Salon Furniture
DirGroup Salon Furniture & Design Articles
Benedict
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Posts by Benedict
Thinking outside the box with salon furniture
Apr 29th
When decorating a new salon ready for its grand opening, you may find yourself stuck for décor ideas. It’s tempting to kit your salon out in what increasingly seems like the high street hair salon ‘uniform’ of white walls and monochrome salon furniture, but this would be a mistake.
To make it memorable for clients and exciting, inspiring place in which to do great work, your salon needs to be more original than every other salon. It needs its own personality, style and ethos, which you can give it by thinking outside the box when choosing your salon furniture.
Take a risk, consider quirkiness to be an attractive feature and be innovative with your choices. For example:
• Salon chairs and stools. Yes, the chairs in your salon need to be comfortable, functional and durable. However, they can also have Perspex seats or be covered in dusky pink leather. They can be cube-shaped or have a saddle-style seat, with wheels or a distinctive bowl/cup shape.
• Reception desk. This is where you can really make a statement with style. You can choose one that is made of wood, has a sweeping, curved design or that even lights up. Go for a bold colour or a glossy finish, or a reception desk in a corner-friendly ‘L’ shape.
Can’t find anything in your salon? Get better storage
Apr 25th
A messy, untidy salon is a disorganised one, in which no one can ever find what they need and things go missing all the time. This has a very negative impact on both the client’s first impression of the salon and how efficiently the salon runs on a day-to-day basis. Quite simply, a little mess and untidiness could driving your customers away.
So, what is the solution? You can’t pack everything away in cupboards or the back room, as a lot of things (i.e. hairbrushes, hairdryers, products, towels etc) are used every day. The answer is intelligent storage, making use of specially designed pieces of salon furniture to help you manage all the odds and ends in your salon.
Options you could consider include:
• Trolleys. No salon owner can afford to be without these portable wonders with their trays, shelves and designated places for everything. You can move them between styling stations or push them out of the way when you want to tidy up.
• Cupboards. The best kinds of cupboards to use in your salon are floor-to-ceiling ones which have sliding doors and maybe a mirrored surface so they look like part of the salon’s décor. They should be easily accessible and kept neat, tidy and organised.
• Staff room. To stop your staff cluttering up the salon with their personal belongings, you should consider fitting a staff room or even just a cupboard or locker so they can store their stuff neatly.
Picking out perfect salon chairs: what to look for
Apr 23rd
No hair salon or beauty spa would be able to function properly were it not for a few staple pieces of salon equipment and furniture. You can add as many decorative features and high-tech gadgets as you like, but your salon won’t run smoothly unless you get the basics right first.
Salon chairs are arguably the most important pieces of furniture in your salon. Clients use them for their consultation then head off to the backwash area, returning to their chairs ready for their cut, colour or style treatment to begin.
Comfort
As clients spend a lot of time in salon chairs, they need to be comfortable and ergonomically designed. Another great feature to look for is adjustable arm and foot rests, so as to accommodate clients of all shapes and sizes. A client wriggling and squirming because they are uncomfortable in their chair is not only a bad experience for the client; it also makes the stylist’s job more difficult.
Easy cleaning
Your salon chairs must be easy and quick to clean, so you can keep hygiene standards high and keep business moving at a good pace. Most salons choose leather salon chairs for this reason.
These are just two of the most important features your salon chairs should possess, but you also mustn’t forget about things like style, price and portability.
First Hooker and Young salon opens in Darlington
Apr 21st
The seasoned owners of the salon franchise Hooker and Young are celebrating opening a brand new branch in Darlington.
Michael Young and Gary Hooker, who between them have a host of successful salon businesses under their belts, decided on Darlington because of its close proximity to their existing Newcastle business.
The new salon is located in a prestigious area, on a street often described as the “Rodeo Drive of Darlington”. The salon’s stylish and luxurious interiors are contained within a boutique townhouse with enough space for both a retail area on the ground floor and the ultimate salon space upstairs.
The design of the salon was masterminded by Hooker and Young in conjunction with franchisee Lesley Charles, who will run the Darlington salon. Subsequently, the salon’s décor has the Hooker and Young Corporate feel combined with a stamp of individuality from Lesley. Speaking to HJi Hairdressers Journal, Lesley said:
“The premises were already a hairdressing salon but to get the look we wanted we completely gutted the building and started again,”
“Providing a luxurious ambience for clients was really important but so was creating an environment the team would be proud to come to every day.”
Comfort: the key to successful beauty treatments
Apr 19th
If your hair and beauty business plans to offer beauty treatments, you need to ensure that you have a few things in place at your salon or spa. These include:
• Trained, qualified, experienced and skilled beauty therapists
• High-quality, functional salon equipment in great working order
• Enough space in the salon to give beauty clients a private, relaxing experience
• A competitively priced treatment menu
Even if all of these things are in place, however, there may be one thing still standing in the way of visitors raving about the quality your salon’s beauty services to all of their friends. This crucial factor is comfort, and it applies to everything from the temperature and ambience of the room to the attitude of the therapist and the ergonomic design of the salon chairs.
Comfort needs to be a top priority in every piece of salon furniture you buy, including facial beauty beds, massage chairs and even barber chairs. The client needs to feel physically comfortable, as well as psychologically, or the treatment may end up being a failure regardless of the skill of the therapist or the number of scented candles in the room.
How to choose the perfect reception desk for your salon
Apr 17th
The reception desk is the first thing your clients will see when they walk into your salon. This means that it is likely to play a big part in the first impression your salon makes on first-time customers.
The ideal reception desk is one that is first and foremost, functional. This is why you need to choose one which has:
• Ample storage space such as shelves and drawers
• Lots of workspace
• Dedicated space for accessories such as computer equipment, chip and pin device etc.
Next, consider the size and shape of the reception desk you plan to get for your salon. Does it fit into the salon well? Does the height of the desk make it easy for guests to approach it? Finally, is there enough room for your reception staff to work comfortably?
Once functionality and other practical elements have been considered, you can now use style and design as a basis for choosing your new reception desk. You need a reception desk that will make a statement about your brand and the salon’s ethos (i.e. ‘elegant and sophisticated’ or ‘edgy and contemporary’), but one that also blends in well with the rest of the salon furniture and décor.
New hair salon opens in Reading hotspot
Apr 13th
A brand new hair salon is all set to open its doors in ‘The Walk’, the city of Reading’s recently revamped shopping and eating hotspot.
The Trapeeze Hair Salon, which specialises in chemical-free highlights and colour treatments and is located next to Leonidas Chocolatiers on King Street, is planning to open on Saturday 16th April for an exclusive launch event. Guests will be able to enjoy complimentary champagne, nibbles and even free highlights trial treatments, as well as consultations with the salon’s expert stylists.
The owner of Trapeeze, Michelle Monk, said:
“We are excited to become new members of ‘The Walk’ and the timing is perfect with the new makeover. It is our mission to recognise each client in our salon as a unique individual by listening to your needs. It is our goal to ensure an unforgettable visit to our salon by exceeding your expectations in quality of service and communication.”
The new salon boasts beautiful décor and salon furniture in line with the exclusive feel of ‘The Walk’ centre, which recently underwent a luxury designer makeover, as well as the latest salon equipment and products.
Salon design: how to do it differently and stand out from the crowd
Apr 9th
So many hair salons and beauty spas these days end up looking the same, their design schemes a product of playing it safe and a lack of imagination.
Some salon owners think that the one look that you see everywhere– white walls, black salon chairs, identi-kit mirrors and styling stations – is what a hair and beauty space should look like. The truth is, this same uninspired look is boring, unoriginal and completely forgettable. It will make your salon look like every other salon out there.
You need to instead have a very clear vision for your salon, drawing on many sources of inspiration and using expert advice to realise it. Use your own tastes and personality to inspire your choices, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
If you don’t know where to start with designing your salon, these tips should help:
• Combine simple, functional salon furniture with more original, bespoke and exciting pieces
• Get rid of the graphic displays of models and haircuts; consider putting up some soothing artwork or promoting a local artist
• Get only the highest quality, decorative mirrors – your clients need to be able to fully appreciate the sterling work of your stylists
• Experiment with lighting to create different moods and effects
Mandara opens new spa in Moscow
Apr 4th
The luxury spa management company Mandara Spa has opened its first spa in Moscow, Russia, after conquering everywhere from the Bahamas and the South Pacific to Thailand and Japan with over 70 unique beauty spas.
Based at the Lotte Hotel, the 1,500 square metre Moscow Mandara Spa is designed to deliver the ultimate spa experience. Drawing on the Balinese influences that the brand is known for, the spa offers treatments which include:
• Elemis Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Facial
• Mandara Massage
• Oxygen Therapy Massage
Taking its inspiration from the breathtaking landscapes of Asia, the spa is designed with the theme of nature in mind. Along with the latest salon equipment, the Moscow Mandara Spa boasts a hydrotherapy area, Jacuzzi, sauna, silk bath, relaxation lounge and seven earth-toned treatment rooms complete with gold and black mosaic tiles.
Noticeable decorative features in the Mandara Spa include lotus metal sculptures, a subtle lighting scheme, a gorgeous beige and coffee colour palette, chandeliers and a whole corridor filled with stunning Asian artifacts.
The President of Mandara Spa Asia Limited, Jeff Matthews, has said:
“We are very excited with our first introduction into Moscow in collaboration with the esteemed Lotte Hotels and Resorts and look forward to sharing the unique ambiance, design and distinctive Mandara Spa experience with guests of the Lotte Hotel Moscow.”
Is it time to shed some light on your salon’s cleanliness?
Apr 1st
The right lighting scheme is essential in any successful salon. If you invest in high-quality lighting and put some thought into the design of your lighting, the finished effect makes your salon and your clients look good.
For inspiration when designing your dream lighting scheme, interior designer Karen Poole has some sage advice. Speaking to Behind The Chair, she said:
“Too many landlords offer salon tenants a package of drop ceilings with those 2 x 4 rectangular fluorescent fixtures. Don’t take it!”
Poole advises using a combination of fluorescent, halogen and incandescent lighting.
Once you install new lighting…
You may notice that your salon is far dirtier, dustier and generally grimier than you previously imagined. The dull, drab lighting you had before may have hid a multitude of sins, but your new lighting will expose every flaw. This is why it’s essential to keep your salon spotless, starting with these handy tips:
• Hire a cleaner to come in regularly or make cleaning more a part of staff duties
• Keep an eye out for damaged or scratched salon furniture or equipment
• Organise a deep clean session in the salon once a month
