Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jul 01, 2025

This Slender Home in Seoul Has One Room on Each of Its Four Levels

This Slender Home in Seoul Has One Room on Each of Its Four Levels

Architect TaeByoung Yim designs a 570-square-foot home with private space for studying and room to entertain.

Clad in black-painted stucco, this 570-square-foot house in Seoul, South Korea, is compact yet flexible. Architect TaeByoung Yim, of Mundoehoje and Studio Bigmimi, designed the four-level residence for JaeHoon Han in the district of Haebangchon, at the foot of Namsan Mountain. "It’s a quiet neighborhood where small houses and commercial buildings are closely gathered," Yim says.



Architect TaeByoung Yim designed a compact residence in Seoul, Korea, with designated space for studying and entertaining.l

According to the architect, Han, an adjunct professor and retired CFO, sought to build a second home in Haebangchon as a retreat from his busy life in Gangnam, where he resides full-time with his wife and two daughters. "He needed a place where he could focus on his writing and research, but he also wanted an elegant house, where friends and family would be able to visit." Yim says. "He was drawn to this location because it provides easy access to anywhere in Seoul."



The exterior of the tall and narrow home is sided with black-painted stucco.



Visitors ascend a concrete staircase and pass through a metal gate to enter the home. The materiality lends the home cool texture and a sleek aesthetic.

The lot previously held a dilapidated single-story house clad with wood. "Originally, the client intended to remodel the wood house and make no major changes to its frame," Yim says. "However, the old house was empty for a long time, and there were structural issues." Han and Yim opted to tear down the old home and imagine a new design that would accommodate Han’s desire for a quiet space to study and a sophisticated place to entertain.



An open-plan kitchen/dining area showcases black granite flooring, a concrete ceiling, and wood paneling on one of the walls.



A glass section reveals stones outside, connecting the home to nature.

The lot is small and narrow, so Yim organized the rooms vertically, creating boundaries between the public and private areas. "It was impossible to arrange the necessary functions horizontally," Yim says. "I decided to lay out one program or function on each floor."



The office on the second level is outfitted with a built-in desk and bookcase that spans the length of the walls.

Yim arranged the kitchen and the dining room on the first level. The study/office is on the second level, the third level holds the living room, and the bedroom is located in the attic.

"One of the main features of the first floor is that people can enter with their shoes on, because the floor is black granite," he says. "Generally, in Korean culture, you take your shoes off when you enter the house."

The second and third levels have oak floors, and the attic is outfitted with tatami, a type of straw mat flooring used in traditional Japanese-style rooms. "The wood is warm and soft, and tatami is [even] softer to the touch," Yim says. "We valued the floors as the most important interior finishing materials and assigned different textures so that the feeling gradually softens as you move from public to private space."



A loft-like sleeping area on the fourth level lies just above the living room, which is located on the third level. Glass doors open to terraces on both floors and flood the rooms with natural light.



The loft-style sleeping area is finished with tatami flooring.

A bright-white cantilevered staircase crafted with finger joint–style ten-millimeter steel plates links the third and fourth levels. "We wanted the material to be as minimal and light as it could be," says Yim. The first, second, and third levels are joined by an oak staircase.



A white-painted steel-plate staircase leads from the third floor to the attic level.



A wall on the second level features a built-in bookcase with a reading nook.

Yim’s design wastes no space, and focuses on adaptability. "The first floor of this house is designed for the owner to use how he wants," the architect says. "It can be closed off or left more open, connecting the house to the street, the neighborhood, and the city. There’s lots of potential to change the use, depending on lifestyle. The first floor can be used as a private dining restaurant or a shared kitchen space, while the rest of the house can be rented out. The final design really reflects the taste and the lifestyle of the client, who has a very flexible character."



Tiny Second Home in Urban elevation drawing

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
×