Korea Style. Kim Unsoo

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      To accommodate the large number of guests who frequent the house, the spacious roof deck, paved in moabi, an Indonesian wood, and gravel, has two seating areas. Two circular zinc-plated planters contain summer vegetables and herbs, replanted annually. The large kimchi pot hides gardening tools. A steel kennel (not shown) in the upper garden was specially designed by the architect for the family dog.

      The exposed concrete on the outside of the house continues into the interior of the double-height living room, raised by five steps above the rest of the ground floor to capture views of the river. Colossal sliding latticed doors and a dramatic black steel tower enclosing a fireplace, flanked by two monumental Thai wooden vases, add considerable drama in the modernist space. Preferring to sit on the heated, highly glossed Doussie Afrikan wood floor rather than on Western-style sofas, the owner designed a long, low table, floor cushions, and cubicle armrests for entertaining her guests. The massive scale of the rough-edged granite slab table is a wonderfully appropriate response to the other elements in the room. Down lights installed behind the lowered wall on the west side and in the sculptural steel beam provide evening lighting, controlled with a Lutron dimming system programed with a choice of four different light moods. A pair of Kim Tschangyeul’s famed water drop paintings dominates the north wall.

      fashion designer’s muse

      DESIGNER LEE CHONG-HWAN