Haus Dosan: Gentle Monster, Tamburins and Nudake All Under One Roof

If you want to experience Korean fashion, art, beauty and cafe culture all under one roof then you need to check out Haus Dosan in Seoul. This 5 story building houses the eyewear brand Gentle Monster, fragrance brand Tamburins and artisanal cafe Nudake. This multi-floored space envelops all three brands and puts them on displays in an artistically experimental kind of way. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to walk through a museum and purchase art right off the walls, well wonder no more.

Gentle Monster

Gentle Monster (젠틀몬스터) is a popular Korean eyewear brand that is famously known for its unique concepts and gallery-like spaces. Honestly, everything under the Gentle Monster umbrella is half gallery and half store, making a visit to any of their locations more of an experience rather than a simple shopping trip.

At Haus Dosan, Gentle Monster accounts for three floors. The lobby/1st floor houses a selection of their latest designs and collaborations, the 2nd floor is dedicated to optical lenses and the 3rd floor showcases their sunglasses. Each floor presents a different, yet fluid ambiance and concept of art installations and mixed media art.

I really love how this museum-like space makes each pair of glasses feel like a work of art. It made me almost too nervous to try them on. But if you’re looking for a unique pair of Korean designer glasses, you won’t find a better brand. I know I certainly fallen for more than a few pairs of their eye-ware myself.

Tamburins

Located on the top floor of Haus Dosan, Tamburins (탬버린즈) takes the futuristic concept of the first three floors and brings it into a brighter space with a splash of greenery and natural lighting. Giving this space a softer, more sophisticated feel.

Much like its eyewear line Tamburins is a fragrance brand that I can only describe as what happens when cosmetics meet fashion and experimental art. Tamburins launched in 2017 and it’s been popular with K-beauty fans for a curated selection of chic-genderless designs and fragrances.

I’d definitely say the design of their products is what initially drew me to this brand. Each of their products has this kind of artsy-couture inspired flare, somehow making them both cosmetics and accessories. Personally, I’m a huge fan of their OG chain hand cream in 000, which features notes of sandalwood, patchouli and bergamot. But I’m currently smitten with their milk tea scented lip balm. It’s so creamy and smells insanely good (but I guess that’s to be expected).

Nudake

Nudake (누데이크) is the newest addition to the Gentle Monster family, adding edible works of art to their repertoire. As they put it, it’s “a place where your dessert fantasies come alive” and rightfully so. Each of their desserts look like little sculptures. You would hardly think they’d be filled with unique flavors and varying textures.

Nestled in the basement of Haus Dosan, Nudake takes the futuristic concept of the top three floors and brings it down into a dimmer more urban space with an emphasis on concrete and an open floor plan. Right at the center of the space is a long narrow table with all of their desserts on display like precious artifacts.

Truthfully, I was a little skeptical about this cafe. The prices are a bit higher than the average cafe and I’ve been disappointed by a beautiful piece of dessert before. Thankfully that was not the case here. Not only was the coffee absolutely delicious, but the desserts were full of flavor.

We got their famous microissants, which come with 4 thimble sized croissants in a teeny tiny bag. They were surprisingly buttery and flakey, everything you’d expect from a normal sized croissant. We definitely could have eaten more than a few bags of these, but instead we opted for the small colloseo. It turned out to be one of the creamiest cheesecakes we’ve ever had. It was perfectly complimented by a dark cacoa chocolate crust. Totally worth the hype and a visit.

Where is Haus Dosan?

• Address:
  • 서울 강남구 신사동 649-8 (Naver Map)
  • 649-8 Sinsa-dong (Google Maps)

Haus Dosan is located near Rodeo Drive in Apgujeong, Gangnam. Unfortunately, there isn’t really a quick way there so you’ll have to take a subway ride to Apgujeong Station on line no. 3 and then take a 15 minute walk.

Take exit number 3 from Apgujeong station and follow the map below. It’s about a 12 minute walk to Haus Dosan, but it’s the quickest route.