This Korean Café Makes Visitors Feel Like They’ve Stepped Into a Cartoon

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Most cafe owners know it takes more than just great coffee to create a successful business. From an Instagram-worthy Wes Anderson-esque cafe in the Philippines to a coffee shop shaped like a Rolleiflex camera in South Korea, a space’s design is key to drawing in customers. One cafe to have recently received hype for its novelty interior is Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20 in Seoul. The eatery created an incredible space that makes customers feel as though they’ve stepped into a cartoon world.

The artistic, monochrome design was inspired by Korea’s hit TV show, W by Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo, in which the characters clash between “two worlds”—the real world and a fantasy world inside a webtoon. The design of Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20 creates a 2D optical illusion, which makes customers feel as though they’ve crossed dimensions into a comic book illustration. When visitors step through the door, they’re greeted with black and white comic strip furniture, walls, and floors. Even the mugs, dishes, and cutlery look like flat line drawings.

If you want to experience this cafe for yourself, you can find it in the popular Yeonman-dong district in Seoul. If you can’t make it to South Korea, you can still feed your wanderlust by checking out the cafe’s Instagram.

The interior of Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20 in Seoul, South Korea makes customers feel as though they’ve stepped into a cartoon world.

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

The incredible space features black and white comic-strip furniture, walls, and floors.

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Even the mugs, dishes, and cutlery look like flat line drawings.

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Cartoon World Coffee Shop Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20

Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20: Facebook | Instagram
h/t: [Design You Trust]

All images via Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20.

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Emma Taggart

Emma Taggart is a Staff Writer and Video Editor at My Modern Met. She earned a BA in Fashion and Textile Design at the University of Ulster in Belfast. Originally from Northern Ireland, she lived in Berlin for many years, where she fostered a career in the arts, dabbling in everything from illustration and animation to music and ceramics. She now calls Edinburgh home, where she continues to work as a writer, illustrator, and ceramicist. Her ceramics, often combined with hand-painted animation frames, capture playful scenes that celebrate freedom and movement, and blend her passion for art with storytelling. Her illustrations have been featured in The Berliner Magazine as well as other print magazines and a poetry book.
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