Salon Furniture
DirGroup Salon Furniture & Design Articles
Salon Furniture
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.
Salon design inspiration: Paterson SA in Leith, Edinburgh
Mar 19th
The latest and fifth Paterson SA salon in Leith, Edinburgh, used to be a furniture store before the successful hair salon chain worked their magic and turned it into a simple yet sophisticated hair and beauty business.
The owner of Paterson SA Leith and the chain itself, Jon Macleod, chose the premises because it represented a blank canvas to print his creativity and ideas on to. Despite its ramshackle appearance, he saw great potential in it as a profitable and professionally fulfilling business.
Once he’d formally acquired the premises, the hair and beauty entrepreneur and his team of design experts worked tirelessly for five weeks to completely redesign the unit, transforming it from run-down and characterless to a slick and stylish salon space.
Now that the work has been finished, the business is open and the salon chairs are filled with happy clients each and every day, Macleod says that he is entirely happy that he has achieved his vision. Speaking to the HJi Hairdressers Journal, he said:
“Clients want a sanctuary to help them forget the stresses of every-day life and that’s exactly what we’ve created,”
Socialite Davinia Taylor opens London hair salon
Mar 18th
The actress, model and socialite Davinia Taylor has opened her very own hair salon, Taylor Made, in London this week.
Taylor, who was five months pregnant at the time of the launch, is best known for playing the role of Jude Cunningham in teen soap Hollyoaks as well as being part of the fashionable Primrose Hill set along with Kate Moss and Sadie Frost.
Happily posing for the cameras outside her luxury new salon, Taylor, 33, announced:
“I have just opened Taylor Made, a hair salon in Wigmore Street, and am starting a new business venture between the UK and the U.S.”
She also spoke of her battles with alcoholism, post-natal depression and divorce, saying she has come through the worst of it now. Speaking of her new business, she said:
“I am finding I have so much more energy now and it is great that I can make the most of it.”
Due to its impressive exteriors, central London location and slick, sexy interiors – featuring the latest salon equipment and cutting-edge décor – the salon is already proving a hit and appointments are filling up fast.
Three space-saving strategies for small salons and spas
Mar 17th
In today’s wobbly economy, splashing out a lot of money on a large salon space is considered to be too risky for most new salon owners. This is why the ‘boutique’ salon is on the rise, with cute, quirky salons popping up everywhere.
However, there is a fine line between a boutique salon and a cramped, crowded, poorly-designed space. Your salon space shouldn’t feel too small to customers; it should seem like it was specially designed that way.
So, try these space-saving strategies to make the best use of your small salon:
1. Widen the centre line. This is the space between rows of salon chairs, a layout that most salons adopt. It can make the salon look cramped and narrow if the chairs are too close together, so try to widen them i.e. by placing them at an angle.
2. Get rid of clutter. The instant you smarten up your salon space by clearing up clutter and sorting out some serious storage, the bigger your salon will appear.
3. Lighten up your colour scheme. Using lots of neutral colours and whites will reflect the natural light coming into the salon (provided you have some decent windows) and make the space seem airier and brighter.
Cardiff couple open Je Suis Spa
Mar 16th
A couple from Cardiff have officially opened a new beauty spa on the outskirts of Splott, three weeks after running a Valentine’s Day trial to test out the market.
Simon Robinson and his partner Lisa Mitchell decided to open the Je Suis Spa after working within the beauty industry for a number of years. Despite fears about the recession and the risks posed to new businesses, the couple bought space above a gym on Ocean Way and converted it into a soothing, relaxing beauty haven.
Speaking of the spa’s Moroccan-themed décor, colour scheme and salon equipment, Mitchell said:
“We just want it to be somewhere where someone can come along and have a spa experience but also feel at home and not have it too clinical.
“I think there are plenty of spas around, but what we have created is a homely experience which is very welcoming for people who don’t have to watch their Ps and Qs because a lot of spas are around that kind.”
Mitchell also reassured future guests that the prices at Je Suis Spa are affordable, but still offer a relaxing experience.
Dudley spa opened by TV personality Christopher Biggins
Mar 15th
A new salon in the Dudley town of Brierley Hill has been launched in theatrical style with the help of a famous face – TV personality Christopher Biggins.
Mr Biggins, who is best known for winning I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here in 2007, opened the Imagine Spa, based within Copthorne Hotel, as well as taking advantage of the complementary spa treatments offered to guests attending the launch event. As cut the official ribbons, Biggins said:
“I am very excited to be here and I am going to take all my clothes off and have a full body massage. It is the only reason I came.”
Biggins also met with representatives from Dudley Cancer Support, a charity which has formed a unique partnership with the Imagine Spa. The Copthorne Hotel has agreed to donate proceeds from spa bookings made on the launch event to the charity, to help it’s lifesaving work continue.
The Imagine Spa itself is kitted out with the latest salon equipment and furniture, offering treatments such as manicures, pedicures, facials, massages and waxing. The spa also has three beauty treatment rooms and a dedicated men’s spa.
Why the appearance of your salon matters
Mar 14th
Some salon owners are of the opinion that it doesn’t matter what their salon looks like as long as they offer good service and the latest treatments. These salon owners are not only completely misguided; they are likely to go out of business.
Imagine walking into a salon that is tatty, outdated, untidy or dirty – would you still want to get your hair cut there? The thought that goes through most customers’ minds would be “if they don’t care about the salon, why would they care about the quality of my haircut?”
Put simply, a sad-looking salon suggests a lacklustre business and owners who don’t seem to care about it. It is off-putting and unprofessional, and it will drive customers away to nice, shiny salons with impeccable hygiene standards.
How to improve the appearance of your salon
Here are some ideas:
1. Have a good clean and a sort-out. Get rid of the clutter and see what you’ve got to work with.
2. Invest in some new salon chairs. After all, comfort is everything in the salon experience.
3. Change the colour scheme. Choose something fashionable but also timeless and relatively neutral.
Don’t waste money on design disasters
Mar 13th
Designing your own salon from scratch can be very exciting, so much so that many salon owners can get carried away. This can result in impulse purchases, reckless spending and wildly impractical ideas, none of which will help to improve the look of your salon. Worse still, it can drain your bank balance at a time when money is tight.
This is why it is best to plan out your salon décor and design carefully, seeking expert advice about what will and won’t work and remembering to stick to a budget. During this process, bear in mind the following design disasters and avoid them like the plague.
• The wrong type of flooring. Remember how full of moisture and humidity the salon environment is and the bubbling, warping effect this can have on certain types of wood and cork flooring.
• Improper plumbing. A number of spas and salons are fitting more advanced water facilities these days, such as powerful showerheads and hydrotherapy tubs. However, if you don’t have a plumbing system that can handle it, you could have a flooding problem on your hands.
• Wild and wacky colours. Bright like hot pink or lime green may be in fashion at the time, but they won’t flatter your clients or their newly coloured hair.
Barrow hair salon moves one door up
Mar 12th
The Excel Hair Studio in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, has managed to move its premises all in one night. However, this is perhaps because the salon only moved next door.
The owner of the salon, Joanne Gill, aimed to keep the disruption caused by the move to a minimum for clients and staff. This is why the salon was shut on a Tuesday night at 5.30pm and opened again the very next day, with salon staff working practically through the night to finish the move.
This impressive feat accomplished by Ms Gill and her team meant that no client appointments were missed and the salon didn’t need to be closed for refurbishment, therefore bringing no money in.
Designed by Ms Gill herself, the new salon – now at number 10 Crellin Street rather than number 12 – boasts beautiful, contemporary décor and a striking black, white and silver colour scheme.
As well as a sparkling glass front, comfortable waiting area and spiral staircase, the salon also has cutting-edge salon equipment including state-of-the-art massage chairs. This means that guests can enjoy a relaxing shiatsu massage whilst having their hair washed.
Number of men visiting hair salons jumps 50 per cent
Mar 11th
According to a hair and beauty industry review commissioned by L’Oreal, the number of men visiting hair salons for a colour treatment has increased around 50 per cent in the last few years.
Although dying and tinting hair was once seen as a symbol of vanity by men, it seems that more and more are starting to embrace the male grooming trend in UK salons. This has possibly been led by celebrities such as Paul McCartney, Gerard Butler and James Nesbitt, the latter of whom recently underwent a hair transplant.
L’Oreal found that four out of five men regularly visit a hair salon or barber shop, resulting in a 50 per cent increase in visits to these establishments between 2008 and 2010. Mayfair salon owner Jo Hansford commented on these latest statistics, saying:
“Every year it increases. Men have no shame whatsoever about dying their hair. Why should they be called vain for colouring their hair? Women are not.”
This trend has inevitably led to an increase in the number of hair salons opening In the UK, particularly male-only or unisex salons catering to male grooming needs. To counter any remaining embarrassment for men in relation to grooming and vanity, many of these new businesses have had to cater their décor and salon furniture to suit more masculine tastes.
