The origin of the officetel tree has been a mystery to North American and Asian gardeners for over three centuries. This shrub is native to Japan, Korea and China. Its distribution is restricted to Korea and the isolated regions of Asia. The officetel is

Although a lot of research has been done about the history of the original officetel founder, very little has been done to explore the possible origins of this portmanteau. Seo-tong is the Korean term for officetel. In the United States however, the term "neotong" is used for the umbrella tree also known as the American officetel, California poppies or red poppies. It's sometimes called the California poppy. Named after an American ornal painter, the name is derived from the fact that he used the poppies to decorate his back room. Edwin Cezanne, an avid art lover brought the poppies from China to America in 1907. The widely recognized picture of the Chinese student-hummingbirds is based on his painting, "The Return of the Mandarin", (1907).

From the foregoing it should be clear that the origin of the name "portmanteau" had nothing to do with hummingbirds and was instead based on another less well-known Asian herb. Ironically, the same plant (the scented oriental orriel), which is sometimes incorrectly called "ginseng", provides the main source for the Korean popular tea, keoladeo. It's often found in Korean residential architecture. However, while the herb does not share the name with the portmanteau, the similarities between the two Asian herbs do lead some to draw a parallel between the two Korean housing typologies.

Like most Korean house styles, the kitchen is where most of the action occurs in the home. In the traditional model, the kitchen is separated from the dining room - an office space typically devoted to preparing food for family meals - and the main room, or bungalow, by an adjacent stairway. The design rationale was to prevent the two rooms from competing for scarce kitchen space, which was often a premium in the colonial era. Today, in the modern apartment, the kitchen / dining room boundary has been largely erased, creating a large living room in addition to the two traditional home areas.

Other homemakers may have trouble coming up with a good homemaking design and may need additional assistance from a housing designer. The officetel-style architecture found in Korean apartments allows for a wide range of design options that could be integrated into a typical kitchen. For example, most Korean condominiums have a "chard"-style tiered kitchen that is arranged in concentric circles. This gives the kitchen an almost botanical look. These are some of the most popular homemaking tools:

The cast-iron fireplace is a traditional homemaker's favorite. It consists of a stove, sometimes accompanied by small refrigerator, a cutting board, and several wooden spoons. In addition to the kitchen appliances, the cast-iron incendium can also serve as an art display or even a place to hang art pieces. The stove and the accompanying benches used to be located on the 2nd level of a bungalow. These fixtures are very rare today, except for a few models made in modernist architecture and by highly-skilled manufacturers. Modernists seem to have managed to eliminate or minimize the traditionalist aspect of Korean homes.

As it was first introduced in Korea, the officetel can be described as one of the essential amenities which comprise the support system for any Korean home: the portmanteau. While Korean hotels and ports don't have the same regal splendor as medieval times, some still adhere to the standards of their predecessors. The bathroom and toilet are two examples of interior spaces that have been emphasized. They both feature large, porcelain-topped doors and beautiful etched and stained glass bottoms. These aren't the only places where you can find these amazing works of art. The bungalow exteriors are often decorated in the exact same extravagant style.

As  안산op  can see, the original use of the officetel by Koreans was not only a sign of refinement, but also a way to showcase the superiority of their culture. The Korean officetel, just like the flower bouquet or mirror that a Korean woman will use to show off her culture before others, is an integral part of Korean culture. You may want to add it to your home to make it more representative of the traditions of Korea. To learn more about Korean etiquette and the tradition of the officetel, visit the website below.