It was a great pleasure as well as a great challenge to design the salon Atelier located in Malasaña one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Madrid. This was the entrepreneur inaugural salon and he had a clear vision of the level of exclusive service he wanted to provide to his clients. Each of his clients would be attended to in a private setting and by appointment only. Never would two clients coincide nor would they be attended at the same time, the stylist had planned to work alone in order to provide the most exclusive and personalized treatment to his clients.
He found a spot measuring 18 m2 in an old car garage that could park one car and one motorcycle. There was a small cellar for storage and down the hall there was a sink and a small bathroom. The back of the space was subtly divided by an arch. In spite of the reduced amount of space the high ceilings gave the illusion of a well distributed space.
Once the main structural work electric plumbing insulation was completed we began to establish the aesthetic identity of the salon. The idea was to create a relaxed environment with lots of natural light that would be pleasing for a client that would spend hours in the salon. Neutral tones were utilized as per our clients request with the intention of highlighting his skilled work.
We defined the functional zones as well as areas for people to circulate throughout. We established a waiting area, the work zones shampoo area and we created a space specifically for color work, the color room. We remodeled the bathroom and we set up the storage space as well as a lounging area.
In the front entrance we installed two panels of sliding glass in order to receive the most amount of natural light possible. The opaque vinyl logo was placed at the eye level of passersby which also instilled a sense of privacy for the clients without sacrificing the exterior light.
A full mirrored wall which was to be the work mirror gave the illusion of limitless space in relation to the furniture by providing magnitude and luminosity.
The brown Italian tile floor gave the illusion of crocodile skin by installing faux leather which added a flair of elegance and fantasy to the space. The black curtain that covered the laboratory was made with long black cotton threads that swayed. The mink colored hair washing sink imported from France was installed diagonally and faced the mirror. It had a massage system including a lifted the footrest. The furniture was white to avoid interference with the work of the stylist.
In the entrance we placed a blood red silk brocade sofa which was the only corner that escaped the neutral color range. The handrail of the staircase was made of glass with the intention of not placing additional distraction to the space. We placed a solid oak plank to support a vase with fresh cut flowers which added an organic and fresh touch.
The salon light fixtures spotlighted the stylist workspace and also directed light towards the sofas. The counters were constructed of mirrored glass visually unifying the work area. We also installed indirect lighting from the ceiling at each of the four sides. The illumination we created was simple and very cozy.
In the restroom we placed grey tiles with an asphalt finish to contrast the floors on the outside. We chose a bold retro style mirror where clients would be able to view their color and styles in full swing.
The whole project lasting four months gave us great satisfaction and its success invited us to create some years later Atelier II.