WORD TO THE WISE — the suites at d room don’t have room numbers, so you’d better remember which door is yours. “It’s because we want you to feel at home, like you’re at a friend’s place,” says Jiwan Kim, founder of the members-only boutique hotel. D room is the first hospitality venture by D&DEPARTMENT, the Japanese chain of lifestyle and furniture stores founded by legendary design activist Kenmei Nagaoka. There are no room numbers, no magnetic keycards, and no narrow hallways that recall conventional hotels. “Nagaoka-san has dreamed of opening a hotel since he conceptualized his company more than 20 years ago,” Kim continues. “We are excited to finally make his vision come to life.”

If d room really was your friend’s pad — as Kim wants you to feel — then that friend is the most design-conscious and hospitable friend ever, who collects vintage everything and offers only locally sourced coffee. Every nook and cranny of the 13-room hotel is a midcentury modernist’s dream, fashioned from just the right balance of minimalism and a touch of lived-in coziness. 1950s and ’60s-designed furniture, mostly from Europe and Japan, is tastefully arranged throughout the common areas and guest rooms. Visitors can spot iconic chairs by Herman Miller, Fritz Hansen, and Castelli next to classic Karimoku tables and Poul Henningsen lamps. Modular steel bookshelves lining the raw brick walls house stacks of old books and magazines. Look closer, and you’ll also find exotic paraphernalia unique to Korea, from beautiful porcelain hangari and jangdok earthenware placed in certain corners to local farmers’ produce boxes that have found new purpose as side tables.

Staying true to D&DEPARTMENT’s roots as a design retailer, all of the hotel’s furniture and other objects are available for sale — everything from the books to the wall art, clothing hangers, towel racks, trash bins, upcycled bedding, and even the hair dryers and door tags. While not every item is secondhand or recycled, D&D takes great pride in curating products that last a lifetime.

“We believe in ‘long-life design,’” says Kim, referring to the term coined by Nagaoka to refer to timeless products with the potential to be reused again and again. “Recycling what’s already out there so as not to over-produce or over-consume is one of our most important founding principles. At d room, we want our guests to get to know the true value and longevity of these objects firsthand. It’s a full living retail experience,” he says. The hotel’s interior constantly changes as pieces are bought and swapped, giving each room a different look with every visit.

Nagaoka’s efforts to promote design sustainability have earned him the title of “design activist.” D&D not only sources used objects and fixtures from collectable brands, but also from local establishments and medical facilities. “We bring chairs from nearby schools, or dishware and cutlery from restaurants that go out of business,” says Myoung Eon Oh, d room Jeju’s manager. “They are perfectly good items that would otherwise go to waste.”

Kim, Oh, and the rest of the staff at d room take great care in maintaining a homey vibe to prevent the place from looking like a furniture showroom. On one side of the main common area, Kim has personally set up his old JVC sound system, accompanied by CDs that the staff also brought from home. It’s not a curated selection of music, but rather a casual offering, a small gesture to share their personal taste with the guests. Instead of stiff metal table signs, there are handwritten notes, with book recommendations of the week and descriptions of today’s coffee and tea.

My suite is narrow and high-ceilinged, with a bed in its own elevated mini-room, separated by warm wooden walls. There’s no ocean view typical of an island resort, but that’s quickly forgiven by the oddly serene ambience, thanks in part to the intentionally dim lighting. I change into the organic cotton pajama set provided in my size, and I actually do feel at home. “In order to ensure our visitors enjoy a quiet stay, we don’t allow children or outside guests to enter our hotel,” Kim later tells me. There are no visual distractions — no purposeless, ornate decorations, no TV. Away from the rush of the city and noise downstairs, I feel a sense of calm and ease I never knew I wanted.

D&D Jeju’s full and official name is “D&DEPARTMENT Jeju by Arario.” In 2014, Korea’s Arario Group, which runs several art museums and contemporary galleries throughout the country, began a cultural renewal project in Tapdong, starting by transforming Tapdong Cinema — Jeju’s first-ever movie theater, which went out of business in 2005 — into an art museum. After years of unsuccessful attempts at stimulating foot traffic in the area, Kim looked to Nagaoka’s expertise in lifestyle retail. “Nagaoka-san is known for his know-how in localizing in different cities, while preserving the character and tradition of each location,” Kim explains, referring to D&D’s stores, which each offer different products made by local artisans. “No two D&D shops are the same. We realized that in order to succeed, we had to offer something unique to Jeju that people couldn’t get anywhere else.”

About a third of D&D Jeju’s expansive shop, attached to the second-floor lobby, is filled with housewares, food and drink items, and design objects unique to Jeju. To create it, Kim and his team conducted two years of research and development, looking into Jeju’s traditional goods and local cuisine. “We visited street markets and scouted grandma-and-pop artisans — individual manufacturers who handcraft things like stone plates, wooden tables, and sun hats,” Oh recalls. “One of our partners is a family business that’s been brewing traditional liquor for four generations. These artisans have been in their trade for 40, sometimes 70 years. Some of them are named ‘Living National Treasure’ by the Korean ministry,” she says with a smile. Next to each meticulously displayed item in the shop are short descriptions of its maker, including how many years they’ve been active and their location on a map. It feels more like an exhibition than a retail store. “We want you to see their work here, and then actually go and visit them,” Oh adds. “Our curation is like a physical travel guide through the island, a new kind of design tour.”

Ultimately, Kim’s goal isn’t to make you stay or shop at d room; it’s to urge you to explore Jeju itself. “That goes for not only tourists, but also for locals who’ve lived here their whole lives,” Kim says. “There’s so much history and charm to be discovered on this island. Just use our rooms to take care of your lodging needs, and hopefully come again.”