Andrew Han: Building Worlds, Not Just Stores

Andrew Han
Designer, Gensler, Los Angeles / Age: 32
Favorite Animal: Quokka

WHY ANDREW?

As a lead designer in Gensler’s Retail Practice Studio, Andrew approaches retail environments as both storyteller and strategist, translating brand identity into immersive, buildable experiences. Across concept development, visualization and execution, he leads teams through the creative process, ensuring ideas carry through to the final built environment.

Andrew has contributed to several high-profile projects that blur the lines between entertainment, hospitality and retail. For Netflix’s first-ever Netflix House destinations (shown), he led visualization efforts shaping the spatial narrative of the experiential concept, helping bring together theatrical show environments, gaming, dining and retail into a cohesive journey. He also played a key role in the development of Wayfair’s first brick-and-mortar store, translating the digital brand into a physical flagship and helping design its signature purple façade system.

Andrew worked extensively on the newsworthy Netflix House project. PHOTO: NETFLIX

Inside the studio, Andrew is known as much for mentorship as design talent. He actively coaches junior designers, leads internal workshops and serves on the firm’s Internship Committee, helping cultivate the next generation of retail designers. Outside the office, his creative pursuits extend to furniture design collaborations and recognition in published works – including contributions to Coy Howard’s book “The Silhouette of Feeling” – demonstrating a design mindset that reaches well beyond the store floor.

Who or what has been the greatest influence on you in your work?

I credit my mother as one of the greatest influences on my work. As a single working parent, she owned and operated several small businesses, designing each of her stores herself. Although her spaces were created with cost efficiency in mind (and catered to middle-aged women’s apparel) I was always involved. I remember tagging alongside her to Home Depot helping to load light fixtures or just waiting around her office selecting my favorite paint samples that never got used. Those early experiences gave me firsthand insight into the realities of small-business ownership and the practical challenges behind building a store. Today, as a design professional, I approach projects with a heightened sense of empathy and attentiveness. Understanding that perspective from an owner managing budgets, timelines and personal investment allows me to be more detail-oriented in my designs and more thoughtful in addressing each client’s goals and constraints.

What role do you see physical stores playing in the future?

I believe physical stores are becoming increasingly important. Their role has evolved beyond simple transactions to encompass experience, activity, community and culture. I anticipate, and hope to see, retail environments continue to develop as cultural hubs. We are already witnessing the rise of multi-use retail concepts that integrate food and beverage, sports and entertainment. This shift from product-focused spaces to lifestyle-driven environments reinforces the idea of retail as a platform for culture. As retail continues to extend beyond traditional “shopping,” physical stores will become experience-driven destinations that cultivate deeper emotional connections with their audiences. Similar to how the shopping mall serves as a social hub for communities, the retail store can evolve into culture hubs, promoting brand-driven experiences.

What’s the biggest challenge you have faced professionally?

Learning to manage and develop myself. As a young professional in the constantly evolving field of architecture, I have often felt the pressure to grow in many directions at once. Over time, I have learned the importance of being focused and intentional with my efforts to align with my career direction. With the intention of becoming a design leader, my challenges have shifted from task-based problem solving to people-centered leadership. Serving as a team leader has strengthened my skills in client management, team coordination, and time management, while deepening my understanding of how to guide projects through collaboration and clear communication.

My favorite thing to do when I leave the office is…

…say hi to my doggy at home.

If I had a completely unlimited budget for a project, I would…

…push for material innovations and community/cultural impact.