Taimewalk, The brand that came before the building

A mixed-use building on one of Seoul's busiest streets — retail at the base, offices in the middle, hotel at the top — had sat neglected and deteriorating in central Myeongdong for years. When the decision was made to renovate, the project began as it typically does: architects and interior designers engaged, plans drawn up. But midway through, the client paused everything. Something was missing. Without a clear sense of what the building stood for — who it was for, what experience it promised, what role it would play — every design decision felt unmoored. Architecture and interiors were being constructed into a brand vacuum. Lippincott was brought in to resolve that before another decision was made. The timing mattered. Myeongdong, once Seoul's most vibrant commercial district, had been all but erased by the pandemic. The renovation wasn't just a building project — it was positioned as a catalyst for the district's revival.