1970s Korean Vintage Wallpaper — Yungsik (original / Moth)

Yungsik was discovered in a 1960s hanok in Hwado-myeon, Ganghwa Island, and dates to the late 1960s–early 1970s. It is a ceiling paper whose repeating structure is built from interlocking ogee curves and quatrefoil forms — a vocabulary drawn from medieval European and Islamic architecture, simplified for Korean mass-printing. The interlocking frames scatter the eye across the ceiling surface, creating a visual rhythm that makes the plane feel larger than it is. At the centre of each unit sits a rosette motif — a star or flower form surrounded by abstract scroll arabesques closer to semi-abstract ironwork or linoleum ornament than to any botanical source. A dark circular stud at the diamond centre, ringed in gold, imitates the appearance of metal inlay tile without any metal. The defining visual trick of the pattern is its use of deep grey-blue and warm reddish-brown lines against the natural pulp tone: the thick grey-blue creates the illusion of cast shadow, making the flat paper read as if real plaster moulding had been applied to the ceiling. It is a trompe-l’œil of architectural luxury, produced at mass-market cost. The 1970s were the decade when ceiling wallpaper became standard in Korean homes as yangok-style housing spread, and Yungsik is a concentrated expression of that era’s aspiration. GOSATE’s reproduction digitally restores the original pattern, printed on premium non-woven base paper manufactured in Sweden. Available in two colorways: Original and Moth.   Roll size : 50cm by 10M Material : Non-woven paper Made in Sweden, Designed in Korea