Hanok (Traditional Korean House) - Sanggojae

The "continuation entry" is still a work in progress. I have been drafting it for a while now but it is not fully thought out to my satisfaction quite yet, so I will entertain you with my gush over this beautiful traditional Korean style house, the Hanok (side observation: "han" - Korean in mando; "o(a)k" - house in canto).
Guess how I was first exposed to this architectural beauty? Why yes! From watching a Korean drama, namely "Personal Preference". The house was known as "Sanggojae" in the series and I loved it! Perhaps it was the integration of design, architecture, creativity, and a freaking charming Lee Min Ho that attracted me to this particular drama. According to my sources (a.k.a wikipedia and others in which I will list throughout my entry for your own educational purposes), "Korean architecture lends consideration to the positioning of the house in relation to its surroundings, with thought given to the land and seasons". Not only is it environmentally friendly, it also utilizes one of my favorites: floor-based heating system (Ondol)! They had those in Shanghai too and were very comfy since my feet are perpetually cold in the winter :) I haven't done extensive research into all of this but I hope to when I have some more time because I want to know all the WHY'S FOR THE STRUCTURE! Apparently, this "yellow-soil house" was discovered to have various health benefits as well!

Anyway, in the mean time, please enjoy these aesthetically ever-so-pleasing photos, which I found from another Sanggojae-lover, who most likely took from another Hanok fan:

Bukchon Hanok Village with Lee Min Ho chillin' there

Sanggojae front door

Upon entering: WIDE OPEN SPACE - very relaxing LOVE IT! and I love the landscaping here.

As you walk down that path, you see this. Two words: 舒適

Close up of this awesome semi-outdoor seating area

Open space on the side yard

Living room area: love the wood and the doors!

Such cute decor. Drool.

For an eater like me, gotta have a noice, spacious kitchen!

The larger bedroom in the Sanggojae. I love the mix of traditional architecture and modern furniture! Not to mention the drafting table: charming.

IKEA-esque anyone?

Dangerous in California, but I love the colors!

The other smaller room on the opposite side

Cute decorations! So dainty it would probably only work in a drama setting. Otherwise, I would be cleaning for days without end.

And to conclude with an awesomely cute side area right outside the kitchen! what a great view on both ends!

Supposedly, there is also a basement feature in a Hanok, which played a huge part in the series. Anyhow, isn't the traditional architecture and modern ambiance an excellent combination? The colors, the styles, the decorations, the furniture, the simplicity of it, are all so, so, SO captivating! And cozy. The openness of the courtyard is especially appealing to me. Too bad it would only attract massive amounts of spiderwebs if we had such a facility in our current home. I'll dream on for a little while I guess. I know very little about architecture but have always been extremely drawn to it. In my opinion, it has a good balance between creativity and "實在感 (sense of reality?). In art history, one of my favorite topics of study was architecture: the Medieval Cathedrals, Roman Colosseum, nail-less Chinese architecture etc. I remember in Hong Kong when I was a wee little lad, my family and I checked out a very Japanese-styled flat (haven't heard that in a while huh) and even considered moving into it! It was a TINY place but well designed to maximize storage and mobile areas. It even had the traditional sliding doors and tatami! In the end, we decided not to but as a young girl, I was very attracted to the flat.

I wish I could have aligned the photos in a nicer manner instead of one straight, looong column, but that didn't work out too well and I must get to sleep for work. I admire those who can accomplish 36 hours worth of stuff in a 24 hour day. Definitely not enough time in a day at this point! Ahknow, ahknow. All the more-advanced-in-their-years will claim otherwise.

So there you go, an example of a beautified Hanok. I hope to visit Bukchon Hanok Village some day if I ever have an opportunity to visit Seoul! I would definitely want to give Hanok Living Experience Centers a try. In traveling, I would very much like to experience the local culture, food, and general atmosphere as much as I can. According to a page on the Korean government travel website (I think), one of the major facilities, Jeonju Hanok Village, is "where you can experience both traditional culture and hanok; Haehoe Village, a representative traditional village in Andong where traditional heritage is well preserved; Jirye Art Village; Suaedang; Imcheonggak; and Rakkojae in Seoul" - very enticing it is!

I shall leave you with an awesome Panoramic view of the interior of a traditional Korean house in Namsangol Hanok Village. A cool site, by the way.

PEACE. OUT.  YA'LL.