Jeffrey Hutchison and Associates completes the luxury fashion, beauty and jewelry floors inside the new Shinsegae Daejeon Art & Science department store in Daejeon, South Korea. Located in Expo-ro, Yuseong-gu, the project transforms the retail environment into a large-scale experiential destination where architecture, materiality and circulation define a contemporary luxury shopping experience.
Conceived as one of the largest regional retail landmarks in South Korea, the new Shinsegae department store combines fashion, beauty, culture and art within a futuristic commercial environment. The intervention by Jeffrey Hutchison and Associates focuses on the Men’s and Women’s Luxury Fashion floors together with the Beauty and Jewelry areas, introducing sculptural interiors inspired by modern Italian architecture and contemporary art.
The main luxury hall reinterprets the spatial language of an Italian villa
The 62,500-square-foot main floor accommodates luxury accessory brands including Fendi, Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent alongside jewelry and more than 40 beauty brands, including Gucci Beauty and Clé de Peau Beauté.
The design vision references the atmosphere of an early modern Italian villa inspired by architects such as Luigi Moretti and Carlo Scarpa. Jeffrey Hutchison and Associates reinterpret classical architectural elements through contemporary retail design solutions that reinforce spatial continuity and visual hierarchy.
Vaulted ceilings finished in bone-white plaster define the central circulation areas, while custom decorative pendant lighting highlights movement paths across the department store. The flooring revisits traditional Italian mosaic compositions through a contemporary layout using Contra Black and Veneto White marble slabs.
Sculptural interiors shape the women’s and men’s luxury retail environments
The 57,000-square-foot second floor is dedicated to men’s and women’s luxury fashion. The spatial concept draws inspiration from the sculptural works of Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and the Cubist compositions of Georges Braque.
The women’s luxury area combines Nairobi black marble flooring with hand-applied bone-white plaster surfaces integrated into walls, ceilings and oversized sculptural columns. The material palette creates a retail environment that balances intimacy and openness while emphasizing tactile finishes and soft spatial transitions.
The men’s luxury area adopts a more architectural and geometric language. Blonde oak wood wraps the walls and dimensional ceilings, creating a warmer and more structured atmosphere. Sequoia brown marble flooring reinforces the asymmetrical composition of the interiors and contributes to the sculptural identity of the retail space.
Materials, lighting and circulation define the experiential retail environment
Throughout the project, the retail layout uses material contrasts, sculptural volumes and lighting systems to organize circulation and define the customer journey. Decorative lighting fixtures reinforce visual orientation while emphasizing the relationship between open spaces and luxury brand areas.
Marble surfaces, plaster finishes and wood cladding contribute to a layered sensory experience that aligns with the experiential positioning of the department store. The project integrates fashion retail, beauty and jewelry into a coherent architectural environment where spatial identity becomes part of the luxury shopping experience.
The Shinsegae Daejeon Art & Science project reflects the growing integration of architecture, art references and immersive retail design in contemporary department store environments.
Location: Daejeon, South Korea
Design: Jeffrey Hutchison and Associates
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Jeffrey Hutchison and Associates