Salon HER by Folk Studio
Inspired by luxury hotels and the beauty of their lobby areas, Folk Studio’s latest design, Salon HER, draws on the feelings of home and nostalgia.
Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Terence Chin
Michael Kelly, Salon HER founder with Folk Studio’s Mariah Burton. Photo: Terence Chin
‘Many salon spaces feel very bright and feminine, which is lovely, however, we wanted this space to feel heavily textured and cosy,’ says Mariah Burton. Photo: Terence Chin
Forest accents against walnut joinery at Salon HER. Photo: Terence Chin
‘We want each person who walks into Salon Her to feel like they are walking into Michael’s home,’ says Mariah Burton. Photo: Terence Chin
Walking into the newly opened Salon HER, in Darlinghurst, Sydney, feels a lot like walking into a friend’s home – in this case, the friend is Salon HER founder and celebrity hair colourist, Micheal Kelly.
Designed by Folk Studio, the design process was all consuming, taking around 9 months for the designers to fully immerse themselves in the life of a hairdresser and how they want to work in the space with their clients.
‘For us, having to think like a hairdresser was really interesting. I fully immersed myself in the culture, how they work and how I could create an elevated salon space for the workers and a unique experience for the clients. You have to compartmentalise both; client and worker, which are two very different experiences,’ says Mariah Burton from Folk Studio.
The end result is a layered and luxurious space that you won’t mind spending hours in – we’re looking at you, balayage!
Folk Studio used a palette of brown, green and clays as their base tones in the design, focusing on offsetting the brown and clays with forest accents to soften the space.
‘Many interior spaces (especially larger commercial spaces) stick to the use of 2-3 materials/finishes for a quicker turnaround, however, we wanted this space to feel highly considered, so we included 6 different tile variations, 3 paint colours, 3 floor finishes and 2 joinery finishes - we’re incredibly proud of how these textures and materials cohesively worked together in the space,’ says Mariah.
Various textures such as terrazzo, marble, tiled bench tops, walnut joinery and aged brass can be found in the space.
A standout feature is the checkered handmade floor tiles, which took a staggering twenty weeks to arrive from Italy. ‘We chose a really beautifully soft red marble slab that has incredible veining, it’s really highlighted the coffee station area against the clay-coloured wall paint and aged brass tapware.’
While many salon spaces can feel bright and feminine, Salon HER is a welcome contrast – moody, heavily textured and incredibly cozy.
‘We want people to come in and feel like a guest in Michael’s home, and anyone that knows him, knows that he’s an exceptionally warm person who loves to host.’
‘We used various textures such as terrazzo, marble, tiled bench tops, walnut joinery and aged brass throughout.’ Photo: Terence Chin
Design details at Salon HER. Photo: Terence Chin
Various textures such as terrazzo, marble, tiled bench tops, walnut joinery and aged brass have been applied in the space. Photo: Terence Chin
‘We were inspired by particular luxury hotels and the beauty of their Lobby areas, as well as their ability to emphasise the feeling of home and a sense of nostalgia in their interior spaces. Photo: Terence Chin