Sunny Side Up
why
A Space Filled with Dream of the Host Couple
Yangyang is, in fact, a surfers’ paradise, overflowing with hipsters full of so-called swag. And the host couple encountered a pleasant surprise as they found a tranquil beach by one of the streets of Gaetmaeul in Yangyang during their vacation. They did not hesitate to drop by a few realtors to find a second home in the beautiful neighborhood and fell in love with what is now Sunny Side Up on their second attempt for house hunting. The house itself had been old, but the couple liked the ocean view from the rooftop and found that it would offset any flaws. With almost little idea about what to start for makeover, they found themselves in love with the house by a seaside of serenity.
The house had been built in 1998, and admittedly, had so many parts that needed to be fixed. The previous owner took stop gap measures for every defect in the place that the house had to go through a complete overhaul. With little attention and care, the house kept wearing our here and there, and was left with little care for the first three years after the purchase. The couple were busy with their own business back in Seoul. Nevertheless, they could not afford to give up on the place with a beautiful ocean view. After the three years of time flew by, they started their own project of materializing their idea.
But even after they began renovating the house, they maintained their original idea for a while. They did not seek to run stay or café at first, but they went through changes in their mind as they pushed further ahead with their renovation project. Great memories from the experience with stays on their past trip in overseas were infused in every corner. One thing that caught their eyes was that almost all the houses in the neighborhood were built with bricks and had a round-shaped window. The neighborhood looked like a village where a mass number of migrants settled in a group. Each one of the houses had different colors and shapes, but all had a few things in common to create some unity.
The quiet village is relatively smaller than the neighboring Ingu Beach, and has been home to sixteen households. The beach in the neighborhood feels like a private beach for these sixteen households in the village. The hosts really liked these aspects. While staying in Sunny Side Up, guests not only get to have ocean view from the inside, but also, they would find some majestic scenery from a hill in the back. Because through the round-shaped window, you get to watch the slope packed with trees that change colors every season. Whereas you first come to Sunny Side Up looking forward to being laid back by the seashore, you would actually feel like you are staying in a mountain once you are inside. Indeed, Sunny Side Up offers some unique experience of appreciating view from both the ocean and the mountain that as soon as you go inside the stay on the seashore, you would feel like you’re stepping inside a mountain lodge. The Travelers with Taste
The house had been built in 1998, and admittedly, had so many parts that needed to be fixed. The previous owner took stop gap measures for every defect in the place that the house had to go through a complete overhaul. With little attention and care, the house kept wearing our here and there, and was left with little care for the first three years after the purchase. The couple were busy with their own business back in Seoul. Nevertheless, they could not afford to give up on the place with a beautiful ocean view. After the three years of time flew by, they started their own project of materializing their idea.
But even after they began renovating the house, they maintained their original idea for a while. They did not seek to run stay or café at first, but they went through changes in their mind as they pushed further ahead with their renovation project. Great memories from the experience with stays on their past trip in overseas were infused in every corner. One thing that caught their eyes was that almost all the houses in the neighborhood were built with bricks and had a round-shaped window. The neighborhood looked like a village where a mass number of migrants settled in a group. Each one of the houses had different colors and shapes, but all had a few things in common to create some unity.
The quiet village is relatively smaller than the neighboring Ingu Beach, and has been home to sixteen households. The beach in the neighborhood feels like a private beach for these sixteen households in the village. The hosts really liked these aspects. While staying in Sunny Side Up, guests not only get to have ocean view from the inside, but also, they would find some majestic scenery from a hill in the back. Because through the round-shaped window, you get to watch the slope packed with trees that change colors every season. Whereas you first come to Sunny Side Up looking forward to being laid back by the seashore, you would actually feel like you are staying in a mountain once you are inside. Indeed, Sunny Side Up offers some unique experience of appreciating view from both the ocean and the mountain that as soon as you go inside the stay on the seashore, you would feel like you’re stepping inside a mountain lodge. The Travelers with Taste
people
The Travelers with Taste
The former commercial film director, Choi Jae-sik traveled numerous places both in and outside of Korea to find filming locations. The experience exposed him to countless number of “good stuff,” and he felt that he would want to fill Sunny Side Up with what suited the taste his and his spouse’s. Choi paid his attention even to the smallest accessories, and made his best efforts so that his guests could have experience, satisfying all five sense, by for instance, carefully selecting music and fragrance. The hosts recently worked closely with a fragrance boutique, Sutome Apothecary to find and blend some signature fragrance. The co-host, Ryu Hye-ryeon, while still based in Seoul gives her utmost support travelling back and forth between the city and Yangang. The commute gave her fatigue for the first while, but with growing number of guests and positive response from them, Ryu is finding herself being attached more to Sunny Side Up.
Making most out of the unique atmosphere of Sunny Side Up, the hosts plans to expand their activities to hosting pop-up exhibitions or pop-up stores. The aim for the co-hosts is to make Sunny Side Up a place with magnetism that keep attracting people to come back, rather than a place with some cookie cutter-type idea. Such keeps motivating them to take good care of the café on the first floor. And they keep experimenting with menus to offer signature menus and learning more about coffee. With such relentless efforts, Sunny Side Up never ceases to evolve, with tastes of the co-hosts filling every corner.
Making most out of the unique atmosphere of Sunny Side Up, the hosts plans to expand their activities to hosting pop-up exhibitions or pop-up stores. The aim for the co-hosts is to make Sunny Side Up a place with magnetism that keep attracting people to come back, rather than a place with some cookie cutter-type idea. Such keeps motivating them to take good care of the café on the first floor. And they keep experimenting with menus to offer signature menus and learning more about coffee. With such relentless efforts, Sunny Side Up never ceases to evolve, with tastes of the co-hosts filling every corner.
location
The Neighborhood Nestled in a Quiet Seaside Village
The residents of the village jokingly call the area, “Gaetnifornia” This came from a humorous combination of “Gaet” from the name of the village, “Gaetmaeul-gil” and California. The village is agreeably close to Juko Beach, one of the most popular beaches in Yangyang these days, and it is such a pleasant surprise to find a hidden treasure. You can find some smaller-sized surf shops but would soon find that the neighborhood is a bit distant from being “hip.” Instead, it is filled with warm and welcoming atmosphere. The reason why I chose here was to get away from cities inundated with hip and hot places, and I didn’t want to join everybody else looking for so-called hot places. I admit I would selfish, but I wish the café and stay of Sunny Side Up remains to be a “hot place” just for myself.
I heard that the host had fallen in love with the rooftop so much that they only took a few moment to sign the contract and purchase the house itself. And when I climbed up to the rooftop, I finally came to know why. You will definitely get to enjoy splendid view when you get closer to the beach, but to me, the distant view from the rooftop was also good enough. I agree that if I keep getting exposed to the scenery, it would blend into my everyday life and I would soon get used to it. But if I have to choose which scenery I should get familiar with, it occurs to me that I would chose the view I could enjoy on the rooftop of Sunny Side Up. And most of all, Sunny Side Up is standing on a gentle slope that the scenery from the place is much like a bird’s eye view of the sea.
I heard that the host had fallen in love with the rooftop so much that they only took a few moment to sign the contract and purchase the house itself. And when I climbed up to the rooftop, I finally came to know why. You will definitely get to enjoy splendid view when you get closer to the beach, but to me, the distant view from the rooftop was also good enough. I agree that if I keep getting exposed to the scenery, it would blend into my everyday life and I would soon get used to it. But if I have to choose which scenery I should get familiar with, it occurs to me that I would chose the view I could enjoy on the rooftop of Sunny Side Up. And most of all, Sunny Side Up is standing on a gentle slope that the scenery from the place is much like a bird’s eye view of the sea.
MAKING STORY
The ceiling of the first floor was somewhat low that the hosts made their best efforts in creating an open space. The space was formerly rented by a scuba diver on an annual basis, and was divided into a small space for café and five rooms. The host couple looked for a reliable interior design studio to find adequate design ideas to overcome challenges from the low ceiling. They found Studio Stay for their partner. The couple and the design studio stroke a right balance between what the hosts wanted and what the studio could offer. This is most likely because the studio had good understanding in both the couple’s request and the building – so much so that the co-hosts and the designers exchanged out-of-the box ideas.
The hosts also paid attention to was keeping up with the uniqueness of the neighborhood. All sixteen of buildings in the neighborhood were built with bricks and the two hosts did not want to set Sunny Side Up apart from them. The building originally had had three rooms but demolished the walls to transform them into a space with a dining table. On the other hand, the hosts decided to keep the window sills and the overall structure of the building intact – instead, they focused on finish or smaller details to make up for weaknesses of the building that had been standing for years.
The hosts also paid attention to was keeping up with the uniqueness of the neighborhood. All sixteen of buildings in the neighborhood were built with bricks and the two hosts did not want to set Sunny Side Up apart from them. The building originally had had three rooms but demolished the walls to transform them into a space with a dining table. On the other hand, the hosts decided to keep the window sills and the overall structure of the building intact – instead, they focused on finish or smaller details to make up for weaknesses of the building that had been standing for years.
Honestly, it was quite a challenge to bring a new life to a place that had been abandoned for many years. Nevertheless, the couple materialized their design idea and concept for each space by collecting their research results and idea in a presentation file. With the intention to infuse atmosphere from the past travel experience in Spain and Southern France, they sought possible measures to reimagine the peacefulness created by warm sunlight of the memorable destination. The place they stayed during their trip to Seville, Spain, in particular, remains to be the one lingering in their mind. The hosts rented the entire four-story building with a courtyard back then, and they recall that it was filled with extraordinary items. Sunny Side Up is built with precious memories from the vacation that the couple had.
Much attention was paid to landscaping as well that a landscaping designer was hired for the job. The decision definitely turned out to be some massive investment, making a significant part of the budget. Rather than landscaping with shape and color scheme in unison, different greeneries are effortlessly placed in different positions to create harmony. Indeed, the investment rewarded with much satisfaction in return. The harmony would let guests make themselves at home. The front yard is planted with smaller-sized plants that are less sensitive to surrounding environments such as seagrass, and the balcony on the second floor is filled with grasses to deftly present seasonal changes.
Much attention was paid to landscaping as well that a landscaping designer was hired for the job. The decision definitely turned out to be some massive investment, making a significant part of the budget. Rather than landscaping with shape and color scheme in unison, different greeneries are effortlessly placed in different positions to create harmony. Indeed, the investment rewarded with much satisfaction in return. The harmony would let guests make themselves at home. The front yard is planted with smaller-sized plants that are less sensitive to surrounding environments such as seagrass, and the balcony on the second floor is filled with grasses to deftly present seasonal changes.
SPACE
In Search for Perfect Rest
As you take a step into the second floor, a round-shaped window in the living room will catch your eye. Through the window, you will find some greenery on the balcony and further away, a hill at the back of Sunny Side Up. Agreeably, the window is on the right spot to unveil seasonal changes. And past the living room resembling much like an exotic resort, a dining space welcomes you, with a large window, a long dining table and a rattan lighting, as well as warm wishes from the hosts that you have a perfect rest.
Across the dining table, there is a small yet nicely furbished kitchen, with some essential cooking tools, wine glasses, a toaster, a washing machine and most of all, a bottle of welcome wine. The refrigerator in the kitchen is filled with yogurt and eggs for quick and easy breakfast menus. All of these come from the sincere wishes from the host couple that guests have a good rest, without any fuss of grocery shopping during vacations.
Then there is a small room right next to the kitchen. It is a minimal space, with a wooden closet, a dressing table, and a bed. And it is has a good balance between beauty of space and styling idea combined with elements and details including right amount of sunlight and a rug hanging on the wall. Most of the furniture is made with wood to add warmth to the overall atmosphere. Robes are available for guests as well, and once you have one them on, you would feel like you are staying in one of the luxurious spa resorts.
The bathroom is one of the spaces that the hosts paid the most attention to. It is packed with the ambience of spa resorts that you would want to walk on the stones of the floor on your barefoot, just like when you feel like strolling on a beach with finest sands. The stones definitely stem from brilliant design ideas, and most of all, reveals thoughtfulness of the hosts. When anyone talks about a bathroom to stay, rather than the one to have a quick shower and rush out, the bathroom in Sunny Side Up is likely to be one of them.
Across the dining table, there is a small yet nicely furbished kitchen, with some essential cooking tools, wine glasses, a toaster, a washing machine and most of all, a bottle of welcome wine. The refrigerator in the kitchen is filled with yogurt and eggs for quick and easy breakfast menus. All of these come from the sincere wishes from the host couple that guests have a good rest, without any fuss of grocery shopping during vacations.
Then there is a small room right next to the kitchen. It is a minimal space, with a wooden closet, a dressing table, and a bed. And it is has a good balance between beauty of space and styling idea combined with elements and details including right amount of sunlight and a rug hanging on the wall. Most of the furniture is made with wood to add warmth to the overall atmosphere. Robes are available for guests as well, and once you have one them on, you would feel like you are staying in one of the luxurious spa resorts.
The bathroom is one of the spaces that the hosts paid the most attention to. It is packed with the ambience of spa resorts that you would want to walk on the stones of the floor on your barefoot, just like when you feel like strolling on a beach with finest sands. The stones definitely stem from brilliant design ideas, and most of all, reveals thoughtfulness of the hosts. When anyone talks about a bathroom to stay, rather than the one to have a quick shower and rush out, the bathroom in Sunny Side Up is likely to be one of them.
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INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW with Choi Jae-sik and Ryu Hye-ryeon, the owners of Sunny Side Up
stayfolio
Sunny Side Up
What made you open Sunny Side Up?
The original idea was to have a second home so that we could come back every month, while being based in Seoul. We like traveling and often get inspired for interior ideas from numerous places. The inspiration nudged us into decorating our home to materialize our own idea, and the dream came true in Yangyang. We didn’t plan to run any café or stay at first. But we changed our mind because we felt that we poured too much of energy to keep the place for just for ourselves. We need to be honest that we did almost nothing for the first three years after we bought it. But after so many ups and downs, we finally transformed the house into Sunny Side Up that we had long dreamt of, and we feel attached to it so much.
Could you walk us through each of the spaces? And what is your favorite?
The master bedroom with a perpendicular window doesn’t necessarily have a nice view, but we wished that it could get some good sunlight. The window opens eastward that the sunlight comes in only for a few hours, but when it gets a good sunlight, we assure you that it looks and feels splendid. And we paid a lot of attention to the dining room as well. We went through numerous thoughts and research before finding the items for the space, including a large wooden lamp and the picture frame right next to the table. And to give a finish of exotic and slow vibe of vacation reports, we picked a few pieces of photos by the photographer, Hannaz as well. Also, wishing that our guests could rest and relax, doing almost nothing yet indulging themselves in the space with all their five senses, we decided not to set up TVs. Instead, we placed a collection of art books. Most of all, we paid our special attention to landscaping. We asked a landscaping design studio, “Style Jieum” for the job and placed plant pots on the balcony of the second floor so that guests can enjoy the greenery from the windows. Landscaping design ideas and color palettes were something that were not often found in Korea, and these gave Sunny Side Up more exotic finish to the look. You can look forward to changes in color palettes in different seasons.
We found the name, Sunny Side Up really cute, and the characters on the menu books adorable. How did you come up with the naming idea
Many of us look forward to breakfast menus during vacations. And to us, fried eggs with sunny side up have always made us feel great. And since its related with sunrise, we felt that the name would make a good match with East Sea, where you can be the first in Korea to see the sunrise. We wanted add brightness and cheerfulness to our space, and that seemed to have been mirrored well in the character we have designed. We want to take time to make some original goods for Sunny Side Up, making good use of the character. And we are looking into branding ideas of our café menus as well.
Are there any architectural work or brand names that gave inspiration to materializing your ideas surrounding Sunny Side Up?
We got a lot of inspiration from a French designer brand, Jacquesmus. The designer makes artbooks with photos taken with iPhones while traveling, and shares tastes inspired from traveling experience. We don’t like anything complicated. We prefer simplicity, yet with some accents and edges. We admit that there are tons of amazing-looking places. But some of them look like filming sets in reality to disappoint many. To avoid the gap between what’s on the pictures and the reality, we view that finish and detail are important. In the end, we aim to create a space that looks and feels better in reality.
What kind of experience do you wish your guests have with Sunny Side Up?
Almost everybody is having a difficult time these days. We sincerely wish that our guests could lay back a little bit, leaving all the worries behind at least while they are staying at Sunny Side Up. We found that most of our guest who came to us rarely go outside. Seeing them, we feel happy that our guests are enjoying their time as we have intended – we sought to share our memories and atmosphere we immersed ourselves in travelling south of France, and we wish our guests could be recharged sharing these with us.
STAY’s recommended
Local Restaurant
Farmer’s Kitchen
This is popular burger place nearby Jukdo Beach. It is so popular that it has been nicknamed “Shake Shack of Yangyang.” Bacon cheese burger and Hawaiian burger are some of the bestselling burger menus.
Surfdog
Surfdog shows that hot dogs can go well with the atmosphere of seaside. The hot dog presents a good balance of moist bun, sausage and savory sauce. It is good to snack on after strolling along the beach, and is tasty enough.
Warung Patrick
Warung Patrick serves some authentic Indonesian dishes. And you will also find a variety of dreamcatchers, and you may think about a few for yourself. The place serves authentic Indonesian cuisine, and moreover, it is pet friendly that you can take your pet along.
STAY
Breakfast in “Gaetnifornia”
Gangwon Province has been one of my favorite destination – not only for vacation, but also for a dream place to live. The region has been my favorite for many years that I have always thought the it would be right for me to try a different life. I kept coming back to Yangyang for numerous reasons, but it was actually my first time in Gaetmaeul-gil. The size, color palettes of the houses and view of seas spreading in front of me – all of these were in perfect harmony for a seashore village. And the fact that Sunny Side Up was nestled in the village began fascinating me. Because it would give another reason for me to come back to the seashore village.
I personally prefer doing almost nothing on my travel. This may explain why I take as many days as possible to go on a lengthy trip. If I don’t keep my schedule tight, I wouldn’t rush around because of time. And most of all, I could at least spend a day being lazy in a room, yet still wouldn’t feel that I waste my precious time. The moment I took my first step into Sunny Side Up, I told myself I wouldn’t want to leave the place. This time, my journey of vacation began with travelling to Sunny Side Up, and the vacation gave me time for a recharge an entirely new and unfamiliar place. Indeed, the time I spent was reenergizing that I found myself uttering, “Gee, thanks, I had a good rest.”
I personally prefer doing almost nothing on my travel. This may explain why I take as many days as possible to go on a lengthy trip. If I don’t keep my schedule tight, I wouldn’t rush around because of time. And most of all, I could at least spend a day being lazy in a room, yet still wouldn’t feel that I waste my precious time. The moment I took my first step into Sunny Side Up, I told myself I wouldn’t want to leave the place. This time, my journey of vacation began with travelling to Sunny Side Up, and the vacation gave me time for a recharge an entirely new and unfamiliar place. Indeed, the time I spent was reenergizing that I found myself uttering, “Gee, thanks, I had a good rest.”
4 POINT OF VIEW
ORIGINALITY
Unique Design Idea
The hosts are keen on branding and design. They want to experiment as much as they can with the brand name Sunny Side Up. They will continue to seek engaging people with their unique design idea, opening exhibitions in the café or making and selling original goods labelled with Sunny Side Up.
DESIGN
Simply, Rather Than Complicated
“Simiple” can be one of the words that best describes Sunny Side Up. Needless to say, all of furniture, lightings, and color color scheme are simple and understated. All of these are added to seemingly make you feel like you finally find peace of mind, washing away all the entangled fatigue from city life.
Hospitality
A Day to Idle Away
The neighborhood is a place of tranquility that you would barely run into anyone. When you step into the room, it would feel still and silent. And when you climb up to the rooftop, the view of the ocean will spread in front of you, as if it is all yours.
PRICE
Spending a Day in a Vacation Resort
There seems to be nothing much to do, but time passes really fast. That is probably what it is like spending a day in a vacation resort. All you do could be swimming in a pool and eating food, but time just flies by. That is how a day could be spent in Sunny Side Up. Looking back, there would probably be nothing particular, but the day seems to pass by with a blink of an eye. Indeed, if you are looking for a place for good rest for both body and mind, Sunny Side Up will make a good choice for you.
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- Stay Name
- Sunny Side Up
- Stay Type
- K - Rental house
- Contact information
- Address
- 42-33, Gaenmaeul-gil, Hyeonnam-myeon, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
- Guests / No. of Room
- 2~4 / 1
- Price
- US$ 306.56 ~ US$ 383.2
- Check-in / out
- 15:00 / 11:00
- Feature
- Projector or TV, Kitchenette
PHOTO BY PARK KIHUN(@arc_factory) | http://arcfactory.net