I am Minwoo Ahn, CEO of the spatial creativity group Ahn & Partners. I majored in Interior Design at Konkuk University and, after gaining about 10 years of professional experience both in Korea and abroad, I earned a master’s degree in Real Estate Development from the Graduate School of Real Estate Studies at Konkuk University. It was during this time that I established Ahn & Partners, a design firm that specializes in spatial planning and distinctive design based on an integrated spatial experience design process—ranging from high-end residential spaces to large-scale commercial environments. At Ahn & Partners, we do not set boundaries between interior, architecture, and landscape. Instead, we interpret all these elements as part of the user's experience from a holistic perspective, focusing on synthesizing them into a single spatial experience through design.

Please introduce your most representative projects.

Our representative projects include Wave House (residential) and Urban Grove and Park Avenue (commercial environments). First, Wave House is a residential project themed around “borrowed scenery” (chakyung). At Ahn & Partners, we approached the value of user experience within a detached house with depth, from interior design to landscaping and outdoor elements. The project was planned to connect experiences between indoor and outdoor spaces. Through the design process, the space was completed by emphasizing the connection between humans and nature. To highlight the natural borrowed scenery and its integration with the interior, we simplified the spatial divisions and forms while revealing the raw textures of materials—deliberately concealing modern functionalities. This approach allowed for a natural visual flow between the exterior and interior.

Urban Grove is the largest mixed-use commercial facility in Pyeongtaek, themed around “a space outside the city, within the city.” It is a pedestrian-oriented commercial environment project. Ahn & Partners led the overall direction, from product planning to architectural and landscape design. Completed in late May 2024, Urban Grove was not based on the trend of replicating exotic landmarks, which has been common in Korean commercial developments. Instead, it was planned based on the real user scenarios and experiences within the space. The project embodies our integrated spatial experience design philosophy, interpreting all design disciplines as parts of the user experience. It was realized through close collaboration with various partners in each field.

Please tell us about the ‘holistic lifestyle platform’ that Ahn & Partners is developing.

Our concept of a holistic lifestyle platform refers to the reconfiguration of separated spatial elements—such as architecture, interior design, and landscaping—into an integrated user experience within the context of space and environment. Rather than treating these components in isolation, we interpret them as a continuous experiential whole. This approach allows us to transform spatial environments from simple hardware into lifestyle platforms that enrich daily life. Through the experiences offered by the platform, users can fulfill various lifestyle needs, and these experiences are concretized through the functions of each tenant. From this perspective, we aim to create organic environments where spatial experiences are seamlessly connected and tailored to people’s real-life needs.

What is your goal with integrated spatial experience design?

As the online market continues to grow, modern commercial environments have evolved into experience-driven spaces. These experiences are increasingly complex and multifaceted, shaped by users’ diverse lifestyles. Furthermore, the boundaries between physical and digital shopping experiences are becoming more fluid, reflecting a global trend in consumer behavior. In response to these changes, our goal is to create world-class lifestyle platforms within Korea’s large-scale commercial environment market—platforms that address and enrich the ever-expanding and complex expectations of users. Our first step toward achieving this was to have our planning and design capabilities objectively validated through renowned global design awards. Through this process, we aim to continuously enhance our real estate product planning and design methodology.

What positive impact have global design awards had on your company?

For nearly a decade, ANN&PARTNERS has focused on designing and planning environments that encompass architecture, interiors, and landscaping—shaping spaces people experience based on their lifestyles, particularly within the realm of commercial environments in Korea. After many trials and errors, we were honored to receive over 30 accolades across 19 global design awards in 7 countries over the past two years, including ASIA DESIGN PRIZE, K-DESIGN AWARD, iF, GDA, and AMP AWARD. Through these global awards, we gained the opportunity to objectively validate our integrated spatial experience design approach and cultivate a more globally balanced design perspective. The humble mindset fostered through this challenging process, as well as the validation we earned on the international stage, has become a valuable trust asset for our future clients. Building on this, we are now integrating cutting-edge technologies like AI to further enhance our planning capabilities.

Is there a principle or belief you never give up as a designer?

I believe that design has its own language. At ANN&PARTNERS, our design language can be described as “purpose-driven contextual thinking.” For us, design is not simply about offering a certain experience to the user—it's about understanding why that experience is necessary and delivering a clear message through the space. This purpose must be naturally shaped by context and serve as a consistent principle that runs through the entire project. From this perspective, my partners and I strive to explore both strategy and creativity, aiming for a balanced and coherent design approach.

We firmly believe that design has the power to make the world a better place. In our modern era, we also believe that the quality of experience is more important than quantity—because a single moment of emotional resonance can be more valuable than two fleeting amusements. At ANN&PARTNERS, we seek to discover what experiences people truly desire and to create value through innovation by connecting people and space. Through the power of creativity, we aim to break boundaries, solve problems through collaboration, and transform places into destinations by fusing creative design with world-class content.