Listen Communication - Layered Seoul
On the upper floors of Seoul’s Lotte World Tower is Layered Seoul by Listen Communication, a residence conceived as a quiet sanctuary above the city.
The project, led by designer Kim Sang-yoon, balances the prestige of its setting within Korea’s tallest building with a spatial language that layers tradition, memory, and modernity.
The interior takes inspiration from Hanok architecture, reinterpreting its layered sequencing of spaces for a vertical setting. Elements such as raw timber, stone, and Korean paper form the foundation of the residence, creating an atmosphere that is simultaneously contemporary and deeply rooted in cultural heritage. Rather than appearing ornamental, each material is allowed to speak in its own voice: wood introduces warmth and tactility, Korean paper softens daylight into diffused layers, and stone provides a grounded counterpoint to the tower’s glass and steel. Together, they establish a calm sensibility that grows richer with time.
At the heart of the home is the living room, imagined as a courtyard retreat suspended above the metropolis. Here, concealed lighting preserves simplicity while emphasizing the interplay of form and shadow. Vertical sliding doors with a bamboo motif act as subtle dividers, forming boundaries without breaking visual continuity. Above, a ceiling composed of wood and paper recalls the light-filtering qualities of traditional Korean windows, casting a meditative glow that shifts with the day.
Craftsmanship is a defining layer throughout. Custom furniture made by hand and carefully arranged fabric panels bring density and intimacy to the large-scale setting. The grain of timber and the texture of stone are left deliberately visible, drawing attention to the honesty of the materials and the quiet depth of artisanal work.
Yet the residence is not closed off from its urban context. Panoramic windows frame Seoul as a living landscape, with mountains, sky, and city unfolding in constant change. Rather than separating the interior from its setting, the design invites the city inward, creating a psychological continuity between the high-rise home and the life of Seoul below.
The challenge of uniting cutting-edge architectural precision with traditional sensibility is met through the idea of “layered time.” Within the exacting framework of a skyscraper, the project introduces spaciousness, stillness, and craft in ways that avoid dissonance. Modern refinement and cultural heritage are not set against each other but coexist as overlapping presences.
The project becomes a residence that redefines luxury in subtle terms. Here, luxury is not found in spectacle but in the depth of atmosphere — in light filtered through Hanji, in the scent of raw timber, in the tactile honesty of natural stone. It is a form of quiet luxury that carries dignity and permanence, revealing a vision of living where Korean tradition and contemporary life are seamlessly overlaid.
Far more than an elevated residence, Layered Seoul is conceived as a landscape of calm above the city, a home that accepts daily life with grace and allows cultural memory to unfold in modern form.
