Contemporary coffee culture is omnipresent in South Korea, manifesting in a large and ever-growing diversity of cafés. As of late, the coastal city of Ulsan, situated only a 40-minute car drive northeast of Busan, boasts a coffee parlour that ticks all of our boxes. Dubbed SSAP, short for the somewhat puzzling name Stay Sweet At Place, it occupies a 96 sqm. (115 sqm.) unit on the ground floor of a three-storey red brick building in the downtown district of Namm-gu and around the corner from Ulsan Grand Park. The interior design, created by Busan-based interior design and branding practice design by 83, is understated while also embedding the building’s concrete shell. The setting sees an exposed concrete ceiling, walls and floor which show the wear and tear of many years and utility pipes, and superimposed, a series of modern interventions created with a mix of materials, such as birch plywood, veneer, both zinc and aluminium sheets, faux leather, terra cotta and paint. Upon entering the premises, visitors come across a full-fledged service station, and semi-concealed in a box-like structure, sits the establishment’s kitchen. The café sees a variety of seating arrangements, and all furnishings, crafted from aluminium and lacquered timber, are especially made for SSAP café by design by 83. Specific sections are subtly embellished with red plexiglass which ties in with the café’s various hues of decorative red lighting. So, what’s on the menu at SSAP? Primarily a variety of popular coffee concoctions, teas and other drinks, in addition to sandwiches and pastries.
SSAP
10-3 Daegongwon-ro, 207 beon-gil (Nam-gu)
44667 Ulsan
Mon 11am-9pm
Wed-Sun 11am-9pm
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
