Following food, fashion and beauty, Korean lifestyle accessories are filling foreigners' shopping baskets. Centered on interior accessories, commonly called "home-decor items," such as lighting and tableware, more people are seeking everyday sundries like fabrics and stationery.
According to related industries on the 29th, last year's sales in the life category at the global mall of the fashion platform W Concept (W Concept) rose 122% from a year earlier. During the same period, sales in the home interior institutional sector grew 80%. The W Concept global mall is a reverse direct-purchase platform for overseas consumers. Expanding global demand for Korean lifestyle products was reflected in the results.
In particular, interior accessories such as lighting and tableware from Korean native brands or designers are gaining word of mouth overseas for distinctive designs and quality that are hard to find. The analysis is that more foreigners want to recreate Korean-style interiors they encountered in drama, movies and variety shows in their own living spaces.
Moon jar lighting is a representative example. It is a product that reinterprets the moon jar, a traditional ceramic form, as a modern interior accessory. It serves as lighting when it is dark and as an objet (decorative item) during the day. The symbolism of the moon jar, such as luck or abundance, is also drawing foreigners' interest.
Interest in native brands is also expanding. Songwol Towel, which has researched towels for more than 70 years, is targeting younger consumers and foreigners at the same time by reorganizing the brand. It developed its own character "Taolkkoon," is pursuing external brand collaborations, and is expanding its lineup to clothing and kitchenware bags using towel materials.
As more foreigners enjoy Korean food, interest in tableware is also on the rise. Spoon-and-chopstick sets, rice and soup bowls, and shot glasses are drawing attention. In the past, they were consumed mainly as decorations, but recently foreigners are seeking tableware such as ceramics for practical everyday use.
A similar trend is appearing in offline stores. 29CM, Musinsa's lifestyle platform, operates the select shop "29HOME Seongsu" in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, which recorded 620,000 cumulative visitors within six months of opening. Foreigners accounted for an average of 34% of monthly sales.
At 29HOME Seongsu, not only interior items such as lighting and tableware but also fabric sundries like pillow covers, pouches and keyrings are popular among foreigners. Given the products' small size and portability, demand is rising for souvenirs and gifts.
Foreign consumption is spreading into everyday categories such as stationery. The number of foreign visitors to stationery stores such as Artbox and Point of view is steadily increasing. At Artbox's stores in major commercial districts like Hongdae, Myeong-dong and Seongsu, 70% to 80% of visiting customers were foreigners. More than 20 new stores opened just last year.
Point of view, considered a representative stationery store of Seongsu-dong, is so popular that people line up to enter on holidays. A significant share are foreigners. Point of view sells everyday stationery by domestic and overseas designers such as pens, notebooks and planners, as well as eco-bags, cards and postcards.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization's Korea Tourism Data Lab analysis released (credit card payment data by foreigners from 2018 to Sept. 2025), shopping accounted for 51% of spending by inbound foreign tourists. Per-capita spending rose 83% from 2019, just before the pandemic. The unit price fell, but the number of purchases jumped 124%, expanding total expenditure. In other words, the number of items bought in Korea more than doubled.