Lara Copaescu
ARCHITECTURE
Lara Copaescu is a Romanian designer based in NY. After graduating from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn with an Architecture degree, Copaescu has worked as an Experiential Designer for brands like Coach and Glossier on designing stores, pop-ups, and other retail experiences. Copaescu also owns Studio Ture, where she works with her partner Quinten on object, interior, and architectural designs as well as collecting various designer objects from the past decades.
MAY 16, 2025
Hi Lara! Excited to have you today. You move between architecture, furniture, and objects — how different do you think these three fields are?
I think they all have a narrative of their own, but all three also have the power to add so much more to one another when present in the same spaces. Walls, chairs, and vases can all function individually, but what makes architecture inhabitable and recognizable is its ability to create purposeful space for furniture within the program it serves, and for objects where they play a role, whether it’s purely aesthetic, emotional, or practical.
I think they all have a narrative of their own, but all three also have the power to add so much more to one another when present in the same spaces. Walls, chairs, and vases can all function individually, but what makes architecture inhabitable and recognizable is its ability to create purposeful space for furniture within the program it serves, and for objects where they play a role, whether it’s purely aesthetic, emotional, or practical.
Can you walk us through the general thought process of your projects?
My projects always begin with some sort of creative, inspirational “aha” moment. Sometimes it’s in the shape of a brief I get at work, which leads to an idea for a solution, but other times it’s more liberation, like seeing an object I like, then thinking about how I would shape it to fit in a space I’m imagining then writing down the ideas. One of the most valuable things I’ve learned recently is to trust my intuition and listen to the random voice whispering ideas into my head because it will most likely lead to something bigger than I could’ve ever thought of.
You work on projects as big as houses and as small as chairs. What role does scale play in your design thinking?
I believe scale is a powerful asset in anyone’s design tool kit when used intentionally, but it can also easily get out of our hands as designers. To keep track of how I use scale, I like to start my designs with objects or the same exact scale to have an understanding of layout. When I feel comfortable with that, I start adding in dimension *if needed* with scale. Sometimes, less is more and playing with one scale is ok!
Can you talk about balancing functional need and conceptual expression in your practice?
As a designer, a lot of my work is informed by functional or spatial asks, so I would say it starts there. Then both of those are always informed by conceptual work. Every design I’ve developed has some sort of core concept that drives its form and function. Whether it’s an entire creative campaign or a simple Pinterest mood board, conceptual work drives and inspires all of my projects!
What kinds of materials or textures are you drawn to, and how do they influence your creative process?
My palette has changed a lot over the past 5 years as I’ve developed my design vocabulary, and I’m sure it will keep changing as I work on more projects. As of right now, the materials, textures, and colors I work with are very much informed by my clients. In my day-to-day work in retail design, I work with quite bold colors and materials like acrylic and milled forms, while in my own practice, I find myself drawn to more natural materials like wood, wicker, and leather.
The materials you use in your own practice sound very homey and comfortable. How do you define “comfort” in your furniture and spatial pieces?
I love this question! Of course, I am drawn to a comfortable couch, cushion, or chair, and I think that good design should be in itself comfortable, not just beautiful, but I am also somebody who feels comfort through visual and emotional sensations. Complimenting colors, lighting, materials, art, and personal objects layered in a space create so much more than interior design; they start to tell a story without needing explanations, and I think if you can pick up on that story when you walk into a never-seen-before space, that’s truly good design.
What is important to a good spatial experience?
Even though my background is in architecture, I find myself drawn to furniture, objects, spatial, and experiential design because of their tactile components. I think design should be inviting, playful, stop someone from their routine, and spark interest or conversation. When it becomes really interesting, I think it is when design makes you want to interact with it, beyond looking at it, when it makes you want to touch, to feel, to engage. Mixing soft with hard materials is an instant way to activate that sensorial experience, making it an amazing tool to use for any type of designer.
Design can involve many rounds of back-and-forth adjustments. When do you know your design is complete?
This is a hard question. I struggle with this one myself if I’m being honest. I am currently reading “The Artist Way” by Julia Cameron, and there’s a chapter in which the author describes the designer’s inability to stop, aka “perfectionism,” as one of the biggest blocks we can have as artists. A piece of art, a design, or an object is never truly finished in the eye of its creator, but the time to stop has to come in order for your art to even exist in the real world. I think sometimes it’s easy to overthink our design decisions, at least it is for me, so I usually set a time in which I let myself iterate, and if I’m still undecided after, I try to step back, take a break, and make a decision later. It’s ok if it doesn’t ever feel ready sometimes.