OTHER ASPECTS OF
GYUBAN

However, there are more stories at GYUBAN

We will be content if you’ve enjoyed a good meal at GYUBAN,
and we will feel proud if you have been touched by our food culture.
However, there are more stories at GYUBAN.

SPRING

Witch hazel

Witch hazel is called “poongnyeon hwa” in Korean, literally meaning “bountiful flower”, as it is said that when many witch hazels bloom, it will be a year with a bountiful harvest. This is a lovely plant that welcomes the beginning of spring, with its distinct flower that ap pears even when it’s still cold outside.

Korean winter hazel

This plant is found near the Songgwangsa Temple, and is also called the “Songgwang Napan hwa” since its flower looks like beeswax. It is native to Korea and grows well in the Jirisan Mountain region.

SUMMER

Korean early lilac

Commonly called the “lilac,” this plant is often grown in gardens as a decorative flowering tree. The Korean early lilac is native to Korea and, thanks to the shape of the flower and its fragrance, the variety was improved in the U.S. before the lilac was reimported in the early 1970s.

Seven-son flower

The seven-son flower got its name from its seven flowers on a single axis that look like one flower. The white flow er that blooms in August smells like jasmine.

Korean dendropanax

The Korean dendropanax is called the “hwangchil tree” in Korean, literally meaning “yellow dye tree,” since it is used to paint or to process the surfaces of wooden craftworks. It is considered to be a precious tree along with the Chinese lacquer tree and is used in traditional Korean paint, boasting of an excellent quality that is incomparable to other natural paints.

AUTUMN

Pink silk tree

This pink silk tree is also called the “haphwan tree wed ding tree,” “haphon tree marriage tree,” “yahap tree affair tree,” and the “yoojung tree affectionate tree.” The names are all related to how the leaves point downwards during the night, and it’s also called the “sleeping tree.” It symbol izes marital chemistry, as the “sleeping” leaves look like an couple embracing while sleeping.

Lace shrub

The lace shrub is a tree belonging to the rose family that grows 1~2 meters tall in mountainous regions. It is also called the spirea.The lace shrub is a tree belonging to the rose family that grows 1~2 meters tall in mountainous regions. It is also called the spirea.

WINTER

Sweet osmanthus

This tree is mentioned in the fairy tale about a rabbit that pounds rice and lives under a tree. The sweet osmanthus is an evergreen shrub that grows to 3~6 meters in height and its white or orange flowers bloom from August to October. The white flowers of the sweet osmanthus are also called “silver osmanthus,” while the orange flowers are called “gold osmanthus.”

Quince

The fruit that grows on the Quince is called “mokgwa,” meaning fruit on a tree, which led the Quince to be called the “mogwa tree” in Korean. Although it is native to China, it has also grown wild in Korea since long ago.

JEJU

Rohdea

The rohdea is called “manyeon chung” in Korean, meaning permanently green, due to its evergreen leaves. It is a popular shade plant that was also used as a diuretic.

Autumn olive

The autumn olive’s small fruit ripens in autumn and can be eaten. The leftover seed resembles a grain of barley, which led the autumn olive to be called the “borisu tree” in Korean, meaning barley tree. This is a different tree from the “borisu” referenced in Buddhism, and it is said that a region where the autumn olive bears fruit will also yield a high abundance of barley.

KOREAN FLOWERS AND
TREES IN SEASONAL GARDEN

FURNITURE, TABLEWARE AND GALLERY

LIST OF ARTWORKS

There are even more stories to explore at GYUBAN. If you recognize and appreciate the value of the rice in brass tableware, and the dishes, white porcelain and five-colored cloth on the display stand, as well as the tree growing in the garden, you will have a very pleasant time at GYUBAN.

The furniture designer Jaeha Lee mainly uses wood com bined with various other materials and processing methods to make and research useful objects. Two works are exhibited in GYUBAN:<100 Table>, which is a table with three parts that make up the basic framework of Hanok(traditional Ko rean style house), a pillar, crossbeam, and a girder; and, which is a brass armchair that was made by pour ing molten brass into a sand mold.

Table & Chair Jaeha Lee

The lacquerware craftsman Yoo Kim runs the “Jomul Jomul Lacquer Workshop” using traditional lacquer methods and adding various materials to expand his range of expression. The door used to enter dining rooms in GYUBAN was made by Yoo Kim over a period of 20 days. It is varnished with lacquer in a manner similar to the strong cover of an ancient book, so when you open the door you will feel like you are walking from the past into the present

Door varnished with lacquer Yoo Kim

The moon jar is a ceramic piece that represents the sentiments and beauty of Korea. It is smooth, large jar in the white color of the moon. Two large bowls were attached to create a natural form when the piece was baked in the kiln.

Moon Jar Youngho Lee

The artist Sisan Lee explores the relationships between na ture, artificial objects, and humans, in order to identify the essence of a material and complete his craftworks in refined language. At GYUBAN, you can see Sisan Lee’s sculptures made in 2021, and, both made using stainless steel and natural stones. The stones in the sculptures play a structural and aesthetic role, creating a strange balance with the contrasting stainless steel material.

Sculpture Sisan Lee

The leading Korean furniture designer Jihoon Ha is famous for his furniture designs with traditional motifs expressed in a modern manner. His works won the “2020 Craft of the Year” award and his collections are featured in the V&A Museum in the U.K., Philadelphia Museum of Art in the U.S., Museum of Applied Art in Germany, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea, and the National Folk Museum of Korea. A table, chair, and various small portable dining ta bles made by Jihoon Ha are featured in GYUBAN’s lounge.

Furniture Jihoon Ha

Even the dishes that you might come across casually are elegant and aesthetically pleasing. The potter Jaesun Lee operates the Cheongram Workshop at Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, where he continues the pottery traditions that date back to the ancient kings.

Dishes Jaesun Lee

The potter Heejoong Kim operates a workshop called “Sikgugi,” meaning “dishes used by fam ilies,” which expresses his belief that the most precious time is that spent sharing food with other people. You can enjoy GYUBAN’s dishes on the potter’s representative pieces, including a round, blue steamer and a pear-shaped dish, all handcrafted so each one is slightly different and unique.

Tableware Heejoong Kim

The potter Namhee Kim continues the tradi tion of white porcelain ceramics, while experimenting with various glazes to create modern pieces. He considers the process of using the pottery wheel to make plates a “happy time to abandon the desire in one’s heart and find aes thetic beauty and the proper use for the pieces.” His works add warmth to GYUBAN’s tables.

Tea Cup and Plate Namhee Kim

A traditional yugi is carefully made by melting brass, an alloy of copper and tin, then alternatively hammering and quenching it in cold water. It is a nontoxic, highly durable, and antibacterial material, making it useful as tableware. The arti san Bong-ju Lee, who is Intangible Cultural Asset No.77, creates brass yugi that emanate even more beauty the more they are used.

Brass Tableware Bong-ju Lee

Needlework carefully sewn by the young artisan Hyunjung Kim can be found at GYUBAN. The spoon and chopstick cover on the table are decorated with a peony pattern on a peony-textured fabric, with a Good Luck Knot on the front. The quilted bowl bag that contains three stacks of bowls was made by stuffing peony-texted fabric with cotton, before com bining it with thick, undyed quilted fabric. GYUBAN’s beautiful, curved uniform with refined colors is also Kim’s work.

Needlework Hyunjung Kim