store, but also ensures an abundance of light flowing through its interiors.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Vinyl & Plastic website
ADDRESS
Vinyl & Plastic
248 Itaewonro
Yongsangu
Seoul
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
The Park: step inside Jeremy King's mid-century diner
One of several 2024 openings from restauranteur, Jeremy King, food critic Ben McCormack books in at The Park
By Ben McCormack Published
-
Six brilliant bars for your 2025 celebrations, hot off the Wallpaper* travel desk
Wallpaper’s most-read bar reviews of the year can't be wrong: here’s inspiration for your festive and new year plans, from a swanky Las Vegas lounge to a minimalist London drinking den
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Misfires and Monstrosities: three vehicular design disasters that show taste is in retreat
From a multi-million dollar piece merchandise to a wretched Rolls-Royce, these are the low points of the year in transportation design
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Join our tour of Taikaka House, a slice of New Zealand in Seoul
Taikaka House, meaning ‘heart-wood’ in Māori, is a fin-clad, art-filled sanctuary, designed by Nicholas Burns
By SuhYoung Yun Published
-
Raw, refined and dynamic: A-Cold-Wall*’s new Shanghai store is a fresh take on the industrial look
A-Cold-Wall* has a new flagship store in Shanghai, designed by architecture practice Hesselbrand to highlight positive spatial and material tensions
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practices
In the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Studio Heech transforms a Seoul home, nodding to Pierre Chareau’s Maison De Verre
Young South Korean practice Studio Heech joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Christian de Portzamparc’s Dior Geneva flagship store dazzles and flows
Dior’s Geneva flagship by French architect Christian de Portzamparc has a brand new, wavy façade that references the fashion designer's original processes using curves, cuts and light
By Herbert Wright Published
-
Architect Byoung Cho on nature, imperfection and interconnectedness
South Korean architect Byoung Cho’s characterful projects celebrate the quirks of nature and the interconnectedness of all things
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
2023 Seoul Biennale of architecture invites visitors to step into the outdoors
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2023 has launched in the South Korean capital, running themes around nature and land through the lens of urbanism
By SuhYoung Yun Published
-
Tadao Ando’s ‘Space of Light’, a meditation pavilion, opens in South Korea
Tadao Ando’s ‘Space of Light’ pavilion opens at Museum SAN in South Korea
By SuhYoung Yun Published