Salon Style – part 1 – salon wall treatment choices by Haz Dean, interior designer

Treating the Salon’s BIG CANVAS aka WALLS

Deciding on the polish or the art your client wants to put on her nails can be a tough decision at times. Similarly, having different options available, can get one confused when deciding on how to cover the bigger salon canvas AKA its walls.

Almost everyone in the beauty industry has access to the internet and the information residing on different search engines. You can ask Siri or Google for some design tips, or simply use Pinterest to check interesting design ideas to include in your salon space. There are hundreds of blogs and thousands of pictures online that can make the whole design process hard and confusing for you. And at the end of the day you don’t want to copy, you just need some inspiration.

Longlife Health Spa at the Grand Hotel in Castrocaro – a face treatment room with a dome for the chromotherapy treatments 

As a designer, I often get asked; Should I just paint the walls? Is it a good idea to go for a complete wall cladding? Is it nice to use wallpaper? How practical it is to use green walls? Well, this article is dedicated to talking about various types of wall treatments that can be used in your salon and spa spaces.

Wall treatment is one of the most basic yet essential elements of designing a salon space. Walls are the canvas on which you can present your work, your favourite quotes and the employee of the month. Some of these walls can work as a retail surface to generate more revenue, which why it’s important to put budget here and take the proper time to make the choice that best suits your salon and spa needs.

Before I design any room, I must first understand its function, the people who will use it and the foot traffic. After this short study, I then define what materials and shapes could be used, including across the walls.

Top Tip: Bear in mind that wall treatments should always support the original design concept, spa design standards and personal taste (brand identity).

Paint

Painting the walls is one of the easiest wall treatments. We can even do it ourselves. Therefore, choosing the most convenient shade, finish and texture is the hardest part.

Even though creating texture is a good way to design walls, I personally do not advise using rough textures, especially in the wet areas and rooms with high foot traffic. Instead, opt for a soft texture while using different finishes: matte, metallic, velvety, shiny.

Use colours that go nicely with the chosen furniture while taking into consideration the amount of natural light reflected on each wall. Always experiment with the colours you like on a piece of white cardboard and stick it on the wall before you decide, in order to choose the best shade for way the light behaves in the space.

Colours can be perceived differently and stimulate different kinds of emotions. I will dedicate a different article on colours and how to use them properly in your salon and spa spaces at a later date.

Following a healthier design practice, you can use paints that are bacterial and fungal growth-resistant. Check Fenomastic Hygiene product by JOTUN, which is a specially designed product to offer resistance against 22 different varieties of bacteria and fungus, which is perfect for high humidity areas. Also, it offers good flow, hiding power and has colour retention properties. (www.jotun.com)

Top Tip: If you’re planning to hang an art piece on the wall, choose a background colour that would make the art pop.

Wallpaper

Wallpaper adds depth to a salon space. If you like to have a textured wall look, but want to avoid using paints, wallpaper is the right choice to create that contrast.

Using wallpaper in the salon is a tool to support the theme and concept of your spa space. You can choose from a broad range of patterns, textures, graphics and styles. It all depends on what you desire and what mostly fits with your brand identity.

The most popular material of wallpaper is vinyl. However, there are different options: metal, mother of pearl, wood, fabric, a mix of materials and many more. The price range depends on the brand and material you select.

What is fascinating about wallpaper nowadays, is the possibility of customisation and having a bespoke solution to fit certain measurements or to express a specific mood – thus, the choice is unlimited. Also, using emerging technologies, wallpaper can also serve as a solution provider, and not only as a surface decoration.

For example, the Italian brand GLAMORA, which specialises in creating bespoke wallpaper and provides different materials of wallpaper that can serve different needs and desires. GlamFusion® is one of its product ranges, which offers waterproof properties, and is an ideal covering solution for walls, which come into contact with water or are subjected to intense mechanical force or chemical exposure. Another interesting product from GLAMORA is GlamAcoustic, which has sound absorbing and sound insulating properties; it reduces the noise coming from the next room, as well as muffles the noise that leaves the room. (www.glamora.it)

 

Top Tip: Create a bold statement by using wallpaper that has graphics on an accent wall. Do not use it all over the space.  

 

Cladding

Similar to other wall treatment options, wall cladding can incorporate different materials like wood, stone, aluminium, vinyl, resin and so on. Here, I will address some of the most used cladding materials in salons and spas.

Wooden cladding is the most popular material. As it brings nature inside and creates a sense of spirituality and zen, specially when it’s combined with other natural materials like water and earth. Using natural wood materials can be expensive and high maintenance.

As an alternative, fibre cement cladding is a more affordable option than wooden cladding; it’s durable and is exceptionally low maintenance. Most fibre cement products have high sustainability credentials. Fibre cement is available in a diverse range of patterns, shapes and finishes.

The stone cladding system varies from a cosy brick concept to a more luxurious Calacatta marble. Stone gives the salon space a natural feel due to its different textures and organic patterns. However, this type of cladding system can be expensive and, in some areas, might require high maintenance.

I would recommend using a combination of different wall treatments – paint the walls in areas where you want to create an incredibly soft and relaxing mood, use a vegetable/organic live wall in the entrance to welcome customers with vital energy. Then opt for wallpaper and a cladding system to create a strong statement wall.

There are no specific rules on how to decorate or design your salon and spa space, just follow your intuition and consult a professional designer or a certified decorator to make sure nothing goes off balance.

If you have any questions or are seeking advice related to the interior of your salon or spa,  feel free to contact me on design@hazdean.com as I’m offering FREE design consultations to Scratch magazine readers.