We followed Cutting Room Creative Owners Edwin and Fiona Johnston as they bought a new salon space to expand their business. Here’s Part 2 of how they survived a huge renovation around the holidays. Look for the big reveal of their new look in the April issue of Salon Magazine!
Read Part 1 of Salon Reno Diaries: Making a Change
The key to success for any salon renovation is making a comprehensive plan before the first wall gets knocked down. For Edwin and Fiona that mean carefully considering they issues in the current space by asking staff for feedback. “Our biggest initial goal was to get the most chairs comfortably into the space with lots of room for movement and flow.”
Next the Johnston’s took their wish list to a designer. “Space management is everything and you need a professional to help you with that.” They found the design extremely helpful in creating the flow they needed, even if it didn’t match their original vision.
The Johnstons asked the Interior Design Group to create their new floor plan and design. The only direction they gave the designer was to keep it minimalistic, clean and simple. The design team managed to create a space with 10 chairs on the main floor, giving each chair a 5ft perimeter and walkway an area that is 3 ft wide. Each station also has built in mirror lights for lighting to balance any harsh top lighting.
Once the plans were drawn up, the contractor submitted them to the city, a very important step for helping your salon renovation move smoothly. Good designers will understand local bylaws, but the rules are often open to interpretation. Since the Johnston wanted the salon to be on two floors, most amenities needed to be available on both floors to ensure the salon was accessible for both clients and stylists.
With the plans in place, it was time for the physical renovation to begin.
Read Part 3 of Salon Reno Diaries!
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