Swedish studio Sweco Architects has covered the ceiling of this hair salon in Umeå with 85 green MDF boxes.
Sweco Architects installed glass fronts and doors at each end of the narrow Clip Drop In hair salon; one that opens out onto a street and the other onto an indoor shopping mall.
The central strip of ceiling has been covered in lidless MDF boxes, which have been fixed upside-down.
The boxes vary in size and have been painted six different shades of green. Some have been turned into light boxes while others simply hide the ventilation pipes.
“The green colour of the MDF boxes was chosen to create a feeling of sitting under the leaves of a big tree,” Peter Järvholm of Sweco Architects told Dezeen.
The surrounding ceiling is covered by a metal grid. “We wanted a clean transparent ceiling where all the installations (fans, cooling etc) and light fittings were placed above,” said the architects.
Below the green boxes, white trestle-like benches have been transformed into workspaces. Double-sided mirrors divide the tables to create hair-cutting areas on each side.
The workspaces are arranged in rows along the centre of the salon with swivel Swan chairs by Arne Jacobsen for customers.
One wall of the salon is lined with perforated steel screens, which illuminate at night along with the neon Clip signs at each entrance when the salon is closed. Built-in sofas with green cushions and display areas are positioned on the opposite wall.
On the busier mall side, an area at the front of the salon has been designated to retail. To one side there is a hair-washing area, partly hidden behind a curtain.
The bathroom is disguised behind full-length mirrors. “By using a lot of mirrors we created the effect of a larger salon and the mirrors also hide the wet areas,” said Peter Järvholm.
The floors are covered in white stained-ash mosaic parquet and ceramic tiles.
A crimped wooden screen with a triangular hole through its centre divides the spaces of this beauty salon in Osaka by Japanese designer Yusuke Seki (+ slideshow).
Yusuke Seki used a simple palette of wood and white paint to make the interior of the Kolmio+LIM salon reflect colours of natural skin tones, then added a selection of pastel colours reminiscent of nail polish.
“We designed the zigzag wall in white to represent the basic skin tone,” Seki told Dezeen. “Through shadow and light it creates more definition.”
The crimped wooden screen cuts the space into two sections, but also folds around a corner to line the edge of a sidewall. “The zigzag wall catches the natural light and evokes differences, like the skin and nail tone does,” added Seki.
A blue-painted feature wall provides a backdrop for the reception area, which features small wooden seats made from tree trunks and a wooden bookshelf.
This space opens into a main room with six wooden tables for nail treatments and two reclining chairs positioned off to the side for pedicure treatments.
Customers have to step through the triangular hole of the crimped wooden screen to access the beauty treatment area at the rear of salon.
Eyelash treatment chairs are separated by shimmering gold curtains that are partially transparent, while a pale pink feature wall with additional mirrors creates an extra seating area.
The pastel colours chosen for the walls reference coloured buildings in the surrounding neighbourhood, while a linear grid of wooden blocks creates a parquet floor.
The Nail Salon is designed with iconic triangle division as it reflected the meaning of “Kolmio”.
“Kolmio+LIM” is a nail salon located in Osaka, the western capital of Japan, which is where our client LIM started her first hair salon. They have since expanded their beauty business. “Kolmio” is taken from the name (kolmio+LIM) the Nail Salon means triangle in Finish.
The store layout of basic wood and white has been designed to reflect the essential colour of natural skin tones, and the space itself is intended to symbolise the process of nail colouring. The zigzag wall and natural lighting refraction make references to the twinkle glitter reflection of nail polish, and the colour themes of the design represent the various layers of nail polish applied one after another.
Yusuke based the design, of various tones of white, upon basic natural human nail colours. He tried to express the Japanese proverb “Diverse men, diverse minds”, which directly translates as ‘ten people have ten different colour’; as every person has their own skin colour as a base for colouring, to bring a new personality by adding layer upon layer of beauty work requires precision by the nailist.
The coloured walls take their inspiration from the neighbourhood buildings just outside the window, as a way of incorporating the surrounding aesthetics, as part of an overall interior design theme. “Kolmio” is originally an intricate triangle decoration. This stores’ dynamic shapes are inspired by kolnio and possess an iconic value, as well as providing a functional division through the centre of the space. All of the design methods are inspired by there environment, and the actions all happened surroundings.
This combined dental clinic and beauty salon in Takashima, Japan, by Osaka designer Ryutaro Matsuura features a plain white facade that conceals windows and patios behind perforated metal screens (+ slideshow).
Ryutaro Matsuura designed the two storey building to accommodate the White Essence Takashima dental surgery on its lower level, while the first floor houses Salon de M, a beauty clinic offering non-surgical procedures such as hair removal and slimming treatments.
To break down the scale of the building, the volume was conceived as a cluster of four structures surrounding a central courtyard. “We thought of making four small buildings and uniting them like a ring,” said the architect.
Treatment rooms and reception areas are contained within the four perimeter blocks, while the space between becomes a double-height atrium with a glass ceiling, used as a patient waiting room by both businesses.
Windows line the perimeter of the dentist’s treatment rooms but are fronted by “buffer zones” comprising enclosed double-height patios. Perforated metal screens are positioned in front to allow daylight to enter without compromising privacy for patients.
“This made cozy treatment spaces with soft daylight and patients’ privacy,” said Matsuura.
A mixture of square and rectangular windows perforate the walls of the beauty clinic, creating views both into the courtyard and out to the external patios.
Each of the four blocks has a mono-pitched roof designed to allow snow to fall away during the winter season.
A low concrete wall surrounds the site and integrates benches that Matsuura hopes will encourage activity around the building.
“We hope that this building will endear itself to the town’s people and be nurtured by them as a new landmark of the town,” he added.
Here’s a project description from Ryutaro Matsuura:
White Essence Takashima and Salon de M
We planned to build a facility comprised of the aesthetic dental clinic “White Essence Takashima” on the first floor and the aesthetic salon “Salon de M” on the second floor, which is owned by one dentist and located in a residential area of the northwestern part of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. What the client requested to us was “The building can give neighbourhood a sense of affinity and good impressions as a symbolic object in the town”.
We thought that putting together the necessary functions into one square-shaped ‘box’ should be avoided because the town’s people would not heart such a dominating building. So, we thought of making four small buildings and uniting them like a ring.
We also gave them shed roofs in order to slide the accumulated snow off the surface considering their heavy winter snowfalls. That is how we created a community-friendly shape bundling the slanted roofed boxes which are snuggling up to each other.
In regard to the interior space, we made the space enclosed by four buildings into a void space with a top light. It was turned into a comfortable place with varied natural light. We fixed perforated metal screens on the outside of the windows of the first floor treatment rooms to set up buffer spaces bridging the inside and the outside. This made the cozy treatment spaces with soft daylight and patients’ privacy.
The fence around the premises is punctuated by partial 350 mm setbacks that can be used as benches by any pedestrians. This design should alleviate a sense of rejection.
We hope that this building will endear itself to the town’s people and be nurtured by them as a new landmark of the town.
Project name: White Essence Takashima, Salon de M Use: aesthetic dental clinic (1F), aesthetic salon (2F) Location: Shin’asahi-cho, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan
Site area: 1536.76 square metres Floor area: 364.87 square metres Date of competition: November, 2013 Client: Uehara Dental Clinic Design: Ryutaro Matsuura
White and black painted patches create artificial shafts of light and shadows on the walls of this salon in Japan by Tokyo studio Takara Space Design.
Architect Yozo Suzuki of Takara Space Design converted a former cafe in the Yamanashi Prefecture to create the hair and beauty salon, which is entitled GreeM.
The space had only small windows, so the architect used different shades of paint to exaggerate the appearance of light and shadow, in an attempt to brighten up an otherwise dark room.
“White and grey paintings, and artificial lighting on the walls looks like daylight from the windows,” said Suzuki. “With the combination of painted lights, shadows and lighting we tried to [add] the comfort that natural light has.”
The shades range from grey, light grey, white and cream, and the lighter patches are used to highlight seating areas and product displays.
There are two hair-dressing stations at the front of the space, with a hair-washing tucked away in a separate room.
Mirrors sit within chunky wooden frames, while wood-like vinyl tiles cover the floor.
Photography is by Keisuke Miyamoto.
Here’s some information from Yozo Suzuki:
Daylight of painting
There was a dark space which previous use is a cafe with small windows. Client requested us to convert the space to a beauty salon with low budget.
The way that we suggested was painting lights and shadows on the interior walls. White and grey paintings and artificial lightings on the wall look like daylight from the windows.
With the combination of painted lights, shadows and lighting,we tried to make a comfort as a natural light has. Customers can enjoy differences from ordinary lights.
Project name: greeM Location: 4709-1 Ryuchi Kai-city Yamanashi Japan Floor size: 45 sq m Use: beauty salon for men and women. Hair cut, hair colour, hair perm, shampoo and head spa. Floor: vinyl tile (wooden printed) Wall: paint (white and grey) Ceiling: paint on steel structures
Kenneth Schlenker—a French-born tech entrepreneur and ex-Google employee—isn’t the most predictable person to disrupt New York’s stolid art scene. Several startups have tried to bring the art world online, mostly by creating marketplaces for buyers and…
A house-shaped shop window frames the interior of this renovated beauty salon in Osaka Prefecture by Japanese office Tsubasa Iwahashi Architects.
Located in the town of Sakai, the Folm Arts beauty salon is designed by Tsubasa Iwahashi to fit in with the surrounding houses. “I wanted to express the close connection of the town and shop,” says the architect.
A chunky wooden frame surrounds the house-shaped glazing, creating the only interruption to an otherwise monolithic facade.
The interior of the salon is divided into two halves, both with clean white walls and pale timber furnishings. A reception desk is positioned at the front, while styling stations line the side wall and a private styling area is tucked away at the back.
Arched mirrors are mounted to the walls and sit proud of the surface.
Read on more a more detailed description from the architects:
Folm arts – Beauty salon
If there is a form of the ideal to the shop, it may be to blend naturally as part of the town. It is that, rather than the sign-lit brilliantly, to continue to be as existence is connected to the people indeed.
This is a renovation of the beauty salon during the ten years have passed since the time along with the town from opening. There was a figure of the shop owner exchanging greetings friends with people of the town who went through the shop front. The figure already seemed to be a part of town. It is a renewal of the shop for 10th year.
The frame of house type reflecting the image of intimate connection with the town provided in the facade of the shop, are beginning to become the icon of the town. While leaving partially, what he continued to use it carefully for many years, we have reconstructed a new space in the shop. In the shop front, the shop owner exchanging greetings with people of the town and is watering trees, as usual. Through the frame of the house type of tunnel shape, connection with the town and the shop, has been practiced in the storefront today.
Overall Excellence *
I thought through the facade of the shop, I wanted to express a close connection of the town and shop. I have decided towards the town, and to have the facade of the shop the opening of the house type. When seen from the street, state of the shop is a glimpse into the frame over the house type. From the shop, view of the street is cut off by the frame of the house type, you can feel the appearance of the street to go move from moment to moment.
The shop and the town, are connected with each other deeply through the frame. And from now, the shop will continue piled up time as part of the town even more
Use of Technology *
The frame type of house that was built in the tunnel shape, is summarising various functions to one. An entrance door, the blind of the measure against the afternoon sun in the evening, the space of a waiting and a bookshelf, and planting, lighting…
Various elements are connected to one and the facade is constituted. It has succeeded in enabling simple composition and excluding an excessive element by collecting various functions to one.
I believe images with shapes that reminiscent the universal, to function as a common language beyond the language. I think from children to the elderly, regardless of country, language of common give people the impression of a uniform. In addition, the effect, I believe is in Asia with similar climate, culture and distance, I can expect even more.
The frame of the house type cited the shape of a house, as reminiscent of an intimate relationship like a family, it was adopted. As an icon of the town, the shop will be rooted in the town in the future.
Commercial and Societal Success *
People of the town which memorises feeling of a certain kind on a house type frame, and it newly visits. People who point out the facade of a beauty salon and talk. People who wait for people. The passerby who parks and observes a car. Gradually, the beauty salon is beginning to function as an icon of a town. From now on, various dramas will start at the store.
One year, three years, and ten years after. The role of a new store has started as a part of town.
Mirrors curve down from the ceiling on thick steel frames at this hair salon in Berlin by German studio Karhard Architektur + Design (+ slideshow).
Constructed from a combination of black steel and oxidised stainless steel, the suspended mirrors create a pair of two-sided styling stations in the large front room of the Viktor Leske salon.
Karhard Architektur + Design used a materials palette of concrete and steel for the surrounding surfaces of the room. “The only briefing from Viktor Leske was to create something extraordinary,” architects Thomas Karsten and Alexandra Erhard told Dezeen. “We tried to use less materials to create more atmosphere.”
The floor is concrete, while wooden ledges line the walls to provide seating areas and a concrete lectern forms a reception desk.
A few stairs lead up to a second room at the back of the salon, where a hair-washing area is surrounded by illuminated panels that change hue from blue and green to pink, purple and red.
“The design concept deals with the different characters of the big front room and the narrow back room,” said the architects. “We tried to find two different expressions in material and light.”
Here’s a little more information from Karhard Architektur:
Viktor Leske International
In the middle of “Mitte” Karhard has created a second salon for hairdresser Viktor Leske.
A striking element are the mirrors made from black steel and oxidized and polished stainless steel which are suspended from the ceiling. In combination with dark wood and concrete they provide a minimalist yet warm atmosphere.
The constriction of the space in back is dissolved by an elaborate light installation within a folded mirror wall. The wall, made from glass, one way mirrors and mirrors, can be rhythmically lit by programmable LEDs. Clients can hang out at the black bar, which comprises the waiting area.
Project name: Viktor Leske International Completion: 02/2013 Construction area: 65 sqm Owner: Viktor Leske Architects: karhard architektur + design
A timber lattice supports shelves, worktops, lighting and mirrors down one side of this beauty salon in Osaka by Japanese designer Yasunari Tsukada (+ slideshow).
Located in the Kitahorie neighbourhood, the salon occupies a long and narrow building, so Yasunari Tsukada designed a clean white interior with few partitons to keep the space as open as possible.
The gridded wall of timber runs along the right-hand side of the space to create workstations for seven stylists, each with a number of possible shelving configurations.
“We wondered if we could create flexible, extensible walls without imposing any limitations on their functionality,” explains Tsukada. “In concrete terms, our solution involved building three-dimensional lattice screens resembling parts of a jungle gym that function as architectural pieces of furniture.”
Openings in the grid create spaces for mirrors, while pendant lights hang through from above and glass panels can be slotted in and out to rearrange the shelving layout.
Two extra seats face a large mirror on the opposite wall, while a plywood screen accommodates a reception desk.
A narrower wooden framework provides additional shelves towards the rear of the 28-metre-long room, plus a hair-washing area is tucked away at the back.
Named end…Link, the salon is one of the first completed projects by Yasunari Tsukada, who launched his studio in 2012.
Here’s some more information from Yasunari Tsukada:
end…Link / beauty salon
The name of this beauty salon was inspired by the owner’s passionate desire to turn it into a destination for “the last word in beauty”. Although the design was first completed about five years ago, the previous premises soon grew to feel a little cramped due to the rapidly expanding size of the team, which prompted the owner to move to a new and larger location.
The rented unit that the owner had prepared as the new platform for his venture was a slender, elongated space measuring 28m deep, with a frontage of 4.4m. Taking advantage of this narrow frontage, we configured each of the spaces in a straightforward manner by taking cues from the existing frame and contours of the property. In addition, by making efficient use of the length of the unit, we were able to maintain a certain distance between each space while connecting them seamlessly to each other. Keeping the number of partitions to an absolute minimum and painting the entire space white achieved a feeling of abstraction, as well as a sense of giving equal importance to both the new and old materials that comprise the walls, ceilings, and floors. The result was an interior that gave pride of place to the people and objects within it.
The styling space is where the owner’s particular obsessions and passions came to the fore. He requested that we incorporate various functional elements into the mirrored surfaces (for storing or hanging objects). In response, we wondered if we could create flexible, extensible walls without imposing any limitations on their functionality. In concrete terms, our solution involved building three-dimensional lattice screens resembling parts of a jungle gym that function as architectural pieces of furniture. These screens were created using only a structural framework, with no particular significance attached to the form of the lattice itself. When lighting fixtures, glass panels, hooks and other objects are attached, however, the lattice begins to take on a new dimension. Affixing glass panels turns them into display shelves, or tables for the use of customers. Just imagine the transformations that these lattice screens will undergo, thanks to the multiple efforts and innovations of the staff.
Our heated, passionate discussions with the owner gave us real food for thought. Over the course of many meetings, our plans and designs continued to evolve and change repeatedly. Before long, we found ourselves starting to enjoy the progress of these changes. Thus was born a space that would serve as a base for the owner and his team to communicate their ideas and thoughts to their clients, promising the start of a new phase in its evolution and growth.
Project information Project Name: end…Link Location: Kitahorie Nishi-ku, Osaka, Japan Use: Beauty Salon Built area: 114.56m2 Completion : 2012 November Design: Yasunari Tsukada design Contractor: Infinity
Prague-based Studio Muon have completed a hair salon in Brno, Czech Republic, that looks like a cross between a warehouse and a dungeon (+ slideshow).
Although it looks more a warehouse, the 1920s building was first constructed for use as a bank. Studio Muon converted part of the structure into a fashion showroom in 2008 and was brought back to add the hair salon in 2012.
While the first space was designed as a simple room with garments hanging from the ceiling, the second is planned as a series of zones with styling stations propped up on a stage.
“Different functions requested different spaces,” architect Jiří Zhoř told Dezeen. “The main exhibit in the showroom is dresses, but in the hair studio it’s people.”
Mirrors bolted to rough concrete blocks run along the centre of the hairdressing platform, with chairs either side and spotlights suspended from above.
Concrete beams are used to front a steel reception desk. Elsewhere, reclaimed wooden joists are used as tables and shelf surfaces.
Hair Studio “Tana Kmenta” is located in the bank building originally created and built in 1929-30 by Bohuslav Fuchs and Ernest Wiesner. It is located next to showroom DNB which is created by the same architect Jiří Zhoř in 2008. Both projects are symbiotically related, but different.
The main consideration was to divide the zones and create an elevated podium/stage (level patio) which can be visible from the outside. To create a space where hairstylists can be seen carrying out their creations, the active section and the place to perform.
Elevated podium is intersected by large mirrors which are supported with concrete blocks and basic lighting. The concrete blocks in a contrast with smooth stainless surface of the floor and mirrors further enhance elevated look.
While the zone for cutting hair is visible from the street, the space with the reception and for washing hair have cosy atmosphere.
The concept of furnishing is a solitary. All furniture and equipment are custom made. The principal materials are black steel, concrete block panels, old wood beams and glass mirrors. The moving table is made out of 200 years old wood beams. The reception is made from steel construction with concrete blocks same as weights under the mirrors.
The important element is a functional basin with different shelves for hair chemicals. Minimalistic black reflectors evoke a feeling of theatre atmosphere. The building of the bank is unique thanks to its construction from reinforced concrete what was innovative in the time of its development in 1930.
Above: fashion showroom, completed 2008
One of the aspirations of the project was to show off the basis of the building and its constructional principles. The atmosphere of the interior was soften by light white spraying what also created calmness and helped new elements to stand out in their real proportions and materials.
Dutch designer Dirk van Berkel has converted a fireplace shop in Amsterdam into a salon and hairdressing school with copper pipes snaking across the walls and ceiling.
The first stages in the renovation were to line the walls with plasterboard, add a new concrete floor and install a series of windows in the slanted ceilings to let in more light.
Dirk van Berkel was keen to avoid creating a space that was too clinical. He explains: “To avoid a ‘dental practice look’ we applied pure and raw materials such as unfinished metal, glass, okoumé wood and copper.”
Copper pipes for the heating system wind back and forth to create a towel rack by the sinks, while on the ceiling they line up with the suspended copper lighting fixtures.
Industrial-looking steel cabinets and screens divide the space, providing workstations and storage, and separating styling stations from washing areas. Glass infills allow views between the zones.
Plants are suspended from the ceiling in the waiting area and a large blossoming tree is positioned centrally.
Here’s a project description from Dirk van Berkel:
Mogeen Salon & Hairschool
A former hearth boutique across the excavation of the north/south metro line (train) along the Vijzelgracht in Amsterdam has been transformed into a modern hairsalon and school. The upcoming area around the Vijzelgracht is attractive for hip, trendy and decadent businesses. The neighbourhood forms a remarkable contrast with the large nearby shopping area of the city’s centre, where well known stores such as H&M, Nike and Zara predominate. The foundation of the building itself had been reconstructed because of the damage that was caused by the construction and excavation of the North/ South line. In order to gain sufficient square meters a roof has been built over the courtyard, where the hairschool is located.
The interior walls of a building of this stature are required to be fireproof up to one hour. To achieve this all the walls have been fitted with a double layer of fireproof plasterboard/sheet rock. Tilt windows have been placed in the slanting ceilings to let in sufficient natural sunlight, and floor heating has been installed in the newly built concrete floors. The heating systems copper piping continues through the sinks into the walls where it serves its second purpose: a heated towel rack.
The owners of Mogeen are talented hairstylists who often work for famous and well known fashion magazines and designers. Passion and feeling play a key part in Mogeen’s style and we wanted that to visible in the interior. The sleek, mainly white coloured walls yielded the right lighting but didn’t give the interior the atmosphere that we were looking for. To avoid a ‘dental practice look’ we applied pure and raw materials such as unfinished metal, glass, okoumé wood and copper. Lighting is an essential element in a salon. Thats why we used high end dimmable fluorescent lighting and in height adjustable hanging lamps above the washing units. The copper piping in which the electricity runs are visible on the walls to interrupt the large white surfaces. To make clients and customers feel at home the lobby/ waiting area contains a large comfortable sofa, a dining table packed with food and a pantry built into a bookcase with architecture, hair and art magazines and literature.
The salon and hairschool had to have a flexible layout. That made the choice for mobile dressing tables and a folding wall that separates the salon and the school. The large elongated sink was inspired by a trough and functions as a sink and a countertop. The high pressure laminate elements and air grids above the dressing tables can be placed and used in any spot in the elongated sink. This creates a flexible work environment. The complete inventory has been kept as transparent as possible: The use of glass in partitioning walls and see through cabinets has kept the inventory as transparent. As a result one can look through the entire salon. All these aspects combined accentuate and define the creative activity and atmosphere in this new hairsalon and school.
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