While this salon is owner Lara Leckie’s third salon and newest addition, she wanted to make sure it would have its own unique vibe and feel.
“It’s definitely a challenge having three locations and creating a brand,” she says. “People asked us why we changed our design. Each space looks very different in its details and textures but there’s also something cohesive about it, so you know you’re in a Studio So Lara when you get there. I just wanted to create a space for people to work who love to do hair and to make people feel beautiful. I never thought it would grow to this!”
Lay of the Land
Leckie worked with interior designer Giovanna Greco from Proggetti Inc., a Toronto-based interior design studio, to bring the space to life. Although Leckie had experience in helping to design her two other locations, she says the design process for this one was different, especially since this one is her largest location with a more rectangular design that ended up working out well in her favour. “All the sinks were down the middle of the salon and stations were on either side,” she says. “The design worked so well for COVID—the fact that the sinks are down the centre and how they’re angled—we didn’t have to change anything!” Leckie says the vibe of this salon is very reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour and compared it to the type of old Hollywood-style boutique hotels that feel very welcoming and inviting. “The ceilings are painted pink, but the rest of the salon is white. The mirrors are arches and the curves and archways with those soft lines are really beautiful,” she says. “Lighting is also very important in a salon. You have to figure out how to best light the space. We got these new spinoffs of globe lights on either side of the mirrors. We’re coming back to that cosmetic lighting from back in the day.”
Playing with Textures
Although Leckie is very into design, she admits she’s not big into art. “I’m much more into texture than artwork,” she says. “Each of my studios has an element of texture. Something different about this salon as well is our colour lab, and retail area that’s really stylized. We are a huge colour salon that houses a lot of colour. Giovanna designed the colour lab so well with the curves and big arch, which is a theme throughout the salon.”
Details
Opened February 2020
Design
Proggetti Inc.
Space
1,500 square feet
Team
8 hairstylists
Brands
Oribe
Goldwell (colour)
Kevin.Murphy
@studiosolara
Website
studiosolara.ca
Photos: Kiely Ramos Photography
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