|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
As senior director of brand environments at Vuori, Laura Vacca Terry is simply a step above most of her contemporaries. While some people with her job title are curators who assemble the right people for the right project, Terry has often physically designed and built the furniture, the fixtures, and any other number of visuals for the brands she’s worked for, including Vuori, prAna, Neiman Marcus, and Anthropologie.
Terry jokes that she spends at least as much time in 3D modeling environments (from her home office) as in the real world. On top of personally designing and leading the team responsible for bringing to life Vuori’s store environments, both domestically in the US and internationally, Terry also played a critical role in crafting the brand’s new headquarters in Carlsbad, California.
The nearly 200,000 square feet space was formerly home to both GoPro and Walmart. Terry needed to tie both spaces together as a new home for Vuori while reusing and recycling as much as possible.
“Every time I work on a project, I want to find ways to repurpose and throw away as little as possible,” Terry explains. “A lot of people want to demo the entire space and start from scratch, but I hate the idea of creating so much trash. I hate wasting things. Fortunately, that idea has a lot of traction here.”
Terry custom designed furniture, workspaces, and other elements, all the while ensuring that her vision reflected the brand identity that Vuori Founder/CEO Joe Kudla had established. With her close-knit team, the work produced a fresh and natural space filled with what Terry describes as a “sanctuary of calm with an abundance of live plants and radiant sunlight.” Good luck finding a room full of cubicles; teams meet and mingle in oversized lounge areas.
Terry says she’s been heartened by the response she’s gotten from employees, who began moving into the new space in February 2024. One of her favorite comments is that the new HQ feels more like an oversized home than an office.
“I wanted to create a place where people feel inspired and encouraged every day,” the senior director explains. “I want people to immediately feel comfortable when they walk in the door.”
The HQ build— was a tremendous responsibility and necessity for the expanding team, while showcasing Terry’s multifaceted vision and skill sets. Terry has also been designing customized spaces for Vuori’s international retail expansion, from Soho to Shanghai, through to the brand’s second store in London which recent opened on the world-renowned shopping destination, Regent Street.
Remarkably, Terry never steps foot in the store locations until construction is close to full completion and turn-over. After reviewing site photos and as-built drawings, she can envision the entirety of each space, from layout to finishes and product placement, within one sitting. Terry relies solely on blueprints and photographs to envision each individualized build.
“I know it may sound unusual, but after I see structural limitations I instantly get a clear vision for what the store should look like,” Terry says. “I have an amazing team that does site visits and gets me additional information. These aren’t the typical methods, but I don’t want to jinx it and change my design process I’ve followed for so many years. I get the idea and vision then go straight into designing it, ensuring structural integrity and other considerations. I don’t see the physical space until I’ve designed it and it’s been built.”
Vuori’s Soho store makes an instant impression in the form of a 50-foot-archway entrance. The store won an International Innovation Award for Lighting in a Retail Space from the Retail Design Institute.
Other spaces offer more challenging obstacles, like Vuori’s Shanghai store, located in the Jing An Kerry Centre. The L-shaped space could have seemed tight and claustrophobic, but it was anything but by the time Terry was finished with it. Taking inspiration from Vuori’s mountain-esque identity (the word “vuori” itself translates to “mountain” in Finnish), the senior director used natural-feeling lighting, soft geometric designs, and intentionally minimalist retail stock presentation. She leaned into “less is more” so as not to overwhelm customers with too much, too quickly.
“I wanted the space to feel open, naturally flowing, inviting, and serene,” Terry says. “It’s a calming space you feel good to be in.”
Due to the success of these projects, Terry has since taken over the brand presence for all Vuori’s international stores. If there is a space abroad that needs to make a statement, Terry is on it.
“Laura’s passion, vision and dedication are evident to all,” says Erin Morris, president of Erin Morris Architects. “We have the [good] fortune of collaborating with Laura since the early days of Vuori. Not only does she offer a vision and willingness to roll up her sleeves, but she is as kind and as caring as they come.”
In her personal life, Terry stays as busy as she is at work. She’s designed homes from scratch for friends and crafted props and merchandise for her children’s school. She seems to possess an endless willingness to share her gift with those around her.
“I feel blessed that I have a way to give back to people,” Terry says. “I love helping people any way that I can. That’s why I know I’m at the right place at Vuori. Our CEO, Joe Kudla, has such a big heart, and we’ve just been in lockstep from the beginning.”
At Erin Morris, we believe that architecture and design for growing brands should only exist with great service— our loyal portfolio of clients love our support in crafting modern spaces but also our proven process that makes everything feel easy. Specializing in full-service design and architecture for retail, wellness, hospitality, and rollout projects, we blend technical expertise with artistic vision to create spaces that stand out. Whether location number one or a 20+ store roll out, we take on the heavy lifting so you can focus on the rest.
