Salon Furniture
DirGroup Salon Furniture & Design Articles
Crystal
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Posts by Crystal
Salon design inspiration: Carley Hill Hair in Suffolk
Apr 30th
Carley Hill Hair is located in the beautiful Suffolk market town of Framlingham, in a building with over 200 years of history as a former family grocers and an inn.
The owner of Carley Hill, Adam Snare, wanted a larger space for his salon after spending years establishing his business. He not only moved but also took on the ambitious challenge of refitting and rebranding his business all at the same time.
Working with the original features of the historic building he had moved into, Adam turned the space into an Aveda Concept Salon. The space has a cool and soothing grey and blue colour scheme, making use of plenty of natural woods, raw metals and high ceilings to create an industrial effect. This is softened by the lighting scheme, which includes well-lit merchandise displays and well placed spotlights in recessed areas.
Commenting on the design of the new-and-improved Carley Hill Hair, Adam said:
“I wanted to retain the original features while creating a modern interior with the latest décor and equipment,”
“We combined our ideas to create an interior in keeping with the Aveda concept, while incorporating Eastern influences.”
Is your salon more antique than shabby chic?
Apr 27th
Boutique salons are all the rage these days, especially as space is more at a premium than ever. In these small, cosy salons, clients can benefit from personal VIP treatment and intimate, fashionable surroundings designed with care.
However, these kinds of salons are only successful if a lot of thought is put into the design, layout and furnishing of the salon. If you simply haven’t redecorated your salon for years, don’t assume that it automatically becomes a shabby chic boutique paradise. Instead, it will be seen as unloved, outdated and hopelessly passé. Clients cannot hope to get a fresh new look on their visit if the salon is twenty years out of date.
The boutique salons with the longest waiting lists are those whose owners take the time to pick out the perfect salon furniture, track down the latest pieces of art and fashion and really stamp their own ideas and personality on the place.
These salon owners create completely unique spaces and design schemes that are a million miles away from the identi-kit décor of the chain salons generally found on the high street and in shopping centres.
Do your salon’s clients have enough privacy?
Apr 24th
Clients come to your hair salon or beauty spa to relax and be pampered, and your aim as a salon owner is to ensure that guests leave both looking and feeling good. In order to achieve this, you need to think about the levels of privacy you provide to your guests.
Every client needs a little of their own space where they can truly unwind. No one likes to feel stared at in the middle of a haircut, pedicure or a facial, and especially not during a massage. This is why you need to come up with ways to create private areas in your salon and give your guests their own space.
Here are some ideas:
• Treatment rooms. Having at least one treatment room is essential if your salon offers beauty services, but you must make sure that each space is set up correctly with the right salon equipment and with the client’s comfort in mind.
• Partition walls. These are the next best thing to actual walls, and they can help you to create ‘zones’ within the salon.
• Curtains, drapes and mirrors. These can be used decoratively to separate off areas and give clients their own space. They are the cheapest and most attractive solution.
Brighten up your salon to suit the weather
Apr 20th
A salon that is constantly updated and revamped will always be more interesting and enjoyable to visit than one that is resolutely stuck in a rut. Freshening up your salon needn’t be expensive, however; all it takes is a little inspiration and ingenuity.
Take a look outside, as the weather this month has been beautiful. We are now in a new season, with hopefully more good weather on the way. You should be aware that warm, sunny weather has a positive effect on your client’s mood, and your salon should reflect that.
Try these cheap, cheerful tips to get your salon ready for the spring/summer season:
• Clean the windows and let the sunlight in. In fact, clean everything! Make your salon sparkle, as there will be nowhere for dirt and dust to hide once the sunshine comes pouring in.
• Ventilate your salon, even if it’s just opening the window to let some fresh air in
• Offer refreshments to suit the season, such as cool fruity drinks or an exotic summer tea collection
• Add a touch of nature, whether it’s just a vase of fresh flowers on reception or a brand new pot plant in every treatment room
Newport woman sets up make-up business in beauty spa
Apr 16th
An ambitious and business-minded woman from Newport has set up her own make-up business in a local beauty spa, despite the fact that she was formerly a transport engineer.
Katherine Agong, 34, first realised she needed to learn new skills when the recession hit and her firm threatened redundancies last year. She indulged a long-term interest in make-up and beauty therapy and undertook two beauty and nail technology training courses.
Ms Agong now plans to rent out a room at the Heaven Sent Spa in Newport, offering her services to clients seeking some pampering or a whole new look. Her business will be called Beauty Cupid. Working mainly at weekends, she will be offering nail, eye and make-up treatments that are designed to be long-lasting.
The Heaven Sent Spa itself is relaxation haven, offering a range of luxury treatments in beautiful surroundings. Using skilled beauty therapists and the very latest and most advanced salon equipment, the spa is able to offer everything from massage, manicures and facials to tanning and waxing, and visitors to Heaven Sent will now be able to take advantage of Ms Agong’s make-up services too.
Prepare to be inspired: Vasken Demirjian’s New York concept salon
Apr 12th
World-class colourist Vasken Demirjian opened his first salon in Westchester, New York, to continue his brother’s legacy after he passed away. However, what he has created is a highly unique conceptual space and a rich source of inspiration for salon owners everywhere.
The aim behind the design of the Vasken Demirjian salon is to enhance the salon experience for the client and to nurture the artistry and creativity of stylists. The walls and floor are crisp, clean and gleaming white, punctured with occasional shots of statement red (in lampshades, whilst other pieces of salon furniture remain flawlessly white), accompanied by glossy surfaces and accented beautifully with ambient, glowing lighting.
Demirjian explained the motivation behind his highly conceptual salon, saying:
“When you are working on hair color, [you need] a clean, sterile environment.
“The surroundings have to be clean and stark so that nothing about the space interferes with the accuracy of the hair color design.”
The colour and styling sections of the salon are clearly defined, yet they work harmoniously with one another in a well-planned layout which also includes a colour bar, coffee bar and shampoo bar. These elements work to make the salon a more social space, the warm ambience created by the salon’s décor echoed in the buzz of the salon floor.
Salon design inspiration: Atelier in Hertfordshire
Apr 7th
The Atelier Salon & Spa is based in a Grade II listed building in the beautiful Hertfordshire village of Redbourn. The charm of the building’s exteriors is echoed indoors, with salon décor that is contemporary yet homely and welcoming.
The look created in Atelier by owners Lorraine Fletcher and Karen Hyam is in keeping with the overall style of the building. Matching the traditional wooden ceiling beams which date back to 1637 is a collection of bespoke oak salon furniture, with everything from the juice bar to the reception desk created out of the finest natural materials.
The salon has plenty of modern touches too, the most striking being the chic patterned wallpaper on feature walls and the stylish leather and stainless steel waiting chairs. Atelier is beautifully lit by a combination of chandeliers, candles and a flood of natural light, creating a sense of space and freshness in a comfortingly cosy salon.
Speaking to the HJi Hairdressers Journal, Owners Karen and Lorraine explained that creating a balance between contemporary design and décor that matched the traditional nature of the building was important to them. Karen said:
“We had a clear idea of what we wanted to achieve from the beginning, so sourced all the fittings and furniture ourselves and worked closely with the architect,”
Offer your clients added relaxation with a massage chair
Apr 2nd
Seated massage has been practised for centuries – ancient Japanese block prints illustrate massage practises with the receiver sitting on a low stool.
It was only in the 70s and 80s, however, that seated massage began to be more widely practised both in corporate and therapeutic contexts, and its profile was raised within the community of massage professionals.
Then, in 1986, a massage therapist in California developed a chair specifically designed for chair massages. His original aim was to develop the demand for massage in Western culture by removing the need for people to undress behind closed doors, and to create a more affordable service.
The first chair was a simple portable wooden chair that allowed the masseur easy access to the client – a far cry from the sophisticated models on the market today that no longer require the human massage practitioner.
Our chairs can offer manual, automatic, air pressure and vibration massage, with added features such as heating functions and even an mp3 player!
Whilst employing a masseur in your salon may not be an affordable or practical option, our sophisticated models of massage chair mean that you can offer your clients accessible luxury and relaxation, which could be an attractive additional feature that makes your salon stand out from the rest.
Interior design trends for 2011
Mar 26th
Give your salon a makeover by changing colour and accessories to complement your existing salon furniture and transform the look and feel of the place. See if the trends below spark your imagination.
1. Modesty – efficiency of space and materials combined with geometrical design. Think green without being glaringly obvious – the emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainability looks set to continue.
2. Flamingo Pink – apparently the colour of choice this year… and if you think this is a good look for your salon, a lick of pink paint is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to create a contemporary look to complement your existing salon furniture.
3. LED lighting – economic and energy efficient, start looking for replacements for incandescent bulbs before they disappear forever.
4. Wire frameworks – vintage and modern – look for steel framed accessories to bring your salon’s look up to date.
5. Geometric shapes and angular patterns – look for lozenges and trapezoids on rugs, wallpaper and cushions.
6. Moroccan and Bohemian influences – hint at the exotic feel of a riad with lamps, trays, pouffes and vivid patterns and colours.
7. Eclectic interiors – mix but don’t necessarily match! Just make sure you don’t create too much clutter, and keep it simple.
8. Vintage = 70s – if flamingo pink is OTT in your eyes, go for hues of mustard and avocado and start swotting up on 70s interior design…
9. Books as decoration – sad, but true – books are now good for decoration, even if nobody reads them! Raid your local second-hand bookshop.
10. Bamboo, concrete and wood grain – think flooring, lighting, planters, wallpaper and other accessories for a mixture of the natural and industrial, whilst still fitting the eco-friendly bill.
Choosing a salon design concept with longevity
Mar 20th
Making sure your salon looks fashionable, stylish and well-maintained is incredibly important in terms of the impression it makes on clients. However, redesigning and redecorating your salon can be incredibly expensive.
This is why it is a good idea to choose a salon design concept that will stand the test of time, remaining on-trend, fresh and attractive for years to come. This will mean that you don’t have to shell out a fortune on renovation every few years, which can only be good news for your business.
However, finding the perfect salon design concept, one that will always seem chic and up-to-date, can seem like an impossible task. The solution is to forget about fashion trends which change all the time, and concentrate on what is always stylish. This means keeping it classic, simple and neutral with your colour scheme and general design.
You can then change around inexpensive and changeable touches to your salon décor, such as artwork, plants, branding and graphics, lampshades and other pieces of salon furniture. Changing these small things every now and again will keep your salon looking fresh and up-to-date, without having to undergo complete a full redesign.
