Surprising Vacationers With Exactly What They Need

In 2007, Lee Ann Sauter was at the Four Seasons Hualalai in Hawaii, gazing past an idyllic arrangement of fountains and cabanas to take in the horizon, when inspiration struck. She suddenly became aware of how the built environment surrounding her had been fine-tuned to the natural one. The blue of the pool blended into the ocean; beige stone camouflaged with the sand. Sauter asked herself, “What store could match that sense of place?” Maris Collective, which she launched in 2008, was her answer. Conceived as an amenity for luxury resorts, Maris boutiques all start with a blank slate to allow for an organic understanding of any given location. For the brand’s two latest storefronts, Wili Wili and Caprice, inside Oahu’s Four Seasons Ko Olina, Sauter and creative director Eric Lopez channeled the family-friendly vibe: Wili Wili’s beach-y panelling, bright blue stripes, and elevated candy shop cater to kids, while Caprice’s beige-toned wallpaper and gilt display cases are geared toward parents. Sauter is overjoyed at the results, but her mind is already imagining the next one. “We’re going to evolve and change over time,” she says, “like the places where our stores are.”