Andrew Roberts went from military veteran to homeless to disrupting a luxury industry
dominated by designers twice his age
The wine cellar design industry has an age problem. Walk into any major firm and you’ll meet principals in their 50s, 60s, even 70s. Designers who built their reputations over decades. Craftsmen who learned their trade before the internet existed. Firms operating on systems established when fax machines were cutting-edge technology.
Then there’s Andrew Roberts. He’s 31.
As founder and principal designer of Prestige Wine Cellars, Roberts has become the youngest wine cellar design and build firm CEO in the world. And he’s taking market share from competitors who have been in business longer than he’s been alive. “All of my competition are in their 50s or older,” Roberts states. “Because I’m young, I’m hungrier to prove myself but I also have a creative touch that my competition doesn’t have.”
That creative touch translates into what Roberts calls functional art. One-of-one wine cellars that blend the client’s personal taste, style, and life’s work with design elements his older competitors simply don’t consider. Modern architecture. Contemporary technology. Aesthetic choices that resonate with younger luxury buyers who want more than traditional wood and wrought iron.The age gap represents more than just years. It represents different design languages, different client expectations, and fundamentally different approaches to luxury.
Roberts’ competitors built their businesses in an era when wine cellars served a single purpose: storage. Climate control, capacity, and accessibility mattered. Design was secondary. Clients wanted functional spaces that protected valuable collections, not architectural statements.
That market still exists.
But a new generation of luxury buyers wants something different. They want wine cellars that reflect their personal brand. Spaces that integrate seamlessly with
modern home design. Technology that connects to smart home systems. Lighting that creates ambiance beyond basic illumination.
Roberts speaks that language fluently because he’s living in the same cultural moment as these clients. He understands Instagram aesthetics. He follows contemporary architecture trends. He knows what makes a space feel current versus dated. “I approach my craft as functional art, creating truly custom wine cellars that blend the client’s
personal taste, style, and life’s work with a piece of my own heart and soul,” Roberts explains. “This is a legacy for me.” That perspective emerged from a journey nobody would wish on anyone.
Roberts is a military
veteran who found himself homeless and sleeping on the streets. Not knowing when his next meal would come or where he’d sleep became his daily reality.
“Being homeless was definitely a major challenge,” Roberts reflects. “But I trusted God, and that whatever I was going through was for a reason, to teach me and guide me in my life’s journey. Although that was one of the hardest times of my life, it was paramount in creating the man I am today.”
A friend eventually secured him an interview with a California company that designed and built wine cellars. Roberts flew to Irvine for training and quickly demonstrated natural aptitude. Within three months, he’d mastered enough of the trade to be relocated to Austin, Texas to open an office.
He excelled fast,
landing significant projects and proving he could compete in the luxury market. But success revealed problems. The owner wasn’t running a sound business and was drowning in financial troubles. After a year and a half, Roberts left to start Prestige Wine Cellars.
The decision to launch his own firm at such a young age in an industry dominated by established veterans seemed audacious. But Roberts had advantages his older competitors couldn’t match.
He was hungrier.
Having experienced genuine hardship, he approached every opportunity with intensity that comes from knowing what it’s like to have nothing.
He was more creative.
Without decades of established patterns, he could experiment with design approaches that challenged conventional thinking. He was more connected to contemporary culture.Modern architecture, current design trends, and emerging technology weren’t foreign concepts he needed to learn. They were the language he already spoke.
The results speak through his client list.
Celebrities he can’t name due to NDAs. Top hospitality groups including Red Ash, The Guest House, Boa Steakhouse, 1618 Asian Fusion, Cambria Hotels, and Muckleshoot Casino. Projects that range from private residences to commercial installations.
Each project carries Roberts’ signature approach: truly custom design that treats wine storage as an art form rather than a utilitarian necessity. Prestige Wine Cellars has already scaled from Austin to Dallas and Houston. The five-year plan targets California, Las Vegas, Arizona, and Florida markets with showrooms in each location.
The goal is clear
become the nation’s leading custom wine cellar designer and builder. It’s an ambitious vision for someone who was homeless just years ago. But Roberts has already
accomplished what seemed impossible. Building a successful luxury business from scratch. Competing against established firms with decades of reputation. Taking market share in an industry where relationships and legacy typically matter more than innovation.
For the 50-something CEOs watching a 31-year-old disrupt their comfortable market, Roberts represents an uncomfortable truth: age and experience don’t guarantee relevance when culture shifts.
The luxury buyers signing contracts with Prestige Wine Cellars aren’t making charitable decisions. They’re choosing quality, creativity, and contemporary design sensibility. They’re
selecting someone who understands their aesthetic vision because he’s living in the same cultural moment.
And they’re betting on hunger. The kind that only comes from someone who once had nothing and refuses to go back.
Connect with Andrew Roberts:
Website https://www.theprestigecellars.com/
Instagram: @prestigewinecellars
Facebook: @prestigewinecellars
YouTube: @prestigewinecellars
Email: [email protected]
