In the quiet Yangpyeong County away from the bustle of Seoul stands a quaint coffee shop… the Dreamy Camera Café, quite a stunning visual, almost out of a dream.
Built in the shape of a Rolleiflex Twin Lens camera, the unusual looking café was conceptualized and set up by former air force pilot Park Sung Hwan, who had a yen for photography. After years of planning, Hwan and wife Kwak Myung Hee got the structure up alongside their home in the serene countryside.
While still in school it was Hwan’s dream to be a pilot. He joined the Korean armed forces in 2000 and soon became a helicopter pilot. After he left the forces he evinced keen interest in the hotel business. In his pursuit he had the full support of wife Kwak Myung Hee, also a pilot who had voluntarily retired from the forces.
Obviously, the camera was the inspiration behind the structure. Hwan had taken to photography 12 years ago and it clung to him like a passion. He soon started collecting old cameras, which almost turned to be an obsessive hobby. Though the couple had settled on modelling the building after a Leica Rangefinder, they had to switch plans for technical reasons. That’s how over a period of one year the Rolleiflex 2.8 F took shape in 2013.
The double floored building with rectangular windows stands at a height of 30 ft from ground level. Along with the coffee served, visitors can have a look at Hwan’s camera collection. The café has been daintily and tastefully set up with color pencils at each table and bits of paper on which you can scribble all that you want to and leave them for others to read. You can also pen your impressions of the café. The menu comes within what looks like a photo album and the paper towel dispenser looks like a film roll. You can click your pictures within and outside Dreamy café and leave them on the walls of the café.
With its scenic background and dream effects, the Dreamy Camera Café is an idyllic getaway for tourists and natives.
