South Korea’s Cafe Dreamy May Be the Strangest and Coolest Cafe in the World

Let’s see what we have here: a two-story cafe resembling a vintage German Rolleiflex film camera next to a small residence on a South Korean countryside.

 

This has to be Photoshop, right? Perhaps an April Fools joke?

 

It is neither. It is Cafe Dreamy, a two-story functioning cafe in Yangpyeong County in South Korea, about 50 miles East of Seoul. It is the brainchild, construction project and lifelong lifestyle dream a married couple of camera-obsessed Army aviation pilots, one active and one retired. Designed by the couple — they also custom built much of the interior woodwork — the shop and home were built in 2012, and the cafe has since become a popular tourist attraction. (Note to travelers: It is closed on Tuesdays.)

 

Inside, custom wood displays show off working vintage cameras, along with toy cameras and replicas, while shelves are filled with photography books, and original photography lines the walls. A small homey office and kitchen space — complete with grinders, brewers and an espresso machine — occupies much of the first floor space.

 

Rolleiflex cameras made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, which later Rollei-Werk, were a high-end line that continue to be highly prized by collectors and camera buffs alike. And now there is a monument.

cafe dreamy rolleiflex at night
vintage camera inspired cafe dreamy design
cafe dreamy second floor photo gallery
A pre-construction rendering
Cafe Dreamy welcome sign
The cafe dreamy slab. Photo from August 2012.
cafe dreamy vintage cameras woodwork
The condiment bar
cafe dreamy korea menu
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