Lisa Chung is design director with the Chicago office of global architecture firm Gensler. Born in South Korea, she and her family moved to Chicago when she was young. It was in the city that Chung fell in love with architecture.
Tell us about your background. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to school?
I was born in South Korea. My family moved to Illinois when I was little, and I grew up in the west suburbs of Chicago. We were always taking the Metra into the city, and through those trips, I discovered there was a beautiful art school in Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which is ultimately where I ended up going to school and graduating with a bachelor’s degree of Interior Architecture. There, I met so many international students and was able to dive into and celebrate my Asian culture even more.
How did you get your start in the industry?
My mom has a degree in fashion, and my dad is an engineer, so I got a good mix of both of their backgrounds. I was exposed to his logical thinking and problem-solving, while on the other hand, I was also exposed to all of the colors and textures my mom was playing with. I didn’t know what that meant for me in terms of profession, but the amazing experiences I had growing up, staying at a hotel or celebrating my birthday at a restaurant, had a big impact on me as I started thinking about what I wanted to do.
As a student, I had opportunities to work at different notable architecture and design firms in Chicago, which gave me a grad school-like experience. Although I was in an undergraduate program, working with those firms felt like a learning institute and really prepared me for joining the industry.
I graduated from School of the Art Institute of Chicago a few years after 9/11, and not many firms were hiring interior designers at that time. My first job in the market was at Holabird and Root as an architecture graphic designer, where I learned a lot about how they use graphic design to present architecture. Shortly after, I was able to move to a role in interior design.
Did you have a mentor who helped you get on your feet, or is there someone you turn to now for support?
Of course, my parents are my lifelong mentors, and at every firm I’ve worked, there has been someone who opened up their arms and took me under their wing. At Gensler, Lori Mukoyama, a design director and principal in my studio, has been everything: a mentor, supporter, advocate. I can look to her as a female leading in the design profession; as a working parent; as an Asian American – everything that I am.
I was her welcome buddy when she first started at Gensler, and we bonded immediately. She gives great advice, showing everyone that you can achieve what she has achieved. It is inspiring to see everything she is accomplishing. Even just looking at her, I think, “I can be her, too.”
What does an average day at work look like?
With a hybrid work schedule, there are designated days I go to the office. On those days, before going in to work, I have mommy duties, sending my 5-year-old to preschool. Because our teams spent a lot of time working virtually throughout the pandemic, I’m more strategic in making sure we have meaningful connections when in the office, and I spend 10 to 15 minutes connecting with colleagues in person on a more social level in the early and later parts of the day.
In terms of work, it changes day to day. I dive into emails first thing, and there are always meetings to attend throughout the day. Since stepping into my new role as designer director, I’m participating in more leadership meetings, such as staffing and studio management meetings. I also do a lot of coordinating with my team and with clients, tracking deadlines and rolling up my sleeves and diving into Revit to select finishes for projects I’m working on, which can be anything from a workplace amenity space to a wellness spa to hotel renovations.
What do you like most about your job?
At the end of the day, it’s about the people who occupy the space. Whether it’s a restaurant where someone will get proposed to, or an office amenity space that is a place for people to relax in throughout the day, being able to impact a someone’s day-to-day, or a special day in their lives, is such a treat. The spaces I’m designing are creating special memories or an environment where people can be their best, and that’s what inspires everything I do. Also, imagining something in my head and seeing it come to life is something I am still in awe about 20 years in.
Looking to the future, what do you hope to achieve/work on that you have not already?
I really want to blur the lines between the different disciplines. Even with my hospitality background, I have collaborated with teams in the work and healthcare practice areas, where projects extend beyond finishes and furniture selection into how the end user is emotionally experiencing the space, how it is remembered and how it can be more effective.
My goal is to take our hospitality team’s talent and share it with projects that span verticals. I want to continue to demonstrate how hospitality design can be applied to other disciplines – not to bring that design style, but the strategy behind each design decision to make workplaces feel more hospitable or to bring a resort-style feel to hospitals. Whether it’s sourcing a specific product or how we plan for strategic movement of guest experience and journey mapping, there is much that is transferable from hospitality design.
How do you spend your time away from the office?
Both my husband and I work, so any and every time we have a spare moment, we spend time with our 5-year-old. He gets us outside and experiencing places I wouldn’t normally go, visiting museums, parks and restaurants, which is also a learning experience for me. I get to observe how people interact with spaces, whether it’s successful examples or something that could be improved, and then think about how I can take that information and apply it to my own projects. I catch myself at museums analyzing about how they’ve curated the exhibit and at playgrounds, seeing how kids interact with each other and the obstacles or amplifiers for their synergy together. It’s just in my nature. He is my muse and looking at the world through a 5-year-old’s lens is impressive.
