House of Shinsegae by A Work of Substance
Shinsegae Group’s latest venture reimagines the department store as a layered, home-like environment that invites lingering, discovery, and delight.
Conceived by Hong Kong–based studio A Work of Substance, the House of Shinsegae in Seoul challenges the conventional model of retail by creating a deeply atmospheric journey through light, texture, and intimacy.
Founded by a collective of architects, designers, and strategists from 19 countries, A Work of Substance approaches projects as narrative explorations of culture and community. “We exercise the art of forgetting what we know,” the team notes, “to scavenge for vibrant stories about the people and cultures our designs inhabit.” This philosophy is central to the House of Shinsegae, where storytelling through materials and form guides every step of the visitor experience.
Occupying 7,273 square feet in Gangnam, between the JW Marriott and major transit hubs, the site presented both opportunity and challenge. The brief asked how a high-traffic environment could feel personal and inviting. The solution lies in a vertical sequence of circulation: hotel guests are guided from mezzanine lounges and the premium wine cellar down to public areas such as the food hall and atrium. “The experience mirrors a home’s natural flow,” the studio explains, “descending from more private, intimate retreats into shared spaces curated for a wider offering.”
Arrival is conceived as an act of discovery. Hidden within a larger department store, the entry recalls the opening of a jewellery box, with marquetry membranes and high-gloss lacquered finishes catching and softening light. Reflective surfaces expand volume, while bespoke furniture and lighting appear to blur at their edges. This sense of unfolding discovery continues throughout the interiors, where contrasts between shadow and illumination, restraint and opulence, are orchestrated to heighten awareness.
The absence of natural daylight prompted a nuanced lighting scheme that mimics the daily cycle. Daytime conditions glow at 400 lux before gradually shifting to an evening ambience of 50 lux. “It was important that the light felt alive,” says the studio, “so that the space could capture time’s transition even without windows.”
At the heart of the project, the atrium anchors the wine hall, food hall, and retail pavilions. Each is conceived with its own character: the food hall draws on the romance of train carriages and travel, while the wine hall houses a curated library of 5,000 premium bottles across both social tasting zones and private salons. Flexible furniture and mobile “treasure carts” allow the interior to shift from daily retail to special events, reinforcing adaptability as a core part of the scheme.
The material palette channels mid-century glamour through a contemporary lens. Solid timber grounds the composition, counterbalanced by brass accents and jewel-toned upholstery. Mirrored surfaces expand perception, multiplying volumes into a sense of layered immersion. “At its core, the project translates the physicality of a home—intimate, layered, and soft—into a retail environment where ritual replaces routine,” the designers reflect.
House of Shinsegae demonstrates how a department store can transcend transactional retail, instead becoming an environment where experience, memory, and ritual are at the forefront. By weaving the qualities of home into a public setting, A Work of Substance has crafted a place that feels both rarefied and familiar—an elevated retreat in the heart of Gangnam.
