Laura Vavrunek, WELL AP

Interior design requires a combination of technical and artistic skills, and senior interior designer Laura Vavrunek’s well-rounded career path is a testament to her prowess in both. Each role has contributed to Laura’s exceptional ability to deliver for her team and our clients.

Laura studied mechanical engineering at University of California, San Diego and then worked in the fields of commercial aerospace and consumer manufacturing. When an economic downturn affected the aerospace industry, she found work representing a software product she had used while an engineer. Skills she acquired in that job then translated to a public relations agency job Laura took to support large technology firms.

Another economic downswing—this time hitting dot-com companies hard—prompted Laura to leave the PR firm and co-found a marketing agency with a former colleague. She designed websites, collateral material, trade show booths and more for companies needing marketing services.

Laura loved working with clients but knew her passion wasn’t in marketing. Seeing another opportunity to reinvent her career, Laura completed a program in interior architecture and design at University of California, Berkeley.

Subsequently working with an interior design firm in the Bay Area gave Laura the opportunity to lead one of the projects she’s most proud of. Her firm’s owner wanted to transform their office building into the first zero-net energy space in Mountain View, Calif. Laura managed the project and brought together a dynamic and creative team to succeed.

When life brought Laura to San Diego, she once again put her sales skills to use representing a prominent flooring company. During this time, Laura also earned her WELL AP credential as a commitment to advancing human health and wellness in buildings and communities.

With FS Design Group, Laura works with clients to design modern, responsive and sustainable workplaces. Among her many talents is prioritizing and filtering information to make deadlines without sacrificing quality or creativity. She also has an innate sense for translating client’s ideas into functional designs and for understanding design on many different levels.

Laura enjoys sharing her knowledge with others and has volunteered to educate high school students about architecture, construction and engineering through the ACE program—previously in the Bay Area and later in San Diego.

Currently, Laura volunteers her time as membership director for the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) San Diego Chapter. Previously, she served as the programs co-chair for CREW San Diego, a professional association supporting and promoting women in the commercial real estate industry.

Outside of work, Laura is an award-winning watercolor painter, an avid cyclist and chef and a budding floral designer. She and partner Andy live in Carlsbad, where they have easy access to the beach they both enjoy visiting.