Salon newbie - can anyone recommend an architect?

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jacqueline1

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Hi all,

So i am embarking on my long, long(!) awaited dream and planning on opening a salon in South London a the end of the year. Ive been planning it for quite a while and i've got a good idea on the treatment side but am a bit lost when it comes to fit out etc.

As a starter for 10, could anyone recommend me an architect they have used and roughly how much it cost?

Thanks so much!!

Jacqueline
 
If you are looking at architects I hope you have a big budget.
 
Have hopefully budgeted sensibly but want to do it properly and would rather spend some extra £s up front and not do something I regret!
 
I think Capital wholesalers sell furniture and offer a design service too. I think hiring an architect will work out really expensive & is unnecessary. The fun part is designing your salon exactly how you want it, just make sure you have good builders that can interpret your vision. I was v.lucky, my other half did all my building work for me, i did the shopping & got my furniture etc then I just told him what I needed wth very basic sketches to show my layout and where I wanted everything and he did it for me. ( he is still waiting to be paid lol!) I would just Google salon interiors for some inspiration and create a mood board or Pinterest of the looks you like.
 
I think Capital wholesalers sell furniture and offer a design service too. I think hiring an architect will work out really expensive & is unnecessary. The fun part is designing your salon exactly how you want it, just make sure you have good builders that can interpret your vision. I was v.lucky, my other half did all my building work for me, i did the shopping & got my furniture etc then I just told him what I needed wth very basic sketches to show my layout and where I wanted everything and he did it for me. ( he is still waiting to be paid lol!) I would just Google salon interiors for some inspiration and create a mood board or Pinterest of the looks you like.
Sorry to jump this thread, and I can not guide the OP to a respectable architect, but speaking as one I think it would be a very very wise choice! Yes it costs a bit more when you start out but it saves you a lot in the process

To daydream, whom I quoted here, I believe you've got this all wrong.
Do you know the saying "The first house you build alone, sell it, the second, rent it, the third you get to keep!"?
Architects are not just luxury mechanics, or painters or just designers for that matter. We are first and foremost sociologists. We are trained to think like you and analyze your every day lives and turn your space into more functional and comfortable than any builder would. Most builders can't interpret visions, they follow instructions, they won't be able to spot a problem before it occurs. The first thing I ever ask of a client is to describe to me their every day habits, and I can translate those habits into what would be comfortable for them! We also know how to guide you and make your dream better functional if we believe that there will be some problem with air and lighting for example, or proper circulation around the space. We don't change it, neither do we oversee it. On the contrary, we are there to make it true in every little detail.
A designer would basically help you decorate it and some enlightened ones would even be able to help you just as I could, with the synthesis or the layout of the space, but those are the excepted few and not the majority. They too can guide you better to realize your dream about how you want it to look, if you can't do it yourself. But an architect would help you to make it properly functional, while keeping your dream alive and enhancing it at the same time.
And yes there are people who know exactly what they want and how they want it like you and that's good both for them and me because they make my life easier and we can guide each other more easily (they to what they imagine and me to how that would be better realized) but that's not everyone.

To the OP again I can find a few names if you are interested. I have a few friends and colleagues there. Where in London are you?
 
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Sorry to jump this thread, and I can not guide the OP to a respectable architect, but speaking as one I think it would be a very very wise choice! Yes it costs a bit more when you start out but it saves you a lot in the process

To daydream, whom I quoted here, I believe you've got this all wrong.
Do you know the saying "The first house you build alone, sell it, the second, rent it, the third you get to keep!"?
Architects are not just luxury mechanics, or painters or just designers for that matter. We are first and foremost sociologists. We are trained to think like you and analyze your every day lives and turn your space into more functional and comfortable than any builder would. Most builders can't interpret visions, they follow instructions, they won't be able to spot a problem before it occurs. The first thing I ever ask of a client is to describe to me their every day habits, and I can translate those habits into what would be comfortable for them! We also know how to guide you and make your dream better functional if we believe that there will be some problem with air and lighting for example, or proper circulation around the space. We don't change it, neither do we oversee it. On the contrary, we are there to make it true in every little detail.
A designer would basically help you decorate it and some enlightened ones would even be able to help you just as I could, with the synthesis or the layout of the space, but those are the excepted few and not the majority. They too can guide you better to realize your dream about how you want it to look, if you can't do it yourself. But an architect would help you to make it properly functional, while keeping your dream alive and enhancing it at the same time.
And yes there are people who know exactly what they want and how they want it like you and that's good both for them and me because they make my life easier and we can guide each other more easily (they to what they imagine and me to how that would be better realized) but that's not everyone.

To the OP again I can find a few names if you are interested. I have a few friends and colleagues there. Where in London are you?
Lol sorry if I offended you with my opinion, I agree with some of what you say (beg to differ on the builder part tho, that was quite a sweeping statement to generalise a whole profession like that!) but for me, my budget didn't stretch that far and between me and my husband we managed to create a beautiful workspace that suits my needs perfectly!
 
Lol sorry if I offended you with my opinion, I agree with some of what you say (beg to differ on the builder part tho, that was quite a sweeping statement to generalise a whole profession like that!) but for me, my budget didn't stretch that far and between me and my husband we managed to create a beautiful workspace that suits my needs perfectly!
Yeah sorry at the time it did feel a lil offensive, but it was 2am... perhaps I read more than what you meant. Trust me I know what it means working on a budget.
As to the builders part you will notice that I say "most" and that's generally true. They can make something work perfectly in which case u keep them and never let go! Hell I've even learnt a few tips and tricks from them! But some can also make a whole lot of mistakes which I am accountable for and have to find a solution to, just as it is in any profession I guess!
It sounds however like your husband knows his business well and you were lucky to have someone close to bring your dream to life. Of course knowing exactly what you wanted helped too. Not many people have that.
 
Have you found a premises? There was no point me having an architect even if I wanted one as there was only so much I could do with the space available, with the landlords permissions and with my budget.

While I'm sure you can have amazing designs done by an architect, there are lots and lots of posts on here asking "how can I get more clients/grow my business/generate more income". Unless money seriously is no object, and pennies may be better spent elsewhere. If you have found a space to rent and you really can't see the wood for the trees, then it may well be worth your while.

Good luck

Vic x
 

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