Lotte Dongtan Muju, Jeollabuk-do Luxury Department Store Building Design, South Korea Architecture Photos

Lotte Dongtan in Muju, Jeollabuk-do

7 Feb 2022

Design: SHED

Location: Muju, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea

Photos by SHED

Lotte Dongtan, Muju Jeollabuk-do, South Korea

Shed completes multi-dimensional, story-telling design for South Korea’s largest, luxury department store – Lotte Dongtan

A strong addition to South Korea’s new generation of luxury, retail destinations opened its doors in September 2021 to high acclaim. Lotte enlisted London luxury retail designers Shed, known for a distinctly contemporary and progressive international design style, to reimagine a ‘different kind’ of department store, Lotte’s first major project in 7 years. Shed has designed ground-breaking projects for prestigious retailers Harrods, as well as bringing imaginative story-telling in their designs for Level at the Dubai Mall and the Shinsegae department store in Seoul.

Lotte Dongtan in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, the largest store in the province at 246,000 sqm has attracted high-end retailers such as Chanel and Dior as well as the homeware brand The Conran Shop, all of which take up prime position in this customer-focused, retail destination that combines luxury and leisure.

As lead interior architects on the project, Shed conceived the unique retail design for three of the main floors, each distinctly rich in character and depth of experience, yet all united in their aim to offer a customer-first experience. Each floor creates a memorable and distinct shopping experience, deliberately tailored for an individual customer.

Floor 3. Dedicated to women’s contemporary fashion and hosting local, premium brands curated for the Lotte customer. The retail space opens out onto a large terrace, the first Lotte designed outdoor space, with flowing grasses, hidden sanctuaries and sculptures. Shed brought the outside world in by connecting retail and terrace landscapes though the use of natural materials and forms, all reimagined through a luxury lens. The result is a natural haven of luxury retail for the modern mindset of the Dongtan women.

Floor 4. A story of two halves with both a Menswear and a Children’s department. Shed celebrated the divide by creating two distinctly different worlds connected by a liminal transition space – the ‘Gateway’. The Children’s department is wrapped in playful architecture taking you on a journey of children’s folklore and curiosities to pique the imagination of children and adults alike. Menswear is a different kind of exploration: A rich mix of past, present and future creates a destination design landscape.

Floor 5. Anchored in the historic origins of sport, the narrative of the design is derived from the amphitheatres of the ancient Olympics. Housing all things sport, this floor is unapologetic in its use of bold graphics throughout and is anchored by a central amphitheatre. The brands sit playfully in a re-imagined lunar city scape of the future.

Matt Smith, co-founder of Shed says, “It was a genuine privilege to partner with Lotte to realise such a visionary project of world class quality. It brought a new kind of department store to Dongtan, Shed’s approach was to develop a rich tapestry of textures, materials and visuals that excite and entice shoppers as they discover each retail world for themselves.”