As a veritable hotbed of creativity on numerous levels, it isn’t hard to imagine life in Seoul has plenty to offer its savvy dwellers. This past decade, the South Korean capital’s hospitality has seen a huge wave of cool establishments, each one catering to different demographics with design-led interiors and alluring menus, and the end of that trend is nowhere in sight—indeed, move over Tokyo! One of the latest striking arrivals in the scene is DICA, a café and bar in the Yongsan area of town. Situated right beside the bustling four-lane Ichon-ro, the venue occupies a 120 sqm. (1,292 sq.ft.) unit on the ground floor of a modern building and features an interior design by local architecture and design practice Artefact. The location was previously used as storage space, and adding a palette of new materials and walls wasn’t considered an option to create a new setting.
A fascination of cantilevered buildings of the architectural team has resulted in a rather spectacular volume—an eight-metre cantilevered table. This prominent design element addresses a number of challenges, such as efficient movement, provide areas that serve public purposes and private needs, and and areas where to process products and services. DICA‘s centre piece seats twelve guests and is paired with matching robust chairs crafted from fibreglass. It’s flanked on one side by a service and sales counter, while on the other side a low cushioned bench lines the walls, paired with an elongated fibreglass low table. In the backdrop of pristinely painted walls, veneer-clad pillars, metal panelling and black curtains, it’s the raw concrete blocks from which the centre piece protrudes that stand stand out. The menu at DICA lists coffees, teas, soft drink and wines, in addition to a concise number of small dishes. © superfuture
DICA
20 Ichon-ro (Yongsan)
04374 Seoul
Tue-Sun 5pm-11pm
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.
