Located within Seoul’s bustling commercial street, Blue Bottle Coffee Myeongdong initiates a dialogue between the city’s rich heritage and modern Korean culture through a narrative-driven approach. Passerbys are greeted by a gleaming white, high narrow facade that subtly glows Blue Bottle’s iconic logo silhouette—strikingly contrasting with its busy surroundings. 

Teo Yang Studio wanted to create a simple and unified exterior that speaks the spatial philosophy of 'Jakyung' by taking a metaphor from the heritage of Korean traditional architecture‘Hanok.’ People are guided into the space through the house name plate (Hyeonpan) and entrance gate that gradually leads people into the space itself. To reinterpret the story of tradition, Teo Yang Studio extended the idea of the‘Hyeonpan’by establishing a visual guide through the glowing square logo window.

The 'Blue House' is a self-standing structure with openings on its sides that resemble doors and windows of a traditional Korean home. Cladded in custom metal panels, the structure subtly reflects its surroundings while illuminating a soft bluish hue on the stainless steel cladded ceiling and floor. Near the entrance of the‘Blue House,’the merchandise shelf’s simple geometry resembles a contemporary sculpture, effectively highlighting the curated selection of Blue Bottle merchandise. Passing through the service & merchandise area, the sub-ceiling of the 'Blue House' is made of custom-finished aluminum grating panels to filter off the harsh direct lights from the main ceiling, while adding visual depth to the space through the subtle shadows and reflections as a whole. 

At the end of the corridor, visitors are offered an inside look of the custom logo signage making process by artisans Deok-Ho Kim & In-Hwa Lee. Guests are offered a visualization to better appreciate the craft of ceramics while waiting for their order. This experience is made tangible as the custom signage meets people upon exit.

Adding a thoughtful and emotive quality of craft, the smooth surface and hand-touch of the logo leaves guests with an artistic and personal impression of Blue Bottle Coffee Myeongdong. The linear flow of this store ensures visitors to walk through the structure easily & efficiently, crucial for this compact grab-and-go typology.From the facade to the exit, every aspect of the store is designed to correspond with the bustling context of Myeongdong.