18/07/2026
MAHKJIP (막집)
Hyeja’s first Seoul space is located within MAHKJIP, a building designed by Korean architect Cho Byoung Soo.
The word Mahk (막) is difficult to translate. It does not simply mean rough or unfinished. Instead, it describes a distinctly Korean way of seeing beauty—not in perfection or refinement, but in things that remain honest, spontaneous, and naturally shaped by everyday life.
Rather than restoring an old hanok and neighboring house to appear new, MAHKJIP preserves their original character. Weathered timber, old roof tiles, repaired surfaces, and traces of use are allowed to remain, becoming part of the architecture itself.
For Cho Byoung Soo, Mahk is not an aesthetic of imperfection for its own sake. It is the belief that beauty emerges when nothing more than what is necessary is added, allowing materials, people, and time to speak for themselves.
Today, MAHKJIP continues as THEILMA THEILMA Seoul, where Hyeja presents its first Seoul space, 〈Grandmother’s Room〉.
Like MAHKJIP, Hyeja finds beauty in what has quietly endured—objects softened by time, traces of care, and the ordinary moments that deserve to be remembered as we move into the future.