Nampa House Restaurant

Nampa House is a restaurant that originated from a homemade food that has been descended over 200 years within a noble family. The designer has taken inspiration from the nature surrounding the old house of Nampa and its everyday objects. Naju where Nampa house is located is known for traditional craftmanship including weaving, carpentry, dyeing and basketry. These local traditional characteristics are also applied to the design such as a translucent curtain which resembles weaved linen . The curtain divides the hall and room allowing psychological communication with the hall area while offering privacy for the room.


The overall design of the hall is intended to bring nature inside. There are rocks and scenery of mountains along with object s inspired by nature visualize birds resting on a stream near Nampa house. The painting of Keumsung Mountain of Naju that fills the wall is a work done by artist Kim Su. Keumsung Moutain has a similar silhouette to Samgak Mountain of Seoul and by overlapping two mountains on a sheer fabric it creates the illusion of two mountains are standing together at the same place.

The color of space is inspired by clay and wood of Nampa house’s wall and the column with a darker tone standing at the center of the hall is taken from the structures of the house that are being stained over time.

Part of a wall is decorated with a traditional woo d burning technique to show the history of cooking food by making fire. It is part of Danmyun collection in collaboration with National Intangible Cultural Property Yungjo Kim. Danmyun (cross section in Korean) has the meaning of everything on earth leaves traces and that traces are the residue of time . By taking elements from the past and making connection s with the sense of the present, the designer has created a space where past and future are coherent.

Project Gallery