Retrica Space @ Yeonnamjang, Seoul

Retrica Space built with light and colors

It presents visitors a gift of special experiences based on differentiated spaces.

Spaces, drinks and goods representing Retrica filters

What if you can meet your precious camera app Retrica offline? A memorable attraction or experience has sometimes been captured in a miniature or physically reenacted, but it is not a common practice to build a real-world version of a favorite app.

Retrica has pulled off that stunt! Retrica, which enables users to fully capture an experience at a space in photos on the strength of its consistent research into light, shades and colors, has been reenacted in Retrica Space. Retrica Space was opened in a building called Yeonnamjang. On one afternoon still wet with the morning rain, I headed for Retrica Space, which unfolds Retrica’s emotions and characters exquisitely.

Retrica makes a splendid makeover of an old factory space.

The first Retrica Space was created in Yeonnamjang, which is located between Yeonnam-dong and Yeonhee-dong, Seoul. It offers special experiences to allow visitors to look and feel a wide variety of values and trends. To see that space with my own eyes, I steered my way to Yeonnamjang.

Yeonnamjang housing Retrica Space is located in a quiet alley along the Gyeongui Line railway. From the exterior of the building’s first floor, I could tell straightway that I was standing right in front of Retrica: The design of the windows was closely woven in Retrica’s mysterious colors and philosophy of “an experience based on a space.” I was glad to see the familiar logo and QR code of Retrica.

As I took a step into the first floor, a wide open area came into view, and its high ceilings made it look more spacious. There I met Retrica Space, which was fantastically decorated with Retrica-filter-based designs. The windows in mysterious colors that I saw outside were more beautiful inside, with bright sunlight streaming through. 

This building used to be an old glass factory for about 40 years before being transformed into a shared space for local creators. Such history of the building carries a considerable weight in giving vitality to the charms of Retrica. Diverse colors and lights came in through the windows to get blended in harmony, drawing wonderful gradations on the floor. At that moment, I felt that I could grasp Retrica’s philosophy of colors and lights in my hand.

Walk along the window seats to the back, and you will find a magical booth that will amaze you once again. This rectangular glass booth inscribed with the logos of Retrica and Yeonnamjang reflects back different colors on different sides as waves of sunlight break in from outside.

The inside of the booth is connected to the underground space. As sunlight streams onto the white walls of the basement, the colors and concentrations on the wall change slightly and by degrees, depending on the time and angle at which you look down. When you go downstairs, you can enjoy the feast of colors and lights cascading from the magical booth more vividly. For Retrica users, all these spaces are special photo zones that cannot be found easily anywhere else. 

Touch, drink, and possess filters 

To offer special experiences in special spaces, Retrica has come up with an idea: Retrica’s goods and limited-edition drinks based on Retrica’s Top 5 filters. User’s Top 5 filters are Azra, Caramel, Eastern, NewTan, and BlackAndWhite (B&W). Sticker packs and badges that have meticulously captured the color impressions and images pursued by the five filters are on display at a colorful space. 

If you get closer towards the counter, you can have a better view of the goods on display. You can check out the statements describing a filter and photos taken with that filter. It is more than amazing to see how simple and sensuous the illustrations for the five filters are. The stickers, which are round and thick, can go on your bag, cap, pens, makeup pouch or anywhere else and add about 200% of emotional touch.

I looked around the goods as long as I liked, got a few badges and sticker packs, and sat down for the challenge of limited-edition drinks. These drinks and coffees are also from the Top 5 filters and served only for the duration of time when Retrica Space is open. Azra, NewTan and Eastern are cocktail drinks, while Caramel and B&W are coffees. 

Azra is a cherry blossom cocktail in a lovely pink color, blended with a fragrant herb. It has an attractively refreshing taste, making you feel as if you had a flower in your mouth. 

Eastern, a blue lemon Curacao blended with lavender herb, depicts the blue shade of an early morning. It is a good drink to savor slowly as you look down at the lavender leaf on the drink.

NewTan is a detox drink with lime, lemon and matcha mixed in. It expresses exactly the emotional feel of the NewTan filter, which is characterized by yellow and green. 

Caramel is a coffee with a creamy texture and sweet and salty sea-salt caramels on it. It is a feast for your mouth, with the coffee soft on your throat and caramels providing a crunchy texture to the coffee.

BlackAndWhite is an einspanner made with strong Kenyan coffee beans. It represents the B&W filter that delivers the emotional appeals of a black and white film. 

I chose a sampler that gave me four choices. I chose three cocktails and one coffee. I was too curious about the limited-editions to settle for just one drink, and the sampler is a great option. It happened to be lunch time, so I ordered a meal, too. The limited-edition Retrica drinks accompanying the sandwich and pasta were simply fantastic.

I had a delightful afternoon, taking pictures, trying limited-edition drinks, looking around the goods, and enjoying myself at Retrica Space where light and colors mingle in harmony and blend. Why not visit Retrica Space and experience Retrica offline? I am sure that you will have lasting memories of fantastic space experiences jazzed up with diverse colors and lights.