Architecture and interior design firm Studiovase have recently completed Roly-Polycotto, a whimsical restaurant, café, and retail space in Seoul, Korea. The project was commissioned by Ottogi, a popular Korean food manufacturer who sell noodles, sauces, curries, and other foodstuffs. The original brief called for a curry and ramen bar showcasing the brand’s flavours to be installed within a space of around 80 pyeong (a Korean unit of floorspace which translates to 265 sq. m). But Studiovase proposed a much larger concept for the project both spatially and conceptually– a total rebranding and repackaging of the Ottogi brand.
Studiovase conducted user research which showed that for the twenty to thirty-year old demographic, there was little connection with the Ottogi brand. Their solution was to re-brand the company into a more distinct identity which could be expressed through a ‘bricks and mortar’ experience. The goal was to create a space that could be truly unique in a crowded and competitive market and to evoke an emotional response designed to build brand loyalty. The design philosophy specifically targeted the millennial generation.
The new image is expressed through a playful design that incorporates a range of symbolic elements into one concept space. This space serves as a more metaphorical interpretation of the brand which resonates with younger customers on a more experiential, emotional and sensory level. By embedding the history of the brand into the space and creating a new, more modern iteration, Studiovase used emotion rather than provocation to re-wire the perception of customers and to build the restaurant as an analogue space in a digital world, inviting users on a real-world journey of what the brand embodies.
The finished space is Roly-Polycotto, a noodle bar, restaurant, and garden covering an area of 1025 sq m, almost quadruple the area of the original design. This was achieved by incorporating garden areas that were previously partitioned off in two different buildings into one united functional entity. This both allowed the best utilization of area space but also facilitated an experiential journey for guests by using the garden element as a central gateway to a range of other types of spaces and uses. The project is composed of six distinct spaces with the garden woven through as the common denominator uniting them all.
The primary material used in the space is red brick, but it has been applied in different patterns across various spaces.
It was chosen to signify the universality, tradition, and persistence of Ottogi’s corporate lineage. The bricks are installed in different iterations and shapes to disrupt the formerly conservative company narrative and bring the space into a more modern mode. The red brick is punctuated throughout by bright yellow accents evoking the company’s signature yellow packaging. Yellow is featured in different shades and materials, from ceramic elements to façade elements to seating and furnishing elements. Brightly coloured fluorescent ceramics in the form of furniture, hanging decorations, art installations, light fixtures, and benches are interspersed throughout space, as is stainless steel. These elements undermine the banality typical of brick and infuse a playful, whimsical quality within the space.
The guest journey begins in a semi-basement ‘cave’ facing the road which serves as a kiosk selling food and drinks made with Ottogi products. It features booth seating and a bar area. Hundreds of fluorescent baubles hang from the roof, evoking the lushness of the gardens above. As guests ascend to the ground level via a narrow stairwell, they meet a cube element and a slope element facing one another.
The cube is a retail store selling branded Ottogi and Roly-Poly themed merchandise. A large cut-out element in the cube’s brick wall allows light to flood in, its shape mirrors that of a custom curved metal shelf in the store. Balloons and lights hang from the ceiling creating a playful, cheery atmosphere and inviting curiosity. Sunshades attached to the one glass wall of the cube are made of punched metal that transmits sunlight into the space, as well as creating a relationship via extension out to the garden area. The adjacent slope element is made up of stacks of bricks arranged like stairs for guests to sit on, with a grassy knoll at the top which looks out toward the garden. The stairs are scattered with brightly coloured globular ceramic shapes, art installations made by contemporary artist Lee Hyun-Jung which provide visual entertainment.
The garden is at the centre of the space with all other functions oriented toward it. Newly planted flowering species create a living landscape that changes over the seasons, but the garden is still anchored in history by the original fir tree plantings which have been left intact, a metaphor for the company’s corporate roots. Above the garden, brightly coloured abstract ceramic shapes are hung which move with the breeze and blur the line between organic and artificial.
At the far end of the garden, a small hill element contains a ceramic table (also by Lee Hyun-Jung) which curves around the firs and makes a garden within the garden. Beside it is a multi-purpose hall with a capacity for fifty guests. The hall is currently being used for company networking and tasting events but in the future can be adapted for guest use and private rentals. Lighting, heating and air conditioning, and speaker systems are concealed within the hall ceiling by a series of metal net panels. A sliding glass door opens the hall to the garden, blending the outdoor and indoor functions.
The last space, the sala, is not open to the public, but looks out toward the garden. Its facing wall is covered in a façade of 4,800 metallic yellow spangling discs which move with wind and reflect dynamic light patterns back toward the garden. The sala is conceived as a drawing room that one might find at a domestic home, cozy and furnished with comfortable couches. Again, Ottogi’s signature yellow is the primary colour, but a palette of related warm shades in an array of finishes evoke a depth of space. Large cabinets contain glassware, wine and coffee, and entertainment systems for listening to music, consuming digital media, or reading.
Roly-Polycotto is a project of understanding and transforming two different buildings into once concept. The result is a synergistic interface which invites guests on a sensory journey that locates them at the leading edge of the company as it connects with the next generation of consumers and seeks to translate the nostalgia of its products into new iterations of dining and socializing. The seven spaces of the project arouse all five senses and use different media to evoke an emotional connection to the Ottogi brand and inspire evangelistic loyalty. The traditional brick façade suggests trust and reliability, but tradition is subverted by undulating roly-poly curves that invite curiosity and put the user at the centre of a three-dimensional, all-encompassing brand experience as they traverse the space and explore the hidden gardens and treasures within.
