VUORI, New York
Category: Specialty Softlines
Submitted by: Heitler Houstoun Architects, PC
Photography: Leandro Justen, New York, New York
🏆 This project received an Innovation Award for Lighting.
Vuori’s first East Coast flagship store is located at 106 Spring Street, in NYC’s Soho neighborhood. The brand’s clean, California coastal aesthetic was thoughtfully juxtaposed against the historic vernacular of the Cast Iron District. The 5,000 sf space tells the story of the brand in key architectural moments along the customer journey.
(Photography by Leandro Justen, New York, New York)
The sales floor is bright and airy with a restrained material palette that compliments the brand’s earthy colorways. A practical need to isolate sound from the residential units above was taken as an opportunity to create a ceiling feature that feels as though a large portion of the sales floor is open to the sky. A custom stretched fabric with LED backlighting is wrapped in natural oak edge-banding to create a central focus for the space when floor fixtures are moved and the space is activated by yoga class. The Vuori flagship was imagined not just as a shopping hub, but also as a community hub to celebrate and inspire a ‘healthy, happy life.’
The ceiling also provides an opportunity to intentionally juxtapose the clean design language of the brand and the historic fabric of the site. The original cast iron columns, which are featured in the main space, meet the newly constructed ceiling at recessed pockets that allow the ornate details of the column capitals to be seen from below - a solution that both preserves access to the historical texture and meets the acoustic isolation requirements of the residential space above.
At the far end of the sales floor, overlooking Mercer Street is an arched seating cove that presents the brand message. An opportunity is provided to sit and reflect on the brand message with all of the natural materials in the palette. A custom bench in white oak and terrazzo mirrors the design of the display platforms on the sales floor, while hand-troweled mineral lime plaster creates a soft backdrop for the pin-mounted message. Following this introduction to the brand, a 40-foot-long hall leads the customer to the fit lounge. The hall is designed as a transitional experience from a store that is very location-specific and activated by the street to the fit lounge which is very protected and quiet. A series of edge-lit arches transport the customer into a place where you are reminded to Run. Surf. Hike. Train and Chill. Two custom millwork pieces anchor the center and the end of the hall with backlit brand messages milled through plaster. The fit lounge receives customers with a large, layered, custom millwork and lighting installation that recalls the very definition of Vuori - a Finnish word meaning “mountain”. A curved seating area and central pendant create an intimate gathering space just outside the private fit rooms.
The space is a series of apparent contradictions, at once very active and meditative. It is elevated and accessible. It is meant to be aspirational in the most achievable way, fully aligned with the ethos of the brand.
Architect: Heitler Houstoun Architects
General Contractor: PM Construction Services
Outside Design Consultants: EP Engineering, LLC, RL Studio, and Vuori
Suppliers: Rich LTD., Youngbuk Art Services, and Luxcanvas by Ledconn
In addition to VUORI, the Retail Design Institute would like to congratulate the Class of 2022, representing the best of the best in retail stores and experiences completed between January 1st and December 31st, 2022:
American Outpost
Clermont
LOVE and Bergmeyer
2022 Store of the Year
Innovation Awards: Branding & Technology and Digital Integration
Sage & Sound
New York
RDC
El Palacio de Hierro Coyoacán
Coyoacán
TPG Architecture
High Street Place
Boston
Gensler
Miller & Lux
New York
MBH Architects
Innovation Award: Finishes & Materiality
Petco
San Marcos
Arcadis Inc.
Innovation Award: Wayfinding & Environmental Graphics
Bentonville Nature Near Pavilion
Virtual, Bentonville
NELSON Worldwide
Innovation Awards: Unbuilt Conceptual Design
Victoria's Secret Bombshell Gardens
New York
MG2/Lionesque Group
Central Park
North York
II BY IV Design
Victorinox
London
Dalziel & Pow Design Consultants
Innovation Award: Fixturing
Clyde & Grain
Glasgow
Gensler
Innovation Award: Wayfinding & Environmental Graphics
Greenwich St. Jewelers
New York
MAOarch Architecture D.P.C.
Innovation Award: Customer Journey
Johnny Cupcakes
Boston
Bergmeyer
Innovation Awards: Visual Merchandising and Conceptual Design
Vuori
New York
Heitler Houstoun Architects, PC
Innovation Award: Lighting
Wilson
New York
Bergmeyer
