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The Flavor of Jeju's Sunset Written In Coffee
KAFFEE OCASO
Kim Doo-ri and Lee Eun-seo are mesmerized by the natural environment of Jeju Island, with its expansive ocean and mountain views, as well as its simple animals and fish. They used to chase their aspirations in the city until Doo-ri's health became worrying and he began to doubt whether his youth had been wasted, at which point he decided to abandon everything and move to Jeju Island, where he opened the café OCASO.
Doo-ri, who worked as an interior designer, changed OCASO, a café in Chaejeong-eup, Jeju Island, from a barbershop into a modern and retro space. According to Doo-ri, it is more difficult to create upon an existing structure than to build a whole new setting. The 1940s-era structure of the house is captivating. The wooden beams of the Korean home are visible from the interior, and the building's original structure was retained as much as possible; only the walls and floors were painted and rebuilt to correct the not-so-accommodating areas. Traditional Korean wooden structures are supported by beams at regular intervals, providing a complexity of movement that some people may find difficult in an age where everything is fast and convenient, but Doo-ri finds it quite fascinating. In addition, there are numerous partitioned door frames in the house, so you can clearly sense the transition from one space to the next and take advantage of this to create distinct spatial atmospheres.
The most eye-catching aspect of the room is its color scheme, which features an abundance of orange, blue, and green to convey a strong visual impression. Doo-ri considers Jeju Island to be a location where people and environment coexist, and he learnt a great deal from it.
Hence, he just desired to portray OCASO as it should be, utilizing colors associated with nature, accentuating the hues of the beach, plants, fields, and sunsets in this warm and tranquil space. At the elongated café, the wall transitions from bright hues to orange and red from left to right, symbolizing the moment when day and night coexist at sunset and mimicking the Spanish term "OCASO," which means "sunset" and was named after Doo-ri and Eun-seo's favorite sunset on Jeju Island. They claim that each day offers a different mood, ranging from happiness to loneliness, as well as a great deal of inspiration, and they expect guests to experience a range of emotions here.
For furniture, they selected iconic pieces such as a Le Corbusier LC2 sofa, a Vitra Panton chair, an Artemide Tolomeo table light, etc. for the interior. They feel there is a reason why this furniture has been so popular for so long, and it also pairs nicely with antiques. Their philosophy regarding the placement of old and new objects is to have them exist as if everything grows freely without bothering one another, where the furniture does not need to be in a particular position, but is instead arranged randomly without disturbing one another in a retro mix-match style. In addition to the unique spatial experience, Eun-seo's handiwork also includes visually and gastronomically captivating food and drink. She strives to reduce the usage of artificial additives while keeping the best flavor possible. When asked which dish they would suggest the most, they both responded that it was difficult to choose, before settling on the "OCASO-ade," which utilizes homemade lemon syrup and sherbet and is the most labor-intensive and passionate dish.
Doo-ri and Eun-seo have gone through trials and tribulations and have decided at this stage to break away from the fierce competition to find what they want to do in their everyday lives, not what they have to do. “In Jeju, red camellias bloom in winter, and nature neither asks why nor envies the color of the flowers, we hope we can blossom like the flowers of the seasons”. Therefore, Jeju Island is a place where they can find their own pace of life. Here, they welcome people who need the comfort of nature with open arms at OCASO.
濟州島乘載著人們嚮往自然的想像，無垠的水光山景，純樸的鳥獸魚蝦，Kim Doo-ri與李恩恕（Lee Eun-seo）被這樣的環境深深吸引，兩人曾經在城市中追尋夢想，直到Doo-ri健康亮起警訊，開始質疑過去的青春是否白付，因此決定拋下一切移居至濟州島，並且開始營運咖啡廳OCASO。
這間位於濟州島朝天邑的咖啡廳OCASO改造自一間理髮店，從陳舊的空間變成融合現代與復古的樣貌，全都出自於Doo-ri之手，他曾經在一家室內設計公司工作，認為保有現存的架構進行再創造，比創造一個全新的空間更困難。屋子建造於1940年代，舊時的建築結構饒富趣味，韓屋的木造橫梁在室內抬頭可見，設計時盡可能保留屋子的原始外觀，以及不完全抹去舊痕跡，只做了牆壁粉刷並更換地板，修復使用起來不方便的部分。 韓國的傳統木建築每隔一段距離便有梁柱支撐，創造了動線的複雜性，在這個凡事都求快速便利的時代，有的人或許會覺得不便，但Doo-ri認為這樣的不便反而很有趣味。此外，屋內還有許多隔間的門框，能明顯感受到從一個空間移動到另一個空間，也利用這樣的優勢去營造不同的空間氛圍。
室內最讓人眼睛為之一亮的是「色彩」，使用了許多橙色、藍色、綠色呈現強烈的視覺感。Doo-ri認為濟州島是人與自然共存的地方，這裡讓他學習到很多事物，所以他只想簡單的投射出OCASO原本該有的樣貌，運用了與自然有關的顏色，將海洋、灌木叢、田野或日落時刻的色彩濃縮在這個給人溫暖與寧靜的空間中。在長型的咖啡廳中，牆壁由左到右做明暗變化，從明亮的色彩過渡到橙紅色，表達白天與黑夜並存的日落時刻，呼應「OCASO」這個來自西班牙文的詞彙，意為「日落」，命名來自Doo-ri與恩恕喜愛的濟州島夕陽。他們表示，看著夕陽每天都會有不同心情，有快樂、有孤獨，也從中獲得了許多靈感，他們期待來訪的客人都能在此享受不同的情緒。
家具的搭配傾向於將濟州島大自然的形狀和顏色投注於空間中，選擇了經典的家具如 Le Corbusier LC2沙發、Vitra Panton椅子、Artemide Tolomeo桌燈等，兩人相信這些家具長久以來受到喜愛總是有原因的，拿來搭配復古物件也很協調。他們對於新舊物件的擺放有一套自己的哲學，就像萬物自由生長而互不相擾，所有的家具並沒有一定要在哪個位置，不規則的擺放，不相干擾而已，自然而然就形成了復古與現代感的混搭狀態。 除了別具個性的空間體驗，還有視覺與味覺都引人入勝的餐飲，出自於恩恕的手藝，她嘗試減少合成添加劑的使用，顧及健康的同時也保持最佳口味。問到最推薦哪個餐點，兩人都表示很難取捨，最後推薦了「OCASO-ade」，其中使用自製的檸檬糖漿與雪酪，是花費最多時間、飽含心意的製作。
Doo-ri與恩恕歷經了磨練與迷途，現階段決定從激烈的競爭中脫離，去尋找持續想做的事，而不是不得不做的事。「在濟州，紅色的山茶花在冬天盛開，大自然不會去問為什麼，也不會羨慕花的色彩，希望我們能像四季的花朵般綻放本色」濟州島是能讓兩人找到自己生活步調的地方，而他們也在OCASO敞開雙臂歡迎需要自然慰藉的人們。
濟州日落風情的咖啡味——KAFFEE OCASO
