Situated only a 20-minute car drive southeast of Seoul, the satellite city of Seongnam – mind you, this is the first planned city in South Korea – offers its affluent citizens plenty of options not to commute back to the capital, and that includes fancy dining options. The newly opened Dark and Light restaurant pitches in with tasty Italian-inspired fare with a local twist served in a design-led setting by Seoul-based architecture practice Plainoddity. The establishment measures approx. 354 sqm. (3,843 sq.ft.) and sits on the first floor of a modern structure supported by pilotis on the outskirts of town, alongside the Gyeongbu Expressway to Seoul, but has an entrance and reception area on the ground floor.
Here, guests are greeted by a blind façade, however, there’s a section of glass blocks, before they enter a corridor which leads them to the reception area which is wrapped around a voluminous patio garden. An artsy, suspended Bunjae with a dramatically lit Barisol background, ties in with the equally manicured greenery outside. Upstairs, a curved ceiling was used as a plane and elevation, lending the austere space a soft and cozy space edge. A small landscaping strip was created under the shelf around the edge, except for the kitchen side. Void of colour, incorporating both rough and soft textures, large and small tiles, and various finishing materials and different forms, all add a subtle playfulness to Dark and Light‘s dining setting.
Dark and Light
252 Dallaenae-ro, Second Floor
13450 Seongnam
Telephone: +82 50 713318730
Daily 11.30am-3pm and 5.30pm-10pm
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.
