Genesis plants roots in Southern California with new design studio
Genesis has officially unveiled its new design hub in Southern California: Genesis Design California, a bold, 80,000-square-foot facility in El Segundo dedicated to elevating the brand’s creative ambitions. This new studio represents a major step in Genesis’s strategy to weave deeper into the fabric of the North American market, and to bring its vision closer to U.S. consumers. In the anniversary year of the brand’s founding, this bold move underscores how central design is to Genesis’s identity.
The facility houses about 45 designers who will work locally while connecting seamlessly with Genesis’s global studios in Seoul and Frankfurt. The site aims to foster a cross-continental creative flow, enabling continuous collaboration across time zones. With this, Genesis is doubling down on its design vision, affirming that Genesis is not just about performance and luxury, but about an emotional, design-driven experience.
Indeed, Genesis design is brand, and brand is design. Luc Donckerwolke, Chief Creative Officer for Genesis, describes the California studio as “the embodiment of this.” He adds, “It embraces our distinctly Korean identity, creating a space that inspires creativity.” The design approach is not superficial but deeply cultural, linking Genesis’s Korean roots to its global aspirations.
A space built for creativity, calm, and connection
Walking into the El Segundo studio, visitors and designers alike are greeted by natural light, open volumes, and thoughtful transitions between interior and exterior. The architecture leverages Southern California’s abundant sunlight and temperate climate, intentionally pulling design into the realm of atmosphere, not mere function. According to MotorTrend, “Creativity doesn’t happen inside four walls. [This design center] … is strategically designed to give people the freedom to move around and really be able to change your environment every day.”
Beyond the spatial freedom, the studio includes a full suite of creative facilities:
- A dedicated Color, Materials & Finishes (CMF) lab
- Clay modeling and 3D printing workshops
- Digital design labs with active scanning and prototyping tools
- A quiet library and research lounge
- Flexible open-workspace zones
- Private acoustic “felt-wrapped” pods for focused work
- Outdoor garden lounges and a rooftop patio
- A tea platform in the lobby inspired by Korean tradition
This layering of settings, from collaborative zones to private retreats, aims to let designers shift between ideation, reflection, and hands-on craft. The meditative aesthetic of the studio is intentional: Genesis wants the environment to feel calm, light, and intentionally restrained, so that design inspiration can flourish.
Strategic implications: more than a showpiece
Though the studio is a bold physical statement, it also holds practical significance for Genesis’s growth. First, it roots more creative authority in the U.S. By embedding design talent stateside, Genesis can respond more agilely to North American tastes, trends, and market dynamics. As José Muñoz, President & CEO of Genesis, stated: “Genesis Design California embeds our team directly in the U.S. market, ensuring we design vehicles that truly resonate with North American customers.”
Second, the studio is not limited to conventional vehicle design. The roadmap includes projects in air mobility, robotics, and visual storytelling, expanding Genesis’s definition of mobility-themed creativity. This echoes Genesis’s broader push into multidisciplinary design and lifestyle narratives, and ensures the California studio becomes a node for future innovation.
Third, having design centers in three global locations – Seoul, Frankfurt, and now El Segundo – enables a round-the-clock feedback loop. The global creative cadence means concepts and concept refinements can move fluidly across teams and continents, minimizing latency in decision cycles.
John Krsteski, Senior Chief Designer for Genesis North America, said: “A studio like this is such a rare thing to create… strategically designed to give people the freedom to move around and really be able to change your environment every day.” His words capture the philosophy: it’s not just about the tools, but about an environment that adapts with creative needs.
Tying Korean heritage to SoCal sensibility
Throughout this new space, Genesis keeps its foundational design ethos alive. The studio’s vocabulary, from its warm wood tones to the meditative layout, reflects its Korean DNA. Meanwhile, touches of Southern California, like abundant daylight, indoor-outdoor connectivity, & planted gardens, compose a localized twist. Genesis seeks to blend these identities, not superficially but organically.
One signature detail: the lobby’s tea platform, inspired by Korean hospitality customs. It’s a gesture toward “Son-nim” (a Korean concept of honored guest) and shows that Genesis wants every visitor to feel welcome in its creative domain. In addition, outdoor lounge areas echo the SoCal lifestyle, stitching together a sense of place with design emotion.
The new studio is more than a workspace, it is Genesis’s spatial manifesto, a blending of Korean design thinking with Californian light, nature, and ethos.
What this means for Genesis’s next chapter
With this bold new design studio, Genesis is charting a new phase of its evolution. The move reinforces that this is a brand that bets on design leadership, not just engineering. Customers will increasingly experience that DNA in upcoming models, in visual storytelling, and in innovation that extends beyond the car itself.
By planting roots in Southern California, Genesis signals long-term commitment to the U.S. market. It also streamlines its creative operations, accelerates design cycles, and forges greater alignment between brand identity and product execution.
Expect future Genesis models to increasingly reflect this cross-pollination of vision. In the coming years, the fingerprints of this studio will likely show in fluid surface treatment, elegant proportions, refined interiors, and in design cues that echo both Korean discipline and Californian spirit.
In short: Genesis has laid a powerful foundation, not just for a new design studio, but for the next generation of emotionally resonant, globally minded luxury vehicles.
