The Monjasang brand is planning a space where people in Korea can indirectly experience the deep flavors and culture of Japan, centered around monjayaki, a traditional Japanese dish. Monjayaki is a classic Japanese dish made by mixing various vegetables and seafood into a batter and stir-frying it on a teppan (iron griddle). While it is already widely popular in Japan, it is still relatively unfamiliar in Korea.
If the first branch in Gangdong was conceptually set as a housewarming party at the home of a character named “Monjasang,” the second branch at Starfield Goyang introduces a new female character, “Miyako,” along with her second home. In contrast to the first store, which had a darker and more masculine atmosphere, this space adopts a brighter, more neutral, and luxurious tone and texture. Specifically, a soft ivory hue forms the background, with white wood and light textures serving as focal points to shape the overall ambiance.
In developing the spatial concept, we considered the site’s characteristic of having three open sides and a curved layout. It felt inefficient to express the entire space purely as the interior of a house. Therefore, in addition to the concept of “Miyako’s House,” we established a subtitle concept: A Small House on the Yard. The partial wall of the kitchen area is expressed as a house wall, while the remaining areas are left open. To evoke the feeling that diners are seated in an outdoor yard, the ceiling is left exposed, and ropes are used at the boundary between the space and the corridor to create a fence-like design.
At the base of the large square column in the entrance area, stone is applied to create a traditional image, while shelves are installed at the top to incorporate Monjasang’s signature “Omikuji” event. The façade is fitted with ropes that allow Omikuji fortune papers to be hung, adding a new function while creating a distinctive first impression. It invites us to imagine the process of the space gradually filling up with countless papers tied by visitors, as well as the eventual result of that accumulation. We believed this façade design was something truly worth looking forward to.
(Omikuji refers to a traditional Japanese fortune-drawing practice. After drawing a written fortune, if the result is unfavorable, people tie it up at the shrine and leave it behind, symbolically leaving the bad luck there.)
We have envisioned Monjasang’s second space. At Miyako’s House, we hope guests will stop by freely, engage in pleasant conversations in a relaxed atmosphere, and fully enjoy the thoughtfully prepared dishes with a light and joyful heart.
