The Design Plaza
Our next, and final, destination is the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, or better known as DDP. It’s similar to what we know as Chelsea Market in New York City. It’s a large, modern-style building filled with all sorts of small markets located in Seoul. Stores might sell self-designed clothing, self-designed jewelry, or just food! The building is quite big and has many corners you may miss, so make sure you have enough time to get lost and explore! The front of the building is like a big lump of metal, so it does look quite massive. It is also decorated with 20 ft-tall art that really impresses the viewers.
Inside the DDP, there are sections devoted to museums for artists, shops for selling the artists’ works, and design labs that can have people engaged in the design. Personally, it was just an opportunity for me to do a ton of window shopping! All the clothing designs were so neat and all the jewelry was beautiful! There were simple designs along with rather complex designs, so there was bound to be something that fits your taste.
What I really enjoyed was all the cafes… Once I walk around for a while, I get hungry quite easily (especially with all the food vendors surrounding me) so I made multiple stops at cafes. Since it is the DDP, even the cafes are so elaborately designed, from the furniture to the food and beverages. The cake was neatly frosted with light whipped cream with no imperfections in sight. The drinks came out with multiple layers that were so satisfying to look at as you drank it up.
Is it obvious that I love strawberries…?
Since the design plaza is a place for moderate-high end art, it can be a little expensive. However, just outside the DDP, there are multiple “malls” that house cheaper clothes that are still quite fashionable. I can’t quite call them malls because they aren’t exactly a collection of clothing brands. Rather, it’s a collection of individual vendors who sell clothes from a mix of brands. It’s like a middle-man, but somehow the costs are much cheaper. Each vendor owns a small “block” of the floor and is given a number or letter, not a brand name. Because the space is so small, there are often really densely packed clothes/shoes/bags/etc., forcing you to really concentrate on what you want or need. Again, sizes tend to run small because vendors want to sell sizes that are most popular or common. For me, it was great for buying more affordable blouses that were still professional, since it didn’t need to be super fancy. It’s also great for children’s clothes since they outgrow their clothes quickly!
Near Dongdaemun, there’s also a traditional palace, which is another hallmark of historical culture. Like the traditional villages I’ve introduced before, the palace includes old buildings for the noblemen. This is a palace that is on the far east side of the royal capital, designed to house the staff of the king. Seoul might seem like a super modern city with all these technological advancements, but you would be surprised by how many traditional elements the landscape architects maintained while building Seoul!
Images
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Sounds like a very cool building! I would be most interested in the food section obviously. That latte looks so pretty! It would have been a perfect addition to my coffee blog last semester! Even though I don’t love strawberries, the cakes look so delicious and pretty.
Wow really interesting concept. I feel like I would have no idea where to begin and no idea what to buy because of all the markets though! For example, Philly has the Reading Terminal Market which is similar but just for food. I was wandering around for half an hour finding new vendors and when I finally decided on one to eat, I wish I tried others too lol.
This looks so cool, and I like how you referred to it as the Chelsea Market of Korea. Everything looks so enjoyable, and makes me want to travel there!
I love that individual designers and artisans get to sell their products in such a mainstream way… it feels like an in-person Etsy! The food also looks delicious (I also love strawberries so no complaints here). I have really enjoyed your blog, and I am definitely visiting Korea one day! 🙂