Black-and-white TVs, family mottos: Recreate old Seoul's living room in miniature

Families will soon be able to craft miniature versions of household items once found in old Seoul living rooms — black-and-white televisions, framed family mottos and more — through a new hands-on program that also lets participants recreate a "room from the past" to compare with today's home interiors.

The Seoul Museum of Living History announced that it will run "Family Living History Workshop: Recreating Old Seoul's Living Room in Miniature" every Saturday from Oct. 10 through Dec. 12, open to families with elementary school children.

The program opens with an audiovisual lesson themed "A room reveals a life," inviting participants to compare modern homes with the residential spaces of old Seoul.

Families then tour the museum's permanent exhibition "Dreams of Seoul People" in the Living History Gallery, exploring how living spaces — from bedrooms to sitting rooms — and the everyday objects inside them changed across different eras.

After the tour, participants return to the classroom to work with a local artist on the hands-on miniature-making session.

Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis per family through the Seoul Metropolitan Government's public service reservation website. The program runs for 10 sessions in total; applications for each session open the Wednesday 10 days before that session and close the Tuesday four days before it. Confirmed participants will be notified through the museum's website and by individual contact three days before their session.

"This program is an educational experience in which families work alongside a local artist to reconstruct the everyday life of old Seoul in miniature form," said Choi Hyeong-su, director of the Seoul Museum of Living History.