Cars, Dining, Fashion Collabs: Genesis House Sets The Stage For Luxury

Forbes

21-04-2025

New York City's Genesis House
The most exciting reveal at the New York Auto Show didn't happen at the Javits Center; it unfolded a mile south at Genesis House, the showroom, restaurant and event space in the city's Meatpacking District.
There, in an expansive light-filled space paved with honeyed floors and accented by modern artwork, the Genesis team created the ultimate setting to reveal its latest innovation, the X Equator off-road SUV.
Following the fanfare and snapping of cameras, the guests were guided down a flight of stairs and into a lower level theater where yet another reveal would take place. There, with more tightly curated lighting, screens and sound, a true theatrical experience took place: Amid a zooming swirl of speed and sound emerged the Genesis Hypercar and the debut of the Genesis Magma Racing team, a new world-class effort focused on competing at Le Mans.
Just after the Hypercar took the stage but before media and fans came closer, Hyundai executives including global CEO José Muñoz, North American CEO Randy Parker, chief creative officer Luc Donckerwolke and vice president of design Sang Yup Lee took to the stage for a group photo to celebrate the announcement.
The evening's showcase is just one raison d'être for Genesis House, the three-level showroom and 'embassy of Korean Culture,' said Rachel Espersen, executive director, brand experience at Genesis House. Drawing on an expression Donckerwolke is known for, 'design is brand and brand is design,' the mission of the venue is to embody the Genesis philosophy of creativity and hospitality in a single immersive space through events and collaborations. With this mission, Genesis House opened in New York just nearly four years ago.
In the time since, Genesis House has become a go-to place in the fashionable Meatpacking District as well as a destination for immersion in modern Korean culture. Creative collaborations include those with production designer Ethan Tobman, floral designer Jeff Leatham and with the Council of Fashion Designers of America on a fashion incubator, the Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant.
And, it's become known for as a culinary destination.
Guests get a ringside seat to the Genesis House kitchen
You'd be forgiven for darting into Genesis House and dashing right up the stairs to the second floor restaurant and tea house. The setting, notable for a traditional wood ceiling that mimics the rooflines of Korean villages built with age-old tongue and groove carpentry rather than hammer and nails, creates a space as quaint as it is chic.
And it sets the stage for a culinary experience, with lunch and dinner offered as a tasting menu of traditional Korean dishes in a modern presentation, or an a la carte dinner menu featuring many of the same items on the tasting menu. To complement, Genesis House cellars a world-class wine lists and the most expansive list of Korean spirits in New York, 28 in all.
The Genesis GV80 Coupé on display at Genesis House
At the first floor entrance to Genesis House, guests are greeted by product specialists who are knowledgeable about the cars on display as well as the materials, design details and other factors that go into commissioning a Genesis vehicle. Armed with iPads and sample materials on display, buyers can see, touch and feel the variety of trim and color options available for any of the brand's models.
Throughout the space guests will find the lineup of vehicles, from the GV60 electric SUV to the G80 luxury sedan to the GV80 Coupé, the brand's latest SUV. There, they can sit in the cars, try the technology and get a feel for the seats and upholstery, though test drives are not available; that requires a visit to a dealership, something product specialists can also help with.
On some days, however, not all vehicles will be on display; guests may instead find concept cars or other displays that set the tone for the brand's design vision. And yet on other days, a collaborative exhibition may dominate the space, but the mission is always the same: to tell the Genesis story in a way that resonates among all the senses.
The Genesis X Equator at its Genesis House Reveal
Genesis could hardly have picked a better location for Genesis House, the only such space in the Genesis portfolio. Nestled between 14th Street and 10th Avenue, just West of the High Line and just south of Little Island Park, the venue's expansive windows offer a view of these iconic destinations. In warmer weather an outdoor terrace allows guests to bask in the sun and take in an even better view of the neighborhood.
Genesis House is open to the public, offering lunch and dinner, as well as tea service, Tuesday through Sunday. Guests are invited to tour the first floor showroom, dine on the second floor or simply relax in the reading room. Special events, however, are by invitation (and may impact restaurant hours) and are quite the coveted ticket, even when its not leading the fervor of the auto show just down the street.