Cafe Comma

mongsang_magazine

Located in the quiet part of Yeonnam-dong, always bustling with people regardless of weekdays or weekends, is the book cafe 'Cafe Comma', operated by the publishing house 'Munhakdongne'. This place is designed around the combination of books and bread. Though books and bread are an unorthodox but harmonious combination, there aren't many places that use these two elements to create a space. It boasts an impressive facade, decorated with geometric patterns based on protruding forms using modules, which becomes even more attractive when it catches the light. The building utilizes pilotis at the entrance, seeming to welcome visitors specifically. Inside, it utilizes a skip floor and an open floor height to create various spaces. The 5-story structure actively opens the first and second floors, where you can watch bread being baked and coffee being brewed on the second floor. As you move to the third floor, the atmosphere feels heavier, appropriate for a bakery book cafe designed for concentration. Lastly, the fourth and fifth floors feature terraces, seamlessly connecting the interior and exterior. Cafe Comma stands out for its simple concept of bread and books but cleverly offers a variety of spaces across its 5 floors, allowing visitors to pick spaces that suit their purpose. This respects the concentration needed for reading, as people concentrate differently, some amid the white noise of a bustling space, others in complete silence, and some in spaces where the interior and exterior merge naturally. When I visited, the atmosphere varied with the floors; the second floor allowed free movement with cameras, unlike the third floor. Cafe Comma, thus, bakes a richer program with its singular concept, where bread is baked in ovens, stories are baked into books, and space matures over time, proposing a space for one's own complete concentration.