Photography: Stathis Mamalakis
The hair bar is situated in an existing shopping mall and ‘architects unfolding’ were introduced to design the interior of the shop. The hair bar was quite an architectural challenge, since its programmatic demands were high and should be limited in a 32.00 square metres space. On a secondary level, the brief requested a hairdresser’s shop that would not remind us of its original use. A hairdresser’s shop that would resemble a ‘day spa’.
Specifically, the shop’s programme was:
- Reception area
- Internet access area
- Sitting area
- Massage chairs’ area
- Hair styling area
- Water closet
All the above functions managed to fit into this small area, through the combination of a linear arrangement of the space with an open plan design.
When one enters the shop, one finds the reception desk on the left, aligned with the internet access area and the sitting area. On the right side, a wide mirrored wall [with side indirect light] comprises the main ‘hair styling’ area. At the back of this longitudinal space, one can find the comfortable massage chairs, semi-hidden behind a transparent hanging fabric. Thus, the area feels protected from the eyes of the passer-by.
The materials used were natural, in order to achieve a feeling of tranquility and purity: wallpaper made of natural bamboo, wooden furniture in minimal lines, wooden – like floor. The colour palette consists of earthly shades and the only vivid colours were the ones on the sitting-area cushions.
