Warm, but Special

Hongdae’s TwoTwo House brings guests together with warmth and design

This month Seoul Magazine takes you back to Hongdae for a new guesthouse adventure.

TwoTwo House is a very unique place. First is its location: TwoTwo is located in the “new” Hongdae area, a place where design houses, cafes and fancy restaurants hide among residential brick buildings. The small alleys offer an exciting hide-and-seek experience where you can wander to find trendy places to enjoy a meal.

In this quiet maze of old and new buildings, you’ll find TwoTwo House.

Hansang, the owner, is open-minded and friendly, two important values any good host possesses. He called his place TwoTwo House to emphasize that when guests, who often come in pairs, meet another pair of guests, it becomes a house.

Hence, Two+Two=House.

Hansang carries a passion for industrial design and upcycling. These passions guided the making of his guesthouse. You can feel them in the exposed concrete walls, beams and electrical wires. Entering the home, you feel the value of those materials, and how Hansang used them to bring people closer together.

You should take a closer look at the objects around you, too. All the clocks, signs and furniture are made from upcycled materials. These make the rooms cozy. The complete renovation of the old building is, in itself, an impressive feat of upcycling.

Though you will find affordable bunk beds here, you will also find a suite decorated in such fine taste that several television production teams have used it to film soap operas. Portrait photographers use it as a backdrop, too. Everything here feels lived-in, yet at the same time, sophisticated.

Each room has its own personality. This is particularly true of the penthouse room, a rooftop room with zinc walls and a sunny terrace. You can imagine yourself in a mobile home, cruising the streets of Seoul.

TwoTwo House possesses a familiar warmth, yet still manages to make your stay special.