Artists and makers: GOSATÉ
GOSATÉ is a wallpaper brand based in Gwangju, South Korea, dedicated to the archiving, research and reproduction of the country's largely forgotten wallpaper culture.
GOSATÉ was founded in 2022 by Baemui, a company dedicated to recording, researching and restoring Korea's vanishing architectural heritage. In dismantling and restoring hanok (traditional Korean houses), Baemui's founder began to uncover the wallpapers layered beneath. The custom of pasting fresh paper directly over the old had preserved a chronology of papers from the 19th century to the 1970s.
The name Gosaté derives from gosat, a native Korean word for the narrow lanes and alleyways of an old village. It reflects the brand's work of preserving the patterns found in ordinary homes.
GOSATÉ systematically conserves its archive of more than 300 patterns spanning the 19th century to the 1970s, documenting a tradition for which almost no prior record exists. GOSATÉ gives every rediscovered pattern a name chosen from the era it belongs to.
For its reproductions of roll wallpapers, sheet papers and floor papers (jangpan), GOSATÉ uses environmentally responsible methods. The aim is wallpaper as living heritage to be used in everyday life. A share of GOSATÉ's revenue funds the ongoing research and restoration of Korean wallpaper.
GOSATÉ collaborates with interior designers, brands, and film productions requiring period-accurate Korean interiors.
As there is no previous record or information about wallpaper in Korea, GOSATÉ always welcomes new insights from other wallpaper enthusiasts and researchers.
@baemui.naru
