With the new name comes a striking new brand identity, celebrating the Collinge & Coteams who maintain and enhance the company’s reputation for first-class hairdressing, customer care and training. Managing Director, Charlie Collinge, shows us around there vamped flagship store.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE STYLE OF YOUR SALON INTERIOR?
Our starting point was deciding how we wanted people to feel on arriving and spending time in the salon; we wanted the space to feel welcoming, warm and friendly. The salon has a great aspect and is very visible from the street, so our aim was to enhance the aesthetic view into the salon and to put hairdressing as an activity on display.
WHERE DID YOU FIND THE INSPIRATION FOR YOUR DESIGN?
From so many places –the challenge is narrowing inspiration down! We knew early on that we wanted to incorporate strong graphic and architectural elements, so we searched for interiors and furniture that fitted that brief.
DID YOU USE AN INTERIOR DESIGNER?
Because of the size of the job, we used an interior designer and quantity surveyor. Along with them, we project-managed the build. We were fortunate to work with a great contractor that has been as passionate as us and the designer in achieving a high finish and attending to the details.
DESCRIBE THE VIBE CREATED BY YOUR INTERIOR.
Warm, calming and comfortable. We’ve increased the distance between workstations so both client and hairdresser have more privacy, allowing them to feel more at ease.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE ARE YOUR CLIENTS’ FIRST IMPRESSIONS WHEN THEY WALK IN?
That they feel their visit is going to be an exciting and special experience. We hope the transformation wows them. Judging from their initial feedback, our clients love the salon’s new look, as does the team. Both opinions are equally important to us.
TELL US WHAT ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS OF YOUR SALON DESIGN?
Visually, we have added warmth and texture through timber, concrete terrazzo and soft paint finishes. The lighting has great clarity to assist with colouring, whilst also flattering clients. As part of our inclusive offering, we have expanded the size of our private salon, perfect for clients that require privacy or ideal for group bookings. Another key objective was to blend the physical and digital realms by providing lots of opportunities for photographing or filming content. We have installed a large video wall at the front of the salon which doubles up as a mini photo studio where we show our stylists’ work and promote the Collinge & Co brand, as well as and other brands we work with such as Wella Professionals.
DO YOU HAVE ANY CURATED PIECES OR SPECIAL FEATURES/AREAS IN THE SALON?
All the workstations, mirrors and retail units are bespoke. We also had a custom feature light made for the waiting area.
HOW HAVE YOU EMBRACED SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN THE DESIGN?
Our main approach to sustainability within our salon designs is to make them long-lasting; we wanted the design to be timeless and use durable materials. As this was a refurbishment, we didn’t want to unnecessarily demolish elements; for example, the floor has been refurbished rather than replaced. The last salon fit-out lasted 19 years –if the new design lasts as long as that it will be a good sustainability success story!
WHAT SALON SOFTWARE DO YOU USE AND WHAT FEATURE OF IT DO YOU FIND MOST USEFUL?
We use Zenoti and we like that it provides lots of choice to our clients for how they get in touch and book appointments –online booking, mobile app, chat bot, SMS, WhatsApp andFacebook Messenger.
DID YOUR OWN PRODUCT BRAND/COLOUR HOUSE INFLUENCE YOUR STYLE OF INTERIOR DESIGN?
Absolutely. Our product range has undergone a rebrand at the same time, and the design of the salon and the Collinge & Cobrand influenced each other. The salon has accents of blush pink and mint, along with black architectural elements to complement the strong typographic structure of our brand.
WHAT SALON FURNITURE HAVE YOU CHOSEN AND WHY?
We have Catar styling chairs from Pahi and Yuto backwashes from Takumi (Pahi’s sister brand). We selected them because they are well made but also have a clean graphic presence. The trolleys from Comfortel are solid and move smoothly.
DO YOU HAVE A DRESS CODE/UNIFORM FOR YOUR TEAM?
We all wear black so that we stand out as a team.
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