Themes,colours,styles-beauty salon

[ambermay]

Hi all,

Dont know if iv posted this in the correct section but here goes.

Im looking in to opening a small beauty salon later next year, now I know thinking about colour schemes should be way off my list of things to consider but im a girl and its only natural to get exited over colours and fabrics lol.

While Im looking into all business options and sensible stuff, I thought I would ask all you geeks your opinion on :-

perfect colour?
Theme?
What themes have you all gone for?
What makes a salon stand out from the rest?
what kind of names are best?
is the interior that important?

thanks guys cant wait to hear your replpies.

claire x

 

[ambermay]

Anybody???

 

[hippy-chick]

Hi Ambermay,
I understand your excitment.

I would suggest you make a storyboard of colours/textures that you like and then build up from there.

Firstly, what is your fav colour? What theme resonates with you?

I am into Eastern treatments so I knew that I wanted buddha and an ethnic-vibe to my treatment room. but the wallpaper (which I didn't want to have to change) was bright blue with the other walls yellow/cream.

but I rent a 2nd room and it is more spa-vibe, with wooden floors, plain painted magnolia walls with one wall painted pinky/burgundy.

I worked with the colour scheme that I already had and built up from there.

I do thing image is an important thing and should reflect what treatments you are going to offer.

If its nails then you can be quite modern.
If its massage it could be ethnic.
If its beauty it could be plush and vibrant or pinky and girly.

I

 

[ambermay]

Thanks for your reply,

I love the way in which you described your theme i can imagine it being very relaxing, but your right its good to find a theme that sits well with yourself, there are two themes that attract me, the french,chic look with golds and creams(expensive looking) and then the bright and funky minimal look (eg white and fusia or orange)

im looking to open a very small salon offering all beauty treatments from waxing to massage targeting clients of all ages and both sexes so quite a difficult desision.

I think a story board is a good place to start though so thanks for the advice.
xx

 

[allyballybee]

I'm liking the boutique look at the moment. Think damask pattern, heavy ornate mirrors, antique nail tables, high back chairs, chandilers with a modern twist.

xxx

 

[ambermay]

My thoughts exactly x

 

[hippy-chick]

it depends on your demographic market.

If you are targetting young and funky clients with disposable income then the vibrant colours with white will go down a storm and is unisex but may turn off the "ladies that lunch" brigade.

If your room is quite large and you are targetting mostly females and the LTL and young funky then the boudoir theme is a goer. Matalan have a lot in at the moment with their Lawerence Llewellyn-Bowen range.

A black chandeliar and a chaise, etc would be lush.

In my training room I have clean bare walls with just a light cream wallpaper.
Then I have 3 Indian style banners and tibetan prayer flags on one wall, but I also have a cream chaise and a cream French screeen with a shabby-chic table.

 

[aangel]

hi, im much further away from this (not quite started my training yet lol), but i personally would start with the name for the salon.
if you have a name in mind already, maybee people could sugest themes for you from that. e.g. "the beauty spa", this could have the relaxed white/green/blue feel with real plants, indoor water features and "new age" music playing, or "pretty peacock nails and beauty" would have the purple/green/blues with artificial arangements including the peacock feather and radio one playing as background music.

as i say, very open ideas as im a client perspective not a professional (for now lol)

 

[WaxGirl]

Doing the colour scheme and developing it is fun because you are putting your stamp on it.

The difficulty is doing this and keeping within a budget. I would have loved a whole opulent look with chaise longes, chandelirs, ornate mirrors and patterned paper HOWEVER my budget like my salon was small so had to somewhat downsize.

I started off thinking about two colours I love - Hot Pink and Turquoise and had look around to see what grabbed my attention, I found gorgeous paper in B & Q its hot pink and silver.....everyone comments on it and just took it all from there. Overall I kept the walls simple with a cremy colour and did the one feaure wall in reception with the paper. Then got brilliant hot pink curtains from B & Q and my sister adapted them into curtains to divide off the tanning area, she used the left over material to make me a wall hanging and seat covers. I went to a local material shop and got them to give me gorgeous and expensive left over material for free and she made that into lovely seat covers too. For receptiom seating I've borrowed a monks bench from my mum, I made the reception desk, I went to a cancer charity shop and bought antique furniture and did it up for storage space, I got a shelving unit for sales products out of homebase at a knock down price as it was slightly damaged, I shopped around and got best value on floors, sink and joinery products and my sister and I did all decorating.....thank god for her or the place still wouldn't be open!! Mirrors I bought and did up or borrowed. I really did it on very small budget and it looks great, simple with splashes of colour, in your tanning area keep it simple to redecorate. I'm pleased with it and think the colour, warmth and simplicity fits in with what I'm trying to promote. Hope this helps!!! Sorry for poor typing have wee migraine this morning to working wit one eye.

 

[hippy-chick]

Doing the colour scheme and developing it is fun because you are putting your stamp on it.

The difficulty is doing this and keeping within a budget. I would have loved a whole opulent look with chaise longes, chandelirs, ornate mirrors and patterned paper HOWEVER my budget like my salon was small so had to somewhat downsize.

I started off thinking about two colours I love - Hot Pink and Turquoise and had look around to see what grabbed my attention, I found gorgeous paper in B & Q its hot pink and silver.....everyone comments on it and just took it all from there. Overall I kept the walls simple with a cremy colour and did the one feaure wall in reception with the paper. Then got brilliant hot pink curtains from B & Q and my sister adapted them into curtains to divide off the tanning area, she used the left over material to make me a wall hanging and seat covers. I went to a local material shop and got them to give me gorgeous and expensive left over material for free and she made that into lovely seat covers too. For receptiom seating I've borrowed a monks bench from my mum, I made the reception desk, I went to a cancer charity shop and bought antique furniture and did it up for storage space, I got a shelving unit for sales products out of homebase at a knock down price as it was slightly damaged, I shopped around and got best value on floors, sink and joinery products and my sister and I did all decorating.....thank god for her or the place still wouldn't be open!! Mirrors I bought and did up or borrowed. I really did it on very small budget and it looks great, simple with splashes of colour, in your tanning area keep it simple to redecorate. I'm pleased with it and think the colour, warmth and simplicity fits in with what I'm trying to promote. Hope this helps!!! Sorry for poor typing have wee migraine this morning to working wit one eye.

that is by far the best way to do things. I've bought things as I've gone along, if I spot something be it a designer shop, B&Q or a charity shop, I get it there and then. You can't beat Matalan, TKMaxx and Tesco for other things.

I take great pleasure in people gasping at things I've got. I've got 3 wall mounts of buddha's face, I get asked time and time again where I got them from and I say India ........ nah! Argos! and they are always amazed!

 

[ambermay]

Thanks loveleelady you are absolutly right, I think that is what I will do, just start small and upgrade over time, charity shops are fantastic for chairs to create that french look, my mother has a wedding shop (french style) and although some furniture is new and expensive some she purchased second hand and cleaned them up, they look great, she sanded down her cheap antique chairs and gave them a lick of cream wood paint recovered the pads and walla!

Love the statement wallpaper too, very classy I think.

I think it would be cheaper for me to maybe stick with the white and bold theme (funky) and easier, but its the french that interests me more so we will ahve to wait and see what my decorating budget is going to be.

thanks for all your help x