Need to spruce up your nail salon? Here’s some design tips…

Thanh Vu, managing director of four Dream Nails salons, reveals her top tips for salon styling and how to keep design fluid across more than one premises…

Thanh Vu

Salon design is one of the areas of my job that I enjoy most. It has been incredibly satisfying to see my vision turn to reality across four premises – but the journey can be quite stressful.

I have designed all Dream Nails’ salons from the bare bones. For some of them, the spaces have been a clean canvas concrete shell while with others, I have had to deal with the joys of characterful, older properties. Throughout any salon fit out, one of the key points is to have a reliable, great team of builders on hand. I have worked with the same team on all of my projects and they have surprisingly become expert salon stylists.

What are the most important considerations when styling a salon?

There are four key aspects: the desired look, cleanliness/practicality, working in harmony with the building and ergonomically designed to make the salon work.

The Desired Look

It is incredibly important to have a strong vision of the type of salon you wish to fit out prior to starting work. I wanted to create nail salons that were modern, industrial and urban in look while comfortable.

My salon colours are pink, white and grey. All my shopfronts are Farrow & Ball grey in colour and I run the grey theme throughout the flooring. I tend to use white metro tiles on most walls and then inject pink with Dream Nails pink neon signs,  pink neon flamingos and neon pink ‘Nail Art Please’ signs. It is also worth remembering we tend to have a huge injection of colour provided by our nail varnish wall racks – they often cover entire walls of our salons.

Every salon shares the same design features. That way, no matter which salon a client visits whether it be in Essex or East London, Dream Nails is instantly recognisable. Our pink neon signs are very visible when driving by our salons.

Cleanliness/Practicality

I am a stickler for cleanliness and hammer this home to all my staff in all my salons. This is becoming more prevalent than ever before given the current environment we are operating in. It is an extremely important point to consider when styling a salon.

Nail salons often create a lot of dust, they operate with substances that can strip paint such as acetone and invariably they are busy, bustling places meaning paint work often gets marked and damaged. In light of this, I try to style my salons so that as well as fulfilling the desired look function they are also incredibly easy to keep clean.

The majority of the walls in the salon are metro tile walls and so can be easily wiped down and do not scuff. The floors are hard wearing, commercial grade so are well protected from six-inch heels. I make sure that all surfaces are quartz (not prone to staining) or leather that can be easily wiped down. Yes, fluffy pedicure chairs may be comfy but repeated use means they are unlikely to be hygienic and after the first month likely to look pretty shabby. A salon that is easy to clean is also likely to be kept clean as staff will not need to worry about getting in every nook and cranny.

Working in harmony with the building

There is a need for all my salons to be instantly recognisable as Dream Nails salons. However, I do not want to create a 100% robotic clone. I think it is important to tailor the salon to the actual building the salon is in. My earlier salons are traditional high street shops and so I try to ensure the shop fronts have that village feel – I decorate them with flower designs, entrance hall mats and also have buxus plants by the entrance.

My newer salons are modern double height new builds and as a result lend themselves far more to the urban, industrial design I originally set out to achieve. The double height nature gives a huge feeling of open space and I have made sure to create the urban feel by having exposed ceilings and exposed metal pipework for my heating and air con system. I have managed to introduce this vibe into my more traditional earlier salons too but have checked back certain elements.

Ergonomic design

A nail salon clearly needs to be able to work as a nail salon. I try to ergonomically design the salon so that:

• manicure stations are easy for clients to access
• staff can easily get up from their work station to answer the phone or help a client choose their nail colour
• the reception area is clearly the focal point for a friendly meet and greet
• sinks within the salon are easily available for clients to wash hands pre and during treatments
• pedicure stations tend to be located at the rear of the shops for a little more privacy and intimacy
• we try to carve out a beauty corner – intimate relaxing area for those intimate treatments
• staff have a chill out space to eat and relax when not busy with a customer – I do not want staff eating front of house

I am not a trained architect or designer but I understand the practicalities of designing a nail salon and the need to have certain things in certain places. At the end of the day, I spend a lot of my time in the nail salon and after 15 years have a clear idea of what should go where and how I like it. Have fun with the design but remember it still needs to operate as a nail salon – so be practical!

www.dreamnailsbeauty.com