A WIFE and daughter arrive home to find their living room transformed. Behind a partition, Daddy is sitting in a soundproof cubicle, strumming his guitar. He offers his stunned wife a drink at his new bar, and gleefully shows off his table-football skills. He is the star of a recent episode of “Macho House”, a new television show that creates dream spaces for South Korean men.
The programme is more of a gag show than one on thoughtful redesign. But it taps into a growing desire among South Koreans to rearrange their private living spaces. At first sight that is surprising for a nation that spends more hours at office desks than any other among rich countries. Yet in a recent poll by Macromill Embrain, a local market researcher, over half said they had spent more time at home in the past year due to “growing social anxieties”. Amid an economic slump, city-dwelling South Koreans are seeking solace in their cramped flats. They want time there to be “very special, almost festive”, says Soh Yoon-young, an architect and author.
Jipbang—“house broadcasts” that often weave tips on design makeovers with advice...Continue reading
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