Salon Furniture
DirGroup Salon Furniture & Design Articles
Carlos
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Posts by Carlos
Salon design inspiration: Curl Up and Dye in Oxfordshire
Jul 20th
For smaller salons, there are more opportunities to be creative and come up with a really unique design. All of this helps to create a memorable ‘boutique’ theme, sending the message that your salon is like no other.
The epitome of this sort of individual design is Curl Up and Dye, a trendy, small-sized salon in Witney, Oxfordshire. This salon provides tonnes of inspiration for salon owners and designers, as it features so many different designs that all seem to work together.
Curl Up and Dye bursts with vibrant colour – contrasted with crisp white lines – and features a number of groovy retro salon furniture pieces such as a red ‘lips’ sofa and kitschy salon chairs. Despite the wild colour scheme, the salon is uncluttered and extremely clean looking. This is absolutely essential if you want to be seen as professional.
This salon avoids looking cheap or tacky because the design is carried off with such confidence and aplomb, perfectly suiting the fun, fresh and fashionable attitude of the business and its staff. Curl Up and Dye is so successful because the salon’s ethos is engrained in every aspect of the design, creating a strong and memorable brand that stands out from the competition.
How your salon can keep up with the rising demand for male grooming
Jul 19th
According to research agency Mintel, the male grooming business was worth around £820 million last year, showing that men are starting to spend more on their appearances.
This is why an increasing number of hair and beauty salons are trying to change the appeal of their businesses to get more men through the doors, but there are certain tips and tricks you must know about if you too want to capitalise on the demand for male grooming.
There is no problem if you run a men-only salon, but your marketing strategy and the way you present your salon and staff will have to change if your salon is unisex.
For example, a man going to a hair salon for the first time will want to avoid embarrassment and difficult questions, so keep your marketing message very simple, clear and strong. In this way, male clients will know exactly what your business is about and are unafraid to walk through the doors. Another good idea is to have male staff and feature men in any marketing material.
Decor and furniture
Keep the decor of unisex salons simple and as neutral as possible, as male clients may be put off a fussy, feminine design or colour scheme. Also ensure that your salon is ready to receive male clients, by ensuring that you have salon furniture such as barber chairs in place.
How the location of your salon can influence its decor
Jul 18th
When redecorating your salon or designing a new space, you need to keep many factors in mind. Salon owners should choose colour schemes, flooring and salon furniture etc which reflects their own personality and taste – as well as the theme they have decided on – but they should also take the location of the salon into account.
For example:
• City salons near business areas are generally sleek and minimalist in design, to suit the professional looking premises surrounding it as well as ‘suited-and-booted’ potential clients.
• Salons located near commercial areas such as the high street or in a shopping centre are bound to attract more customers, but there is also more competition amongst rival salons. Your salon needs to make a statement with interior and exterior design so that it stands out from the rest and entices customers inside.
• If your salon is located in the fashionable quarter of town, you can really indulge in more creative salon design. Hunt out vintage-looking salon furniture and experiment with colour.
• Salons and spas in the countryside or in quieter areas can be a lot more relaxed and comfortable, with a warm and welcoming colour scheme. This will hopefully help you build up a loyal customer base in a quieter area.
Top salon design mistakes to avoid pt.3
Jul 17th
This is the final instalment in our ‘salon design mistakes to avoid’ advice, encompassing the most common errors to bear in mind when starting out a new design project. These include:
• Under-estimating costs
You need to get an accurate and realistic cost estimate for your redesign project; otherwise you may run out of funds half way through. Worse than this, your salon may not be able to open and your cash flow will run even drier. The most sensible thing to do is to spend more time planning out costs beforehand, ensuring that contractors and decorators know exactly what the project will entail.
• Not leaving enough time to complete the project
Lack of time can be just as disastrous as a lack of funding, as your project may drag on for months longer than you anticipated. Be over-generous with a time allowance – allocating time to do some research, plan out the design, have your new salon furniture delivered etc – and you won’t end up having to pay extra cash further down the line.
• Failure to plan properly
Starting a remodel project without figuring out exactly how everything will work is a common mistake, but it can ruin the whole flow of your salon. You need to measure and plan a great deal to ensure that furniture doesn’t stick out and all salon equipment is located in the most convenient place.
How to tell when your salon is outdated
Jul 16th
Designing your salon to look stylishly retro is one thing, but a salon that only looks vintage because it hasn’t been redone in ages is a serious problem. Outdated salons send all the wrong messages to clients, making them believe that the ethos of your business is behind the times too.
A client walking into a dated salon – with fading, sun-bleached walls and ripped, unfashionably upholstered chairs – will immediately think that they aren’t likely to get the latest treatments, and that your staff aren’t capable of giving them a cutting edge style. This sort of decor can be terribly off-putting.
How to bring your salon back to the 21st century
For a short-term fix, colour is the first place you should turn, upgrading the colours of salon furniture, walls and floors to the latest versions.
In the long-term however, you may need to completely redesign your salon to make it up-to-date but also timelessly fashionable. This means investing in salon chairs, reception desks and other pieces that are not too high-concept (don’t get carried away with the latest designs) and that will also last for years.
Design tips for futuristic salons
Jul 14th
Not only is the futuristic look all the rage for salons these days, but it also helps to create a strong sense of luxury and indulgence. Sleek, minimalist design oozes professionalism and cutting-edge style, meaning you’ll attract wealthier and trendier clients.
Key characteristics of the futuristic look include:
• Glossy floors and surfaces
• Black and white (or other sharp contrast) colour schemes
• Plenty of light, natural or otherwise
• High ceilings and long open spaces
• Lots of chrome, silver, glass and other reflective materials in salon furniture, mirrors and fittings
Inspiration: Ken Picton Salon in Cardiff
The Ken Picton Salon in Cardiff Bay was designed in 2000, winning the prestigious Salon Design Award at HJ’s British Hairdressing Business Awards just a year later.
The salon is quite large (6,500 square foot), with 40 staff and 36 styling stations. In colours of slate grey, black and chestnut, splashes of vivid colour come in the form of flower arrangements and bright red walls in the beauty treatment rooms. Other features include a high gloss floors, a relaxation area and a refreshment bar.
Speaking of his intentions for the refurbishment, owner Ken says:
“I loved my salon how it was, but I wanted to create a haven of quality, luxury and indulgence with beautiful light and plenty of space,”
Flattering salon furniture (and clients) with great lighting
Jul 13th
The first step to kitting out a new salon is to choose a style theme, followed closely by the purchase of new salon furniture and equipment. The next step, however, is the essential part. No matter how beautiful and well-chosen the furniture is, the entire effect will be ruined by bad lighting.
The perfect lighting arrangement for salons is one that creates a welcoming ambience and a feeling of chic professionalism. More importantly, you want lighting that makes your clients look good as well as the salon. Customers will be less than impressed if they ask for radiant blonde or intense red and the mirror tells them they’ve ended up with drab and dull.
Salon lighting tips
1. Remember that good lighting can improve clients’ mood and boost your salon’s reputation
2. It is no good having the very best furnishings and interior finishes if they are not flatteringly lit
3. Experiment with different sources of lighting at varying heights to find the best effect
4. Lighting is a great way to enhance the appearance of your salon without spending a fortune
5. Use true colour lighting overhead for stylist and technician use and warmer, more flattering light at client’s eye-level in front of salon chairs.
