House of Shinsegae

Shinsegae Group stands at the forefront of lifestyle creation, suggesting a new vision for the retail industry that reimagines the traditional notion of brick-and-mortar shopping. Founded on a merging opportunity to transcend the monotony of conventional department store experiences, House of Shinsegae centres around the concept of Home—a place that comforts and invites customers to linger, indulging fascination and inspiration to revisit. Nestled between the JW Marriott and major transit hubs, we were challenged with making the high foot-traffic space intimate. A vertical circulation experience guides hotel guests from the mezzanine lounge to the premium wine cellar, before descending to more public areas such as the food hall and central atrium. The experience mirrors a home’s natural flow, descending from more private, intimate retreats into shared spaces that are curated for a wider offering. The material palette reinterprets 1950s mid-century glamour and luxury through a contemporary retail lens. Solid timber anchors the space, its warmth offset by brass and high-gloss lacquer planes. Deep jewel-toned upholstery provides tactile counterpoints, while reflective, mirrored surfaces multiply spatial perceptions and create space within space. Concealed within a sprawling department store, House of Shinsegae’s arrival experience seeks to capture a sense of journey and discovery—like that of uncovering a treasure box. The design orchestrates moments of revelation through layered contrasts: between light and shadow, restraint and opulence, and intimacy and spectacle. Marquetry membranes and high-gloss lacquer finishes evoke the reveal of a jewellery box, responding to light in a way that mimics the sun’s natural gradient—radiant at the core, softening toward the edges. Bespoke furniture and lighting follows this rhythm, with pieces blurring at their periphery, while reflective surfaces amplify warmth and create volume. The absence of natural light presented a dual challenge: making the light as natural as possible, and capturing the day’s transition to night. Thus, the lighting system evolves from 400 lux of daytime illumination to an evening glow of 50 lux, mimicking time’s daily rhythm. This approach addresses functional challenges and deepens the sensory experience for visitors, making the space feel alive despite its architectural constraints. The atrium emerges as the conceptual heart, mediating between the wine hall, food hall, and retail pavilions. The food hall is rooted in the gastronomic expedition of travel and train carriages, and the interstitial space unfolds through a sequence of framed experiences; rounded edges, unboxed shopfronts, reversed arches, and high glossy ceilings. The wine hall and premium cellar is distinctively divided into open, social areas while simultaneously providing exclusive services and more intimate tasting salons, accommodating a highly curated ‘library’ of 5,000 premium wines and spirits. Flexibility is embedded in the design language, with mobile “treasure carts” and reconfigurable furniture to transform the space from daily retail operations to catered events. At its core, the design translates the physicality of a home—intimate, layered, and soft—into a retail environment where individual memories are built around personal experiences. While styling a department store with a residential experience is rare globally, the result will remain meaningful.