Irreplaceable Charm, Vintage Shopping

We look at four vintage shops in Seoul where you can find rare pieces of furniture, lamps, posters and such, with characteristics outshining the appeal of slick, brand-new items.

Any object that has existed for a long period of time develops its own personality. The same pieces of furniture vary in color and texture depending on the user, and even scratches become part of the article. Try to redo your space with one-and-only vintage furniture and accessories. In this new season of renewal, we introduce second-hand shops in Seoul, specializing in interior design-related items.

One Ordinary Mansion

Furniture is similar to art. When it conveys the designer’s philosophy, we get to appreciate each piece like a work of art. ‘One Ordinary Mansion’ operates a large furniture showroom filled with over 500 vintage items that can give you such an inspiring experience. You can see first-edition products by Charlotte Perriand, Peter Hvidt, and Arne Jacobsen, who were renowned mid-century modern architects and designers of the 1950s-1960s.

One Ordinary Mansion

Unlike other furniture stores focusing on one design style such as Scandinavian, Bauhaus, or french modern, One Ordinary Mansion has a free reign as it handles whichever furniture the owner finds attractive. That’s why beginner vintage buyers and collectors rave about the shop. For the design of the showroom, the owner borrowed the concept of ‘architectural promenade’ by Le Corbusier. A spiral slope structure enables the observer to see the entire space without overlapping sections in his or her pathway. High-end furniture is shown together with Korean design furniture by various artists including Oh Se Yeol and Huh Myoung-wook. You will find some good interior tips as well at the showroom.
Address 24 Jagok-ro 7-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Phone +82-507-1348-0525
Hours Daily 10:00-18:00, Wed 10:00-20:00, Appointment Required
Instagram www.instagram.com/oneordinarymansion

Lemon Seoul

It sounds like a music streaming service, but it’s not. However, if you rely on LPs, cassette tapes, or CDs to listen to music, you won’t be able to resist this place. ‘Lemon Seoul’ is a retro gadget shop offering sound equipment manufactured between the 1970s and 1990s, such as turntables, cassette tape recorders, walkmans, and CD players. The shop started from the personal collection of Yun Jong-hu and Kim Bo-ra both of whom used to work in the fashion industry. The couple had purchased a large number of vintage electronic goods whenever they were on business trips. Their collection includes an audio system made by National, the original brand name of Panasonic, and a robot by Tomy with a built-in cassette player. Many of their items are in demand and functionally unique.

Lemon Seoul

Other than sound equipment, the shop also has small devices such as Casio watches and Nintendo Gameboy that will spark interest in any vintage product enthusiasts. All products sold by Lemon Seoul have a 2-week warranty period, after which minor fixes and component replacements are available for a fee. CEO Kim said, “The best way to enjoy music is to listen to it using a player made in the same period in time.” Lemon Seoul is a place that teaches you that flipping the LP or reinserting the cassette tape repeatedly could be a new daily fun.
Address 84 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Phone +82-70-7787-5364
Hours Thu-Mon 13:00-19:00, Closed on Tue & Wed, Appointment Required
Instagram www.instagram.com/lemon_seoul

Big Sleep

A whole new world appears when you go up the narrow stairs to the second floor. It is ‘Big Sleep’ where dozens of vintage lightings are lit up, brightening the room. The shop specializes in hard-to-find lightings with unique designs, as well as vintage vases, cups, books, and objets. It appears to have a shop-like atmosphere and, at the same time, that of a room where a maximalist resident is living. Even without the usual, neat arrangement of merchandise other shops have, the owner created a charming ambience, displaying the second-hand items harmoniously. An added bonus here is the fun game of digging up something from the maze of taking up the entire walls and floor.

Big Sleep

We asked the owner for a tip in finding a good vintage item. “You will know right away if you see something you will like. No need to think whether to buy or not in that moment of destiny.” The one-and-only collectors’ items from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the like will not be discovered again. Big Sleep opens only two days a week. The hours are not set either, so check its Instagram before visiting.
Address 2F, 379 Seongsan-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
Hours To be notified on Instagram
Instagram www.instagram.com/bigsleep_shop

Samuel Smalls

Among the 20th-century products including furniture, lighting, audio, mirrors, and other vintage items, posters are probably the most noteworthy category in this shop. Located on B1 of SKV1 Tower, Seongsu-dong, the showroom of ‘Samuel Smalls’ has Tom and Jerry greet you from the entrance. Next to the wall displaying a giant poster of the 1960’s < Tom & Jerry >, a symbolic item often associated with the shop, are original posters of Disney animations, Looney Tunes, and other 20th-century films.

Samuel Smalls

The massive collection of vintage posters were put on display through the < Samuel Smalls Archive > exhibition last October. They are now available for viewing on the shop’s Instagram account(@samuel_smalls_archive). The showroom is divided into two sections. One is a space dedicated to vintage posters and table lamps and the other is filled with chairs, tables, and audio equipment. It also sells attachable wall hooks that are still vintage yet more affordable. Thanks to these small accessories, the shop’s customers come from various age groups.
Address B108, SKV1 Tower, 25 Yeonmujang 5ga-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Phone +82-2-2135-5655
Hours Wed-Sun 11:00-18:00, Closed on Mon & Tue, Appointment Required
Instagram www.instagram.com/samuel_smalls_

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April 2021	Editor:Kim Hyewon
Photographer:Ahn Garam