After the great success achieved with Atelier I, the entrepreneur decided to transfer to a larger space, where he could benefit from a team of professionals and at the same time preserve the exclusivity of the clientele he gained in the inaugural salon.
With the intention of growing gradually, he chose a stately floor from the 1920’s located in a very elegant district of Madrid. The 240 m2 space has a luxurious L-shaped main hall, four chambers and a charming lavatory remodeled in a 1950’s fashion. A familiar place that we would convert into a space dedicated to beauty and hair care.
The space has high ceilings, chambers embellished with ornate moldings, chimneys, lavish detailing in its arches and an impressive, hand crafted art deco flooring full of colorful mosaic which was installed at the time of the construction of the building itself.
We have created a zone designated for color work, a designated zone for haircuts, and a room for the hair washing as well as an administrative office. Although the floor mosaic was quite colorful, in this project we have utilized eight colors ranging from neutral to luminous.
The hair cutting room and the administrative office were painted in warm, grey tones creating an intimate and cozy ambience. Due to the high ceilings and the vast amounts of light, the color we chose was intended to create a calm environment. The ceilings of the work areas were painted white so it didn’t interfere with the client’s hair color work and we gently highlighted the moldings by applying gold leaf.
The hallways were painted in toasted sand tones supporting the central gamut of neutral tones. The high ceiling of the long hallway was lowered by painting it in dark brown paint to make it cozier and more inviting.
The color-dye room was painted white, setting it aside as the only room with this nuance in the entire project. The furniture was retrieved from Atelier I taking advantage of the white armchairs and mirrored tables which now matched. We chose a chandelier with exposed light bulbs and white wire designed by the architect Jean Nouvel. On the side walls we installed extended mirrors and one round mirror was positioned in the center of the room adding a futuristic air. The melis pine wood floor and the marble fireplace were left intact.
One of the hair-cutting chambers was decorated with three mirrors made from recovered remains from a demolished church and hard-wood sideboards. We purchased two 1960’s salon armchairs that were upholstered in a synthetic shark skin motif. The set of nine circular retro lamps we installed were also from the 1960’s.
In the other zones designated for cutting hair we placed huge custom-made mirrors that leaned against the full height of the wall. The sand colored chairs were commissioned especially for the salon. They were accentuated with spotlights designed specifically for professionals of this sector. We also added white work stools originally designed for dentists which come in very handy to hairstylists as well.
We adorned the entire space with chairs from different time periods and styles which added an eclectic feel. In the entrance hall we hung a velvet curtain with French designer Sonia Rykiel’s signature stripes complementing an Italian bureau made in black Murano glass. Another complementing piece was the artwork we commissioned from a local artist reflecting organic motifs.
The decor in the administrative office included signature pieces from designers Philippe Starck as well as Tom Dixon. We kept the wardrobe which consisted of the original cupboard and we simply painted it rosewood.
Due to its great authentic 1950’s characteristic, we maintained the bathroom as it was. We used a warm, hay color to update the room and to highlight the emerald green in the existing tiles.
The original double ply-wooden doors installed throughout the space had beautiful bousserie finishes they were left intact to invite their story about the passing of time.
The hair-washing area was painted in olive green with an enormous ball of pink champagne feathers imported from Paris. This very element is repeated in a smaller degree in another hallway but in off-white.
It has been an enormous pleasure to work in the second project for this exclusive salon and to create a space where the clients can relax and give high quality care to their hair.