Aesop's first shop in Seoul features recycled pine and blackened-steel fittings
A slice of reclaimed pine, patterned by knots and cracks in the ageing wood, forms a counter top for Aesop's first South Korean flagship store by local studio Wise Architecture.
The five-metre-long pine counter was sourced locally and forms the focal point of the Aesop Garosu Store, designed by Wise Architecture to occupy a space in Seoul's Gangnam luxury retail district.
![Aesop Garosu-Gil Seoul by Wise Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/03/Aesop-store-Garosu-Gil-Seoul-by-Wise-Architecture_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
The walls and ceiling of the shop are covered in sheets of hanji, a traditional paper material handmade from the bark of the indigenous mulberry tree. The paper has a staggered block pattern that gives the appearance of oversized bricks.
"The design for the 40-square-metre space is in keeping with other Wise projects and with Aesop's preference for innovative use of simple, honest materials that draw on local history and tradition," said the studio.
![Aesop Garosu-Gil Seoul by Wise Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/03/Aesop-store-Garosu-Gil-Seoul-by-Wise-Architecture_dezeen_468_3.jpg)
"Its subtlety is evident initially in the broad granite stepping stone at the entrance that marks a departure from the busy pavement beyond, and effected within by walls covered with pale-hued hanji, which impart an enveloping softness of palette, texture and atmosphere," added the designers.
![Aesop Garosu-Gil Seoul by Wise Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/03/Aesop-store-Garosu-Gil-Seoul-by-Wise-Architecture_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
The wooden counter sits on a blackened-steel base and has a square sink submerged in one end to allow customers to test out products, but it also serves as a cash desk. A strip of brown coir matting with short bristly hairs runs along one side of the counter.
![Aesop Garosu-Gil Seoul by Wise Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/03/Aesop-store-Garosu-Gil-Seoul-by-Wise-Architecture_dezeen_468_0.jpg)
Local timber and black steel were used to construct rows of shelves and cabinets that display the skin and haircare products.
The displays are lit by a series of small white spotlights and a pendant lamp by Italian designer Gaetano Sciolari, which has a white branching form with exposed light bulbs.
A 657 Sling-back Lounge armchair by 20th-century American designer Charles Pollock – with a leather seat and a tubular metal frame – sits in the back corner of the shop, where a door in the white wall opens into a stock room.
![Aesop Garosu-Gil Seoul by Wise Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/03/Aesop-store-Garosu-Gil-Seoul-by-Wise-Architecture_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
The shopfront is entirely glazed to maximise natural daylight and has a shallow granite step by the door.
A small wooden plinth in the window displays a range of products in the brand's signature brown-tinged bottles.
![Aesop Garosu-Gil Seoul by Wise Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/03/Aesop-store-Garosu-Gil-Seoul-by-Wise-Architecture_dezeen_1.gif)
![Aesop Garosu-Gil Seoul by Wise Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/03/Aesop-store-Garosu-Gil-Seoul-by-Wise-Architecture_dezeen_2.gif)