SHOPPING IN SEOUL

South Korea's capital may have grown into a pop-culture powerhouse, but its artisans are keeping ancient craft traditions alive.

- Chris Schalkx

CRAFTED CURIOS 

Soluna Living, the Seoul outpost of Hong Kong's Soluna Fine Art, produces homeware and objets d'art that marry contemporary designs with ancient skills. The pint-sized shop and gallery features fine basketry by Jeong Da-hye, who uses a horsehair-weaving technique traditionally used for men's headwear; colourful goblets by glass-blowing artist Glory G; and handmade hapjukseon bamboo fans made by a fourth-generation craftsman in Jeonju.solunaliving.co.kr

PAPER TRAIL

Hanji, a richly textured paper made from mulberry tree bark and a paste of hibiscus manihot root, has been a Korean craft staple for centuries. Until the 1970s, the streets of Insa-dong were lined with workshops selling hanji used for everything-from floor coverings to canvases for calligraphy. Today, family-run Dong Yang Hanji is one of just a handful of specialists. Rolls of hanji in every texture, colour and thickness line the walls of the two-storey space. Many of the papers are produced at their workshop in Gimpo, just north of Seoul, and some sourced from local small-scale workshops. hanjipark.modoo.at

CELESTIAL CERAMICS

South Korea's most prominent ceramic craft is baekja, a minimal, often all-white porcelain made popular during the Joseon dynasty. Today, a new generation employs the technique to make tableware and renditions of dal hangari (moon jars), resembling a full moon. Ilsangyeoback in Seochon sells a vast collection of ceramic plates, tea sets, and dal hangari made by artisans from around the country. An adjoining gallery hosts exhibitions on local artists. Mo-No-Ha, in gallery-studded Hannam, has contemporary designs like ceramist Park Sung-wook's black-glazed teapots and tactile plates by Ecriture Studio. isyb.kr; mo-no-ha.com

GREAT CHEMISTRY