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.
-
‘I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands’: Nigo on his collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which features a 1990s-inspired riff on the G-Wagon
Unveiled at Moncler’s ‘The City of Genius’ event in Shanghai this past weekend, Japanese fashion designer Nigo unpacks his three-way collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which includes a play on the G-Class alongside a fashion collection in his eclectic style
By Jack Moss Published
-
Cathay Pacific’s new business class Aria Suites take flight
Cathay Pacific raises the bar for business-class travel with the launch of the much-anticipated Aria Suites
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Volvo’s ultra-efficient EX30 compact EV gets its first real competition, the new Smart #3
We experience the highly rated Volvo EX30 and Smart’s most recent foray into pure electric cars, the #3. Which is the best executed small SUV?
By Jonathan Bell 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
-
Seosaeng House is a holiday home designed to capture the rising sun
Seosaeng House, Studio Weave’s first project in South Korea, is a clifftop holiday home perfectly designed to capture a new day dawning over the East Sea
By SuhYoung Yun Published
-
Store concept by David Chipperfield Architects for Akris is simply ‘selbstverständlich’
An ethereal new store concept by David Chipperfield Architects for Akris is rolled out from Washington to Tokyo
By Ellie Stathaki Published