What does the inside of a Korean apartment look like? A few people have been asking, and I finally got around to having the place looking presentable enough to film the grand tour. So come have a look inside, and well, you’ll also hear me ramble about SPAM and U2. Yeah…
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I live in an officetel (office + hotel) which looks the same as a studio apartment. Many of the people in my building are business professionals who use their apartment as a personal office; for me this office sized space is a home. It may be ‘cozy’ by North American standards, but it has exactly everything I need, as well as some added bonuses like heated floors and a heated toilet seat – I’m telling you, this is quite the luxury in the wintertime. I’ve been feeling at home in Korea these days, and I’m sure these little extras have something to do with it.
I got pretty lucky with this apartment. All the appliances are modern and the design is very chic; I’d go as far as comparing it to the interior of an IKEA catalogue. I remember searching for videos of Korean apartments on YouTube before coming out here, and the majority of them showed dreadful accommodations – I’m talking wallpaper peeling off the walls, and a rumbling fridge positioned directly across the bed to ensure a peaceful night’s rest… I was ecstatic when I walked into this cute little place instead.
P.S. Did you notice THE automated door lock that caused me this nightmare? 😉
Hahaha… when I was in Korea, I had a bit of an incident with one of those toilets. After I was done (just a #1!), I stood up to flush and looked down to see all those buttons, but all the writing was in Korean. I figured I could just use logic, and went for the button with the water lines on it. After I hit the button, a sound came from the toilet, a little probe descended from the back of the bowl, and a steady stream of water came squirting out of the toilet. It went so far it that it hit the mirror on the other side of the bathroom! I hit a few more buttons and had a fan and everything going before I finally found the right button.
Haha, it would be fun explaining that little accident if you were a guest in someone’s home. I just stay awaaay from all the buttons. 😉
That’s fun! Thanks for sharing! Your fridge looks like mine 🙂 I may have a little bit less food 🙂
It’s usually even barer. It’s a great excuse to eat out. 😉
Looks nice and new! Reminds me of the place I was living in in HK. It was the company’s condo, barely furnished but I wasn’t picky considering real estate is at a premium in Asia. I like the fisheye view!
Yep, the furniture is very minimal, but I fortunately got lots of hand-me-downs from the previous teacher. I quite like this little place!
Haha you are adorable! You remind me so much of one of my friends from home. And I definitely have those shoes that you took off towards the end of the video. Also: I think your next video should showcase the inevitably delicious feast that results from your massive supply of spam/tuna.
Are yours H&M shoes? 😉 That’s the only store I found that carried shoes in my size here, hehe. And that is a GREAT idea for another video, ha! I’ll have to start googling spam recipes. Mmm, that’s going to be such a great day in the kitchen…..
Yes, H&M! I was on the hunt for teal/turquoise shoes for like a year (possibly longer) and then of course fell in love with these super cheap ones. I might go buy backup pairs. In the meantime I shall wait for your live-tweeting of the spam feast 🙂
Awesome apartment. 🙂 You did good!
Western toilets are stone-age tech compared to this. Koreans do know how to sattisfy a derriere. At least its a lot better when you have a water fountain coming from the toilet and not the toilet in the shower like in some hostels I have stayed in.
Haha, yes, I’ve encountered a few shower heads on top of the toilet (though not in Korea). It certainly makes it quite tricky to take a shower….haha 😀
I love this post! Your Korean apartment is so cute! I just recently moved into a new apartment, and it definitely looks like an Ikea catalogue since everything is from there, haha. It’s funny because everyone buys their furniture from Ikea here, so whenever I visit a friend, half our furniture would be the same!
I love Ikea furniture. I’ve always wanted my space to look like the interior from one of their catalogues, so I was very happy with my new digs! 😀
I loved seeing your appartment! It makes you realize we really don’t need all the excess we strive for in North America. Less is more, and better for the planet.
I want a tuna and spam gift set…
This is the country for that. 😉
i love your flat! hope to have a chance to travel to Korea and personally experience the hi-tech toilet… nope, we don’t have them here in Bahrain hehehe 🙂
Nice place! You can’t go wrong with spam & heated toilets. 😀
What’s the rent like?
I honestly have no idea about the rent. My school covers the bill, but it can’t be that cheap. Some Korean apartments require that you put down a huge down payment just to be able to rent the space.
It’s so cute and homey. I bet Korea is awesome to live. I love the food! Did you eat all that Spam??
Haha, err, I’m saving the spam for posterity….
Omg your place is so cute! I love my place, but I wish I lived in a taller building so I had a better view. And like you, I looked at people’s places on YouTube and was scared for my life when I arrived, but thankfully I was pleasantly surprised!
I am very happy with it – minimalist but chic. 😉 I’m glad yours turned out to be a nice space as well. Ha, the youtube videos prepared me for the worst!
It all looks so efficient I’m actually a bit jealous because our house in Norway is anything but! Though I would struggle with that tiny kitchen because I love to cook complicated things (and because we cannot afford Norwegian restaurants!)
With no oven and no mircrowave I don’t really have to worry about cooking. But it would be so nice to be able to bake a cake every once in a while! I miss my baked goods! 😀
I love it! It hits my “live simple” and “minimalism” tendencies.
OoOohh a heated toilet! I want one! 🙂
Cute little apartment for you!
Ah, to be in Korea again…I miss the food so much that I’d take the cramped quarters and funny old rude people, lol.
I’ve never lived somewhere this small, but I find the cramped quarters rather cozy. 😀
Cute little apartment! Perfect for one person. I’d love a heated toilet seat. 🙂
Your apartment’s really awesome! It’s essentially *exactly* the kind of thing I’m looking for here but single person flats here are way too expensive.
These little flats are very popular over here, hardly anyone lives in a house. I hope you find a cute little place in Mexico!
You ARE lucky with that apartment. I’ve yet to have one with a sofa. I currently despise mine…it’s boxy, has a SINGLE bed (don’t get me started on that no-no) and, well, the location is absolutely abhorrent.
Yeah, I’m not in the most happening part of town either, but I do have a few bars and restaurants to choose from. And the couch is a nice little extra! Apparently one of the former teachers found it somewhere… 😉
Cute! And yeah, definitely IKEA catalog material 🙂
I love your apartment. Definitely nicer than what my boyfriend lived in while in Daegu!
Hi! Where’d you find the officetel? I’ve been searching on craigslist but I can’t seem to find anything decent and not too expensive. Thanks! 🙂
Thanks for showing me around. Nice to get a peek inside your personal space. Everything you truly need. Fantastic to me but then I’m a fan of minimalism (often to an extreme) and live in about 400 sq ft myself. 🙂
Awesome Apartment with nice view from the outside.
Very cute apartment! Similar to ours in China … we could have opted for an apt with one of those toilets … but we didn’t 😉
Nice place for the business professionals and this studio is quit big as compare to many I lived in while traveling.
Great apartment tour! It’s funny how the little things like toilets with lots of buttons and different apartment styles are sometimes the funnest bits of travel. They are for me anyway.
It looks quite nice, too bad about the heating issues.
I’m hoping I end up with an apartment more like yours and less like Sam. haha
Haha, yeah I got pretty lucky with my modern apartment. I hope yours turns out to be what you hoped for!
Counter space! Where is it?
hey hey im sorryto bother you, but where is your apartment located and is there any vacant ones! i love your apartment and im going crazy searching up apartments in seoul.!
I was actually living in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. If you’re looking to be in the city, this isn’t the best location since it’s about an hour and a half outside of Seoul. My employer took care of the apartment for me, so I don’t actually know much about the apartment hunting process in Korea. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Hi Audrey,
I know your employer took care of providing the apartment, but do you know how much your rent was? I’m here in Korea and I’m wondering what the average range should be consider your place was SO NICE!!
Hi Ruth,
Since I wasn’t the one paying the bill, I never did find out what the rent for my apartment was.
Sorry I can’t be of more help.
Nice! Your place looks a lot better than what many teachers get placed in. It’s clean, new and has a lot of light.
Can you please tell me where in Korea you taught English?
I taught in the Gyeonggi Province. Really great location if you want to be able to travel into Seoul on the weekends.