Staysodo
why
Stay Sodo, another Small Island Providing a Place to Return to
According to Rebecca Solnit, some places provide us a “place to return to,” or “continuity.” They pass on familiarity by “connecting parts of our lives” and “maintaining consistency” (The Faraway Nearby). This place does not have to be my birthplace, nor close to where I live. For reasons big or small, some places provide comfort and connects to a part of my identity. The important thing is the feeling and story of connection to that place, not the physical conditions or distance.
An island is reminiscent of isolation and escape because of its physical and geographical features. While there are people who travel to islands to escape their “hostile homelands” like in Elizabeth Jennings’ The Island, there are some who get stranded on an island, although probably not to the extent of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. The island, surrounded by the sea, has a stronger sense of separation and isolation from the mainland than of connection, and creates an uncontrollable and uncertain situation. Perhaps that’s why the island increases the anxiety of exclusion and isolation, prompting reactionary movements of escape rather than staying. But if there is a ‘place’ that feels familiar and where you can rest comfortably even on an island that gives off a feeling of involuntary isolation, it becomes a ‘desirable place to stay.’ It even gives you a stronger feeling of connection than on the mainland. The movement of ‘escape’ is not always in the direction from the island to the mainland. As Solnit said, we need a place where our story blends in.
Although Udo is the most popular island of the 8 inhabited islands of Jeju, it has not been known as a place to visit for more than half a day. Perhaps due to the feeling of isolation and anxiety the island gives off, people normally rush through the main tourist spots before the last boat leaves. But the real Udo starts after sunset when all the returning boats have left. After the last boat leaves, serenity falls on Udo, and you can watch the sun setting over Jeju in the midst of the quietness. This is the nighttime that cannot be experienced without spending at least 24 hours in Udo.
Z_Lab’s first project in Udo defies such negative images associated to the island and breaks away from the existing image people may have had about Udo. The project has been designed to ease the anxiety that an island within an island gives, and to create a place to stay that provides an unforgettable experience to those who decide to stay. Z_Lab created Stay Sodo, sodo meaning a small island within an island containing the metaphors of the features, shapes, and feeling of the island itself, and melted into a brand identity with a consistent context of spatial experience. As a result, we were able to erase Udo’s existing image of solitude and isolation and complete a place where you can spend time of connected isolation, not just complete isolation. Stay Sodo provides a ‘place to return,’ and gives the gift of special time in Udo as a small island that conveys feelings of connection.
An island is reminiscent of isolation and escape because of its physical and geographical features. While there are people who travel to islands to escape their “hostile homelands” like in Elizabeth Jennings’ The Island, there are some who get stranded on an island, although probably not to the extent of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. The island, surrounded by the sea, has a stronger sense of separation and isolation from the mainland than of connection, and creates an uncontrollable and uncertain situation. Perhaps that’s why the island increases the anxiety of exclusion and isolation, prompting reactionary movements of escape rather than staying. But if there is a ‘place’ that feels familiar and where you can rest comfortably even on an island that gives off a feeling of involuntary isolation, it becomes a ‘desirable place to stay.’ It even gives you a stronger feeling of connection than on the mainland. The movement of ‘escape’ is not always in the direction from the island to the mainland. As Solnit said, we need a place where our story blends in.
Although Udo is the most popular island of the 8 inhabited islands of Jeju, it has not been known as a place to visit for more than half a day. Perhaps due to the feeling of isolation and anxiety the island gives off, people normally rush through the main tourist spots before the last boat leaves. But the real Udo starts after sunset when all the returning boats have left. After the last boat leaves, serenity falls on Udo, and you can watch the sun setting over Jeju in the midst of the quietness. This is the nighttime that cannot be experienced without spending at least 24 hours in Udo.
Z_Lab’s first project in Udo defies such negative images associated to the island and breaks away from the existing image people may have had about Udo. The project has been designed to ease the anxiety that an island within an island gives, and to create a place to stay that provides an unforgettable experience to those who decide to stay. Z_Lab created Stay Sodo, sodo meaning a small island within an island containing the metaphors of the features, shapes, and feeling of the island itself, and melted into a brand identity with a consistent context of spatial experience. As a result, we were able to erase Udo’s existing image of solitude and isolation and complete a place where you can spend time of connected isolation, not just complete isolation. Stay Sodo provides a ‘place to return,’ and gives the gift of special time in Udo as a small island that conveys feelings of connection.
people
The People Who Gave a New Identity and Energy to Stay Udo
Stay Sodo tells a story of the nights that would be unknown without spending an entire day in Udo, and was created as special place that adds meaning to the time spent there. It was thanks to the architects who wanted to make Udo an island that you want to stay for more than half a day and the people who shared similar ideas. It was Naun’s family that came to Z_Lab first after recognizing Udo’s charms that were hidden in the daytime. Naun’s family had kept an interest in Z_Lab’s projects in Jeju Island, and deeply sympathized with the values that Z_Lab pursues. They were convinced that they could create a place in Udo, a place that they only dreamed of but could not hastily put into action, if they were to blend into Jeju’s natural environment with architectural values that are different from glamour and flamboyance, and gain the hearts of the people of Jeju by supporting each other to grow rather than success. Perhaps that is why Naun’s family returned to Z_Lab even after repeated refusals from Z_Lab.
Naun’s family wanted to build a place where you can stroll through and enjoy the night time in Udo. Rather than the speed of city tourists, they wanted to make people feel the relatively slow speed of life of people in Udo. Most of all, they hoped that the space would melt into Udo's nature, village, and its natural characteristics to become a way to expand Udo's irreplaceable locality and the island's identity. Although it is a newly built place, they wanted to create a space that could be assimilated with Udo as though it had existed here for a long time and that could emphasize Udo's uniqueness.
Z_Lab came to observe the fact that Udo is an island within an island that captures Jeju's images intensively, simply, yet concisely. We decided to create a small island that resembles Udo within Udo focusing on the feeling of islands piled up upon one another and designed it to allow Udo's characteristics and identity to be implemented inside and out so that they can cross one another flexibly as consistent aesthetics. In other words, we made an effort to design the place by bringing the simple atmosphere of Udo indoors to make it feel like you're standing in the middle of Udo, even when you're indoors.
Furthermore, thanks to Z_Lab—an architecture group, interior designer, and space branding company—a new identity as an 'island to stay’ was added to the space and to Udo. We designed stories and unique content that will make time on the island more valuable and fuller, and we strived to bring out Udo’s hidden charms to the surface. In addition to providing a place to stay in Udo, Stay Sodo provides various ways of relaxing within the place, adding an irreplaceable sense that is a proposal of lifestyle. It took a lot of people’s efforts, numerous adjustments, and a long period of time for Stay Sodo to become a place that moves and opens people’s hearts. It was a difficult journey, one that would not have been possible without a special and sincere love for Udo. That’s how Stay Sodo came to be born as a small island-like space for valuable and meaningful stay in Udo.
Naun’s family wanted to build a place where you can stroll through and enjoy the night time in Udo. Rather than the speed of city tourists, they wanted to make people feel the relatively slow speed of life of people in Udo. Most of all, they hoped that the space would melt into Udo's nature, village, and its natural characteristics to become a way to expand Udo's irreplaceable locality and the island's identity. Although it is a newly built place, they wanted to create a space that could be assimilated with Udo as though it had existed here for a long time and that could emphasize Udo's uniqueness.
Z_Lab came to observe the fact that Udo is an island within an island that captures Jeju's images intensively, simply, yet concisely. We decided to create a small island that resembles Udo within Udo focusing on the feeling of islands piled up upon one another and designed it to allow Udo's characteristics and identity to be implemented inside and out so that they can cross one another flexibly as consistent aesthetics. In other words, we made an effort to design the place by bringing the simple atmosphere of Udo indoors to make it feel like you're standing in the middle of Udo, even when you're indoors.
Furthermore, thanks to Z_Lab—an architecture group, interior designer, and space branding company—a new identity as an 'island to stay’ was added to the space and to Udo. We designed stories and unique content that will make time on the island more valuable and fuller, and we strived to bring out Udo’s hidden charms to the surface. In addition to providing a place to stay in Udo, Stay Sodo provides various ways of relaxing within the place, adding an irreplaceable sense that is a proposal of lifestyle. It took a lot of people’s efforts, numerous adjustments, and a long period of time for Stay Sodo to become a place that moves and opens people’s hearts. It was a difficult journey, one that would not have been possible without a special and sincere love for Udo. That’s how Stay Sodo came to be born as a small island-like space for valuable and meaningful stay in Udo.
location
Far Yet Near, an Island within an Island, Udo
Udo, located at the eastern end of Jeju, is not a big island with a coastline length of 17km. Because of its geographical and geological features, Udo has attracted many tourists each year, boasting its ‘8 Views’ of unique coastal views. However, it’s known only as a half-day trip where people return on the last boat out and nothing more than that. Even travel leaflets on Udo and websites run by the Jeju Tourism Organization introduce the island as such. There has been an overflow of people wanting to experience Jeju and various facets of the island to the extent that Jeju Island has been struggling from over-tourism recently. But seeing as that there isn’t much new information on Udo Island and that it doesn’t go over a page or two, it seems that the interest hasn’t affected Udo. This is the image that most people probably have about Udo and the daytime of Udo.
However, if you slow down the speed of trying to see as much as you can in a short amount of time, and if you allow yourself to stay after the last boat leaves, Udo will unleash time and scenery that you’ve never seen on a Jeju trip before. Udo has its own path of life and time that flows differently from Jeju’s and a well-ordered time of night. Although it’s crowded by tourists all day long, quietness that is hard to be felt during the day settles on Udo with the sunset.
You’ll be able to see the sun setting and painting the Jeju seas with its reddish glow in the direction of Mt. Halla that “looks over many hills” and represents a “soulful mountain” (Memories of Landscape), as architect Jeong Ki-yong put it. Udo is such a place. At a reasonable distance, it allows you to indulge in the beauty of Jeju Island while looking at it as if it were mainland. Moreover, Udo Island is a place where Jeju people’s lives and landscapes are well preserved, including haenyeo (female divers) culture, field walls, and mountain walls. Just one step into the village, and you’ll be able to see Jeju’s landscapes of the sea touching the sky, low-lying houses on the shore, and fields that have been separated by entangled walls of stone.
Stay Sodo, a small island settled down quietly within Udo, is located where all this is possible. It is a place where the people of Udo lay out seasonal seafood and live their daily lives. You can also see haenyeo returning from the waters. New energy has been brought to the coastal roads of Udo by young people who have been attracted to the island, such as the Bamsuji Mandrami bookstore. Stay Sodo has also put in an effort to make quiet and restrained relationships with its surroundings. It did not create a closed space surrounded by walls and approached as an open space without borders. That's how it became a place that offers meaningful special experience of Udo and its nights, and emerged in a way that creates a healthy flow on Udo's coastal roads.
However, if you slow down the speed of trying to see as much as you can in a short amount of time, and if you allow yourself to stay after the last boat leaves, Udo will unleash time and scenery that you’ve never seen on a Jeju trip before. Udo has its own path of life and time that flows differently from Jeju’s and a well-ordered time of night. Although it’s crowded by tourists all day long, quietness that is hard to be felt during the day settles on Udo with the sunset.
You’ll be able to see the sun setting and painting the Jeju seas with its reddish glow in the direction of Mt. Halla that “looks over many hills” and represents a “soulful mountain” (Memories of Landscape), as architect Jeong Ki-yong put it. Udo is such a place. At a reasonable distance, it allows you to indulge in the beauty of Jeju Island while looking at it as if it were mainland. Moreover, Udo Island is a place where Jeju people’s lives and landscapes are well preserved, including haenyeo (female divers) culture, field walls, and mountain walls. Just one step into the village, and you’ll be able to see Jeju’s landscapes of the sea touching the sky, low-lying houses on the shore, and fields that have been separated by entangled walls of stone.
Stay Sodo, a small island settled down quietly within Udo, is located where all this is possible. It is a place where the people of Udo lay out seasonal seafood and live their daily lives. You can also see haenyeo returning from the waters. New energy has been brought to the coastal roads of Udo by young people who have been attracted to the island, such as the Bamsuji Mandrami bookstore. Stay Sodo has also put in an effort to make quiet and restrained relationships with its surroundings. It did not create a closed space surrounded by walls and approached as an open space without borders. That's how it became a place that offers meaningful special experience of Udo and its nights, and emerged in a way that creates a healthy flow on Udo's coastal roads.
MAKING STORY
As it was our first project on Udo Island, we expected a number of setbacks, but as architect Noh Kyoung-rok put it, we “didn’t know that this would be a process of taking another difficult path, just like when we first started the Jeju project.” Apart from architectural design and building plans, the basic work of transferring building materials and equipment took double the time and energy. Because Stay Sodo was to be built on ground of sloped lands and its top priority was to build a low building, it had to go through a complicated and difficult construction process.
Manager Jeong Yoon-ki took on this challenge of building a house on Udo Island from start to finish. Our relationship with Manager Jeong is a precious one that has lasted for eight years, helping us to grow Z_Lab from Zero Place, Changsin Giji, Nun Mun Gorae, Pyeongdae Panorama, and Yuwol Byeolchae. His efforts to organize issues that arose on site, to request for delicate details, and to have a positive ‘can do’ attitude helped make things easier for us.
Manager Jeong Yoon-ki took on this challenge of building a house on Udo Island from start to finish. Our relationship with Manager Jeong is a precious one that has lasted for eight years, helping us to grow Z_Lab from Zero Place, Changsin Giji, Nun Mun Gorae, Pyeongdae Panorama, and Yuwol Byeolchae. His efforts to organize issues that arose on site, to request for delicate details, and to have a positive ‘can do’ attitude helped make things easier for us.
As it was the first project on Udo Island for Z_Lab, and because it was a new building built on empty land along the coast overlooking a small port, it was important to consider and comprehend Udo's climate and environment, history, and context that would be similar yet different from Jeju Island. The site of Stay Sodo was particularly raised a little higher than its surrounding area, so it needed to be built as low as possible. It also required strong architecture that can endure Jeju's nature and strong winds, as well as the accumulated weathering over time.
Based on extensive experience and results in Jeju Island, Z_Lab decided to build a 'low and lower house' with modern perspectives and interpretations on Jeju's old houses, borrowing wisdom from our ancestors. While placing two independent houses separately, their roofs overlap, working as an appropriate metaphor for Jeju’s stone houses that quietly sit within stone walls. It took a lot of effort in completing the roof.
At first, we thought of the hill-like roof of Nun Mun Gorae, but then added some variations to design a low-laying gable roof to heighten the pastoral feeling in order to match the small island atmosphere. The interior was designed to minimize the inconvenience of a low ceiling and to maximize the sense of space. With the gable roof, we were able to give an open, high floor height feeling, while the curves contrast to the straight lines of the roof, creating a smooth flow.
Curves not only melt into details and interior designs on curved walls, but also serve as metaphorical devices that make the view of sequence unique and completely distinguish between nature and the indoors while also making their boundaries blurry. Z_Lab designed the place so that Jeju’s winds and landscapes could be transmitted as a channel of light and wind through blank spaces, and tried to create an open space that resembles an island surrounded by the sea.
Based on extensive experience and results in Jeju Island, Z_Lab decided to build a 'low and lower house' with modern perspectives and interpretations on Jeju's old houses, borrowing wisdom from our ancestors. While placing two independent houses separately, their roofs overlap, working as an appropriate metaphor for Jeju’s stone houses that quietly sit within stone walls. It took a lot of effort in completing the roof.
At first, we thought of the hill-like roof of Nun Mun Gorae, but then added some variations to design a low-laying gable roof to heighten the pastoral feeling in order to match the small island atmosphere. The interior was designed to minimize the inconvenience of a low ceiling and to maximize the sense of space. With the gable roof, we were able to give an open, high floor height feeling, while the curves contrast to the straight lines of the roof, creating a smooth flow.
Curves not only melt into details and interior designs on curved walls, but also serve as metaphorical devices that make the view of sequence unique and completely distinguish between nature and the indoors while also making their boundaries blurry. Z_Lab designed the place so that Jeju’s winds and landscapes could be transmitted as a channel of light and wind through blank spaces, and tried to create an open space that resembles an island surrounded by the sea.
SPACE
An Open Space with Panoramic Views of Udo Island
Stay Sodo—an island within an island—became another small island in Udo and settled in a town along the beach of Udo. It melted into the scenery as if it has always existed there. Stay Sodo is made up of two large wings. It has a modern design, but the path between the two roofs where the eaves are visible that connect the two buildings is enough to remind you of Jeju’s stone wall paths. Open the front gate, walk in a half circle, and the first place you’ll find is A Wing, the main space of Sodo. The living room, kitchen, bedroom, the outdoor pool that stretches toward the ocean, and the outdoor deck are located here. Open the door and pass through the walls of Sodo’s unique, curved walls, and the first sight of Udo’s oceans will stop time and make you want to stay there. The couch, designed in collaboration with BM Plus, is perfectly placed in front of the scenery, allowing people to put everything down and enjoy the view for a while.
A place to stay has a scene, especially to imprint the space as an image. Stay Sodo’s scene is more special because of its architectural devices that overlap the outdoor scenery. Udo’s landscape that shows through the low roofs is framed like a picture, and the eyes are met with the outdoor scenery anywhere you stand. The windows on the outside of Stay Sodo frame nature as it changes every minute due to Udo’s oceans and the surrounding scenery that show through the eaves under the roof.
Such windows, carefully planned with every view outside the window in mind, hold Jeju’s landscapes and hang like pictures throughout Sodo. The view of Udo’s sea while washing your hands at the washbasin in the bedroom is one of the unforgettable scenes. The metaphor of the ‘curves’ dominating the interior of A Wing carries such panoramic landscapes, and maximizes Udo’s unique, aesthetic scenery to expand a consistent spatial experience. The basalt color fading from the weathering of time, the yellowish grass, and the bright-toned wood covering the interior are organically sewn together, consistently melting into Stay Sodo’s brand tone that’s used on beddings, various brochures, and travel guides.
While A Wing provides panoramic views of Udo’s sea and allows guests to experience the charm of an open space, B Wing is filled with warm air and is optimized for complete rest and comfortable sleep. It is smaller than A Wing, but it is still possible to enjoy the views of Udo that can be seen over your feet while lying in bed. Above all, Stay Sodo has various contents that fill the space, which add convenience and comfort, irreplaceable emotions, and a welcoming heart. Naun’s Magazine, a storybook containing the history of Stay Sodo, a travel guide book containing over twenty stories on things to enjoy in Udo and Sodo, and various props to match make the time spent on the island worthwhile. We made Sodo a place that leaves an impression for a long time so that time spent in Udo Island and Sodo could be engraved in your heart.
A place to stay has a scene, especially to imprint the space as an image. Stay Sodo’s scene is more special because of its architectural devices that overlap the outdoor scenery. Udo’s landscape that shows through the low roofs is framed like a picture, and the eyes are met with the outdoor scenery anywhere you stand. The windows on the outside of Stay Sodo frame nature as it changes every minute due to Udo’s oceans and the surrounding scenery that show through the eaves under the roof.
Such windows, carefully planned with every view outside the window in mind, hold Jeju’s landscapes and hang like pictures throughout Sodo. The view of Udo’s sea while washing your hands at the washbasin in the bedroom is one of the unforgettable scenes. The metaphor of the ‘curves’ dominating the interior of A Wing carries such panoramic landscapes, and maximizes Udo’s unique, aesthetic scenery to expand a consistent spatial experience. The basalt color fading from the weathering of time, the yellowish grass, and the bright-toned wood covering the interior are organically sewn together, consistently melting into Stay Sodo’s brand tone that’s used on beddings, various brochures, and travel guides.
While A Wing provides panoramic views of Udo’s sea and allows guests to experience the charm of an open space, B Wing is filled with warm air and is optimized for complete rest and comfortable sleep. It is smaller than A Wing, but it is still possible to enjoy the views of Udo that can be seen over your feet while lying in bed. Above all, Stay Sodo has various contents that fill the space, which add convenience and comfort, irreplaceable emotions, and a welcoming heart. Naun’s Magazine, a storybook containing the history of Stay Sodo, a travel guide book containing over twenty stories on things to enjoy in Udo and Sodo, and various props to match make the time spent on the island worthwhile. We made Sodo a place that leaves an impression for a long time so that time spent in Udo Island and Sodo could be engraved in your heart.
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INTERVIEW
Interview with Z_lab
stayfolio
Staysodo
I’m curious about why Stay Sodo started with Naun’s family. And if there was a special reason why Stay Sodo posed as a new challenge to Z_Lab.
Naun’s family found us through the projects we’ve worked on in Jeju. They said they wanted to build a place where people could spend more than one day on Udo Island. However, we had to turn them away twice. It wasn’t because there was a particular reason, but because of Udo Island itself. When we first started the Jeju project, there were a lot of difficulties because we didn’t have any connections. There were many trials and difficulties and a period of adjustment where we had to adapt to the unfamiliar climates, environment, and regional characteristics of Jeju. It took a long time to adapt to Jeju’s waters and winds in particular. We needed an understanding of Jeju’s strong houses and low construction that can withstand the typhoons and the winds. We were just getting familiar with lots of time and experience in Jeju, so we were afraid to repeat the same process again. In addition, we heard that Udo’s people were more hostile than in Jeju, and that it would cost a lot, which made it sound more difficult. We rejected them twice, but we gave it another thought when they reached out to us again. The words of architect Song Dang-ilsang, ‘you can see the sunset of Jeju in Udo,’ were also a crucial factor in our decision.
You would think we would have adjusted 3 years after we finished Nun Mun Gorae, but Udo was a whole different story. “It was like going through the difficult process of when we first started the Jeju project again” would be an accurate expression. While projects like Nun Mun Gorae and Jocheondaek had basic structures and frames that fit with the existing land features and climate, Stay Sodo was a new building that needed low and sturdy architectural designs to withstand the unpredictable weather. Furthermore, it had to naturally blend in with Udo’s nature and its neighborhood. We weren’t sure if it was necessary to build a low building if it was going to be newly built but later decided that it was, because Stay Sodo’s site was heightened, and because it shouldn’t disturb Udo’s village scenery. The bigger task was stable construction and creating a space that’s agreeable with our budget. We actually had to redesign everything because it went over our budget and had to get it reviewed again. Because we also had to think about interior programs and spatial branding, Stay Sodo was a new challenge in many ways. Stay Sodo could not go through the same method as other projects so far. We had to create content unique to Udo Island to make people want to stay at a place known for half-day excursions.
You would think we would have adjusted 3 years after we finished Nun Mun Gorae, but Udo was a whole different story. “It was like going through the difficult process of when we first started the Jeju project again” would be an accurate expression. While projects like Nun Mun Gorae and Jocheondaek had basic structures and frames that fit with the existing land features and climate, Stay Sodo was a new building that needed low and sturdy architectural designs to withstand the unpredictable weather. Furthermore, it had to naturally blend in with Udo’s nature and its neighborhood. We weren’t sure if it was necessary to build a low building if it was going to be newly built but later decided that it was, because Stay Sodo’s site was heightened, and because it shouldn’t disturb Udo’s village scenery. The bigger task was stable construction and creating a space that’s agreeable with our budget. We actually had to redesign everything because it went over our budget and had to get it reviewed again. Because we also had to think about interior programs and spatial branding, Stay Sodo was a new challenge in many ways. Stay Sodo could not go through the same method as other projects so far. We had to create content unique to Udo Island to make people want to stay at a place known for half-day excursions.
Are the maps, record player, and books—for example—a result of spatial branding?
Yes, that’s right. Our final goal of the Stay Sodo project was to make people stay in Udo for 24 hours. So, Z_Lab’s branding team made a list of things we had to do in Udo Island and in Sodo, and also spent time on making programs and content inside the space. The twenty stories were narrowed down and included in the ‘Udo and Sodo’ travel guide book that helps with travel planning. It includes travel time going from Stay Sodo and the perfect time to enjoy each location. We made this list with Naun’s family by experiencing every inch of Udo in order to find all of its hidden charms. It’s designed to be easily carried around anywhere, and we used the litho printing method to give it a vintage feel.
The guidebook was made for experiencing the purest nature of Udo Island. It includes walking through Udo’s barley fields, walking barefoot on the sands of Sanho Beach where you can see Jeju’s blue, clear waters, and watching the sunset. We also tried to include various ways of relaxing within Sodo. You can listen to an LP on the record player, read a book, and make coffee or tea. You can also use the vintage telescope to see a group of dolphins playing in the middle of the ocean.
The guidebook was made for experiencing the purest nature of Udo Island. It includes walking through Udo’s barley fields, walking barefoot on the sands of Sanho Beach where you can see Jeju’s blue, clear waters, and watching the sunset. We also tried to include various ways of relaxing within Sodo. You can listen to an LP on the record player, read a book, and make coffee or tea. You can also use the vintage telescope to see a group of dolphins playing in the middle of the ocean.
I’m also curious about the story behind Naun’s Magazine.
The builders of Stay Sodo were a two-income family. We usually had our meetings on Fridays at 8 p.m. after work, and they brought their daughter with them. It was Naun. She would sit quietly during the meetings, but apparently when they got home, she would talk a lot about what was said. One day, she brought a travel magazine that she made herself based on what she heard in the meetings.
She made travel magazines by season. We couldn’t help but be amazed by Naun’s aesthetic senses and originality, as well as her planning skills. If you look inside her magazine, you’ll see starting from the editor’s notes to snacks, restaurants, and places to go (“Will you go here? Oh, you must”), she designed everything with drawings and words to go along with them. We didn’t think to make them into magazines at the time, but it was director Park Joong-hyun’s idea to do so. We hoped it would be an unforgettable experience and memory for Naun, but it also turned out to be one of the stories that made Stay Sodo unique.
She made travel magazines by season. We couldn’t help but be amazed by Naun’s aesthetic senses and originality, as well as her planning skills. If you look inside her magazine, you’ll see starting from the editor’s notes to snacks, restaurants, and places to go (“Will you go here? Oh, you must”), she designed everything with drawings and words to go along with them. We didn’t think to make them into magazines at the time, but it was director Park Joong-hyun’s idea to do so. We hoped it would be an unforgettable experience and memory for Naun, but it also turned out to be one of the stories that made Stay Sodo unique.
How did you come up with the name?
It was almost named ‘Mong Yu So Seom’ (small island in a dream) before we decided on Stay Sodo. Udo Island has a special meaning as an island within Jeju Island. The site where Stay Sodo stands also used to be an island. This whole area used to be under water before breakwaters, but after the breakwaters were placed there, the area rose up to become what it is now. So, this place was an island within an island. We liked the idea of the two-layered island and wanted to include this unique feeling in the name. That’s how we came up with ‘Mong Yu So Seom,’ but it gave off a dreamy, unrealistic, and idealistic feeling, which is why we looked for a different name that could convey the idea of an island-like space where you can comfortably stay. In the end, we focused on the idea of a small island and came up with Stay Sodo, which means ‘our small island.’
We heard that Stay Sodo received a lot of help and cooperation before its completion. Where does the energy that maintains a long-term, win-win relationship come from?
I believe that collaboration is about sharing and emphasizing the values on the direction we’re headed together. Above all, everyone’s wishes and efforts to create a good experience through a good space lies where the values and direction intersect. Such strong faith and trust are what made a sustainable and win-win cooperation possible. Everyone added their values that offer something ‘good’ and ‘better’ to the place in addition to efficiency and profit. Furthermore, because we know how a place can affect people, we put in a lot of effort in designing a place that has a ‘good’ effect on people. Cooperation for the Bamsuzy Mandramy bookstore was also special to us. You may not think that books are necessary in creating a great space, but the designer who cooperated with us thought differently. Books give off a quietness that blows soul into the space. At times, they differentiate one stay from another. While we planned to provide unique content through Stay Sodo, we also believe that placing books within the space was an important part of space branding.
The Stay Sodo scent created through collaboration with Sutome Apothecary was also unique. What kind of scent and emotion do you want the guests to bring back to their daily lives?
We’ve been working together with Sutome Apothecary for a long time to create a unique scent for Stay Sodo, so it wasn’t hard to find a special scent for Stay Sodo. The unique scent is in many ways similar to Stay Sodo’s characteristics. The subtitle for Stay Sodo’s scent is ‘Nocturnal Temple.’ We think that nights, which contrast with civilization, are dark and natural times when everyone returns to his or her original form, in which we are presented with precious time when we can become our true selves. Each individual has a different wish, but we hope that Stay Sodo will become a place like that for someone just like the scent’s subtitle. We hope you will feel and enjoy Udo in that comfort and naturalness of returning to your true self. That would be enough for us.
STAY’s recommended
Local Destination
Bamsuzy Mandramy independent bookstore
‘Bamsuzy Mandramy’ is the first neighborhood bookstore in Udo
Biyangdo Island
A simple and pleasant island within an island
Seobin Baeksa Beach
Clear seas and beautiful scenery
STAY’s recommended
Local Restaurant
Padosori Haenyeo Town
Where you can eat kalguksu, octopus ramen noodles, and various kinds of fresh seafood
Haha Hoho
A homemade hamburger place run by an Udo Island local
STAY
A Desirable Place to Stay, a Perfect Day in Sodo
According to architect Jeong Ki-yong, traveling to an unfamiliar place is like “drawing a new map inside your head.” Walking along the waterways and ground roads, the villages, landscapes, houses, and people all become one continuous image that is saved somewhere (Memories of Landscape). However, the Udo I remembered last felt rushed instead of as a picture saved in my mind. I enjoyed walking up Udobong and looking down on Udo, but because I planned the trip as a half-day excursion and took the bus around main tourist spots, nothing really stuck with me.
I returned to Udo after some time passed. I arrived in Udo on a boat departing from Seongsan Port on the eastern tip of Jeju Island. The way I arrived to Udo Island was the same then and now, but this trip felt different from the first footsteps I took in Udo. My psychological direction and attitude was different. I headed in the other direction of Udobong, where the tourist buses headed. I wanted to reach Stay Sodo and stay an entire day in Udo. Located in a quiet, coastal neighborhood where there are relatively few visitors, you can feel the atmosphere of Udo, where the lives of past Jeju locals, including the field walls and mountain walls, remain intact. Stay Sodo was located on a slight hill. Although it could have been a misplaced building that doesn’t melt into its surroundings, this was not the case. You can see the two roofs built with yellow basalt from anywhere, but they don’t stand out, and they melted into the Udo Island village with a quiet and heavy weight. Even with construction and material power architecture has, it melted right in like a delicate fragrance.
Besides the details and texture of the design, warm colors, lighting, and furniture of Stay Sodo, there was a particular scene that stopped me and made me stay. They say that “a moving and flowing landscape” is not only visual but also “dynamism that can be vividly expressed only when it relies heavily on the help of other senses, especially hearing and touch,” and they were right (Choi Hyun-sik, The Depth of a Flowing Landscape).
The scent and music that flow as soon as the door is opened calm the nerves and allows you to sit in the comfortable couch and admire the picturesque window that holds the nature of Udo. I sat there idly for a long time without knowing how much time had passed before I could slowly look around Sodo. It felt as if I was receiving hospitality even when no one was there. The flutters I got when I first opened the doors to A Wing and B Wing lasted even as the time of my stay went by. It did not try to emphasize its glamour by simply showing off the natural scenery. If that was the case, there would not have been a long-lasting feeling of excitement and would not have given a feeling of hospitality. This was a chain reaction that was continuous. I could feel the sincerity of the wish to fully enjoy Udo and Sodo with my eyes and heart.
Stay Sodo was full of various entertainment to spend a meaningful time along with big and small architectural details that are hidden throughout the place. Aesop amenities in each bathroom and washbasin, curated books by Bamsuzy Mandramy, LP music and record player to suit Sodo, freshly roasted coffee beans and tea, and a telescope to see the group of dolphins that swim in Udo’s sea. Maybe that’s why I felt that there were many things to do within Sodo without the swimming pool or the barbeque grill. There wasn’t enough time. While I set priorities while reading the travel guide, the colors and design of Stay Sodo and the touch added more pleasure to reading. Even though the place was already enough with Udo’s outdoor views that can been seen from wherever you walk, unique experiences, and various amenities, I could see the results of the efforts to make the place even better, which doubled its uniqueness.
Moreover, those efforts were not limited to just Sodo, but to the entire Udo Island area. Stay Sodo’s hospitality seems more genuine because of its consideration of Udo’s regionality and the lowly built construction that melts into Udo’s landscape. I thought that the word hospitality was becoming less meaningful because it was used frequently, but it corrected my thinking and presented me with a meaningful time to see and experience harmony first hand.
I returned to Udo after some time passed. I arrived in Udo on a boat departing from Seongsan Port on the eastern tip of Jeju Island. The way I arrived to Udo Island was the same then and now, but this trip felt different from the first footsteps I took in Udo. My psychological direction and attitude was different. I headed in the other direction of Udobong, where the tourist buses headed. I wanted to reach Stay Sodo and stay an entire day in Udo. Located in a quiet, coastal neighborhood where there are relatively few visitors, you can feel the atmosphere of Udo, where the lives of past Jeju locals, including the field walls and mountain walls, remain intact. Stay Sodo was located on a slight hill. Although it could have been a misplaced building that doesn’t melt into its surroundings, this was not the case. You can see the two roofs built with yellow basalt from anywhere, but they don’t stand out, and they melted into the Udo Island village with a quiet and heavy weight. Even with construction and material power architecture has, it melted right in like a delicate fragrance.
Besides the details and texture of the design, warm colors, lighting, and furniture of Stay Sodo, there was a particular scene that stopped me and made me stay. They say that “a moving and flowing landscape” is not only visual but also “dynamism that can be vividly expressed only when it relies heavily on the help of other senses, especially hearing and touch,” and they were right (Choi Hyun-sik, The Depth of a Flowing Landscape).
The scent and music that flow as soon as the door is opened calm the nerves and allows you to sit in the comfortable couch and admire the picturesque window that holds the nature of Udo. I sat there idly for a long time without knowing how much time had passed before I could slowly look around Sodo. It felt as if I was receiving hospitality even when no one was there. The flutters I got when I first opened the doors to A Wing and B Wing lasted even as the time of my stay went by. It did not try to emphasize its glamour by simply showing off the natural scenery. If that was the case, there would not have been a long-lasting feeling of excitement and would not have given a feeling of hospitality. This was a chain reaction that was continuous. I could feel the sincerity of the wish to fully enjoy Udo and Sodo with my eyes and heart.
Stay Sodo was full of various entertainment to spend a meaningful time along with big and small architectural details that are hidden throughout the place. Aesop amenities in each bathroom and washbasin, curated books by Bamsuzy Mandramy, LP music and record player to suit Sodo, freshly roasted coffee beans and tea, and a telescope to see the group of dolphins that swim in Udo’s sea. Maybe that’s why I felt that there were many things to do within Sodo without the swimming pool or the barbeque grill. There wasn’t enough time. While I set priorities while reading the travel guide, the colors and design of Stay Sodo and the touch added more pleasure to reading. Even though the place was already enough with Udo’s outdoor views that can been seen from wherever you walk, unique experiences, and various amenities, I could see the results of the efforts to make the place even better, which doubled its uniqueness.
Moreover, those efforts were not limited to just Sodo, but to the entire Udo Island area. Stay Sodo’s hospitality seems more genuine because of its consideration of Udo’s regionality and the lowly built construction that melts into Udo’s landscape. I thought that the word hospitality was becoming less meaningful because it was used frequently, but it corrected my thinking and presented me with a meaningful time to see and experience harmony first hand.
4 POINT OF VIEW
ORIGINALITY
Stay Sodo, a Small Island that Presents an Entire Day in Udo Island
Many people talk of voluntary isolation. An island is the perfect place for such isolation. However, to add the meaning of voluntary to the island’s isolation, you need a place to stay. If there is a place that you can rest and return to somewhere on the island, you can enjoy your time on the island without the anxiety that isolation causes. Stay Sodo is a small island within Udo that allows a meaningful stay of voluntary isolation to anyone who comes. Let’s enjoy the sunset and night time of Udo at Stay Sodo, which will provide a warm safe place within Udo.
DESIGN
A Place that Makes You Want to Stay in Udo
Stay Sodo is a small island that will be a safe place within Udo. We designed it to be more comfortable and warm without losing the unique characteristics of the experience of staying on an island. Z_Lab metaphorically created another island called ‘Sodo’ and unraveled the island’s characteristics with a panoramic view and unique spatial experience. Furthermore, although it is a new building, its low construction allowed it to melt into Udo’s village theme. Just as the sea surrounds the island, Sodo embraces the surrounding environment and provides a unique and comfortable stay experience.
Hospitality
A Great Deal of Effort to Make Udo “A Desirable Island to Stay”
The builders and the Z_Lab family who wanted to change people’s perspectives of Udo as a half-day vacation spot and allow people to take a step closer to the charms of Udo Island and Sodo, along with the people who cooperated in various ways put in a great deal of effort. You can feel the sincerity throughout the place to make time of those who stay in Udo Island and Sodo valuable. Through space, Stay Sodo has the power to open the doors of closed hearts.
PRICE
A Valuable Investment That Will Make a Night in Udo Meaningful
Udo’s Stay Sodo is a private stay with two separate wings that has it all: a pool with a wide view of the ocean, barbeque, and outdoor hot springs. Furthermore, Stay Sodo presents a unique experience of the view of Jeju and its sunset. It even offers content that combine space, time, and things to enjoy in Udo as a consistent space experience. All of these are what makes the price to pay for a stay experience in Udo a meaningful and valuable investment.
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- Stay Name
- Staysodo
- Stay Type
- K - Rental house
- Contact information
- Address
- 496-1, Udohaean-gil, Udo-myeon, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, Republic of Korea
- Guests / No. of Room
- 4~6 / 1
- Price
- US$ 325.79 ~ US$ 470.59
- Check-in / out
- 16:00 / 11:00
- Feature
- BBQ facilities, Projector or TV, Kitchenette, Swimming pool
PHOTO BY texture on texture | http://textureontexture.kr