{"id":6712,"date":"2020-09-09T08:46:48","date_gmt":"2020-09-09T13:46:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/korean\/?p=6712"},"modified":"2020-09-09T08:52:41","modified_gmt":"2020-09-09T13:52:41","slug":"differences-in-korean-and-american-home-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/korean\/differences-in-korean-and-american-home-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Differences in Korean and American Home Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

Because I travel often, I have stayed in many different places in equally many different countries. When I stay in different short term rentals, I like to discover just how different things are from my childhood home in Korea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image by Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

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Living in an apartment is very common in Korea since <\/span>\uc778\uad6c\ubc00\ub3c4 (in-goo-mil-doh<\/b>: population density) is high, particularly in Seoul. I heard that the Korean government has plans to redistribute the dense population in Seoul to other adjacent cities.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I was somewhat hesitant to write about housing culture in Korea because I didn\u2019t want to overgeneralize things, but there are distinctive characteristics that I can\u2019t ignore. Today, I can share some of my personal discoveries of Korean housing culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image by Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

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1. Incandescent light (<\/span>\ubc31\uc5f4\ub4f1)<\/span> vs. Fluorescent light (<\/span>\ud615\uad11\ub4f1)<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most distinctive settings in most Korean homes that I immediately noticed was that they use incandescent lights indoors instead of fluorescent light settings. I don\u2019t know why most Korean home settings utilize incandescent lights. Although most bathroom lights are fluorescent in my experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Your bathroom floor will get wet while you take a shower.<\/span><\/p>\n

In most cases, I haven\u2019t seen shower curtains in Korean home settings yet. In my experiences, it was common to see a shower stall with glass doors rather than shower curtains. <\/span>\ubcc0\uae30 (byun-gi:<\/b> a toilet) and a vanity or a sink will get wet because there are no shower curtains. Another contributing factor of wetting <\/span>\ud654\uc7a5\uc2e4 (hwa-jang-sil<\/b>: bathroom) <\/span>\ubc14\ub2e5 (bah-dak<\/b>: a floor) is a hand-held shower. A hand-held shower is prevalent in most Korean homes. In fact, you would hardly see only a wall-mounted shower option in Korean homes. I guess it depends on your style, but I like to hold a hand-held shower while washing my hair. It inevitably splashes water everywhere. I\u2019ve found that many Europe countries have this system as well. Don\u2019t you worry, just get a pair of shower shoes for when you step out of the shower.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image by Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

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3. Furniture arrangement is different.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s just me, but I found that <\/span>\uac00\uad6c (gah-goo<\/b>: furniture) <\/span>\ubc30\uce58 (bae-chi:<\/b> an arrangement) in Korean homes are very different from the states. Most <\/span>\uce68\ub300 (chim-dae<\/b>: a bed) in Korean homes are set at the corner of rooms, particularly near <\/span>\ucc3d\ubb38 (chang-moon<\/b>:windows). Even sofas are set at the corner of the wall in the living rooms.<\/span><\/p>\n

That means one side of the bed or couch is blocked against the wall. On the other hand, beds in all American homes that I have ever been to are set differently. The head of bed frame is closed up against the wall and both sides of the bed are open. I thought it was a different style.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Shoes or No Shoes?<\/span><\/p>\n

I visit many different homes for work in the states. Surprisingly, some American families prefer shoes-off inside the home. In Korea, there\u2019s no doubt. Shoes need to be off. (Pay attention when choosing your socks in the mornings unless you don\u2019t mind a hole on your socks.) There is an exclusive section called <\/span>\uc2e0\ubc1c\uc7a5 (sin-bal-jang<\/b>: shoerack) in most Korean homes,\u00a0 to encourage you to remove your shoes before entering.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image by Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

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5. Apartment Complex System vs. Individual House<\/span><\/p>\n

Korea is a small country with high population density. You will see many <\/span>\uace0\uce35\uc544\ud30c\ud2b8 (goh-cheung-ah-pah-teu<\/b>: high-rise apartment) everywhere in Korea. Koreans used to prefer <\/span>\uc804\ub9dd \uc88b\uc740 (jeon-mang-joh-eun<\/b>: with a nice view) high-rise apartments. I understand that more people prefer other housing options these days, such as <\/span>\uc804\uc6d0\uc8fc\ud0dd (jeon-won-joo-taek<\/b>: country house) with a garden or garage out of a desire to have more personal space.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are unique cultures that only an apartment system can create, since so many people live in the same building. You often hear<\/span> \uacf5\uc9c0 (gong-ji<\/b>: an announcement, a notice) broadcast through speakers. Announcements are usually short, concerning subjects like a particular recycling day, or farmers market days, etc.,. When I grew up in an apartment, it was common for neighbors to regularly gather once in a month at someone\u2019s home in order to hold a <\/span>\ubc18\uc0c1\ud68c (bahn-sang-hwoe<\/b>: a neighborhood meeting). They usually discussed issues in the neighborhood, but I remember it was a good chance to meet new neighbors.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I hope my findings about Korean homes interest you. Do you have things that you have noticed when you stay at Korean homes? If you do, please let us know.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Because I travel often, I have stayed in many different places in equally many different countries. When I stay in different short term rentals, I like to discover just how different things are from my childhood home in Korea.\u00a0   Living in an apartment is very common in Korea since \uc778\uad6c\ubc00\ub3c4 (in-goo-mil-doh: population density) is…<\/p>\n

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