4 Ways to Upgrade Your Salon at any Stage in Your Career
How to Upgrade Your Salon Decor During 4 Different Phases of Growth
Every stylist’s career path looks different, but one thing remains the same: Outgrowing salon spaces is inevitable. The growth can be physical and demand a larger space, or personal and results in deciding to move. If you’re finding yourself in a position to move spaces, we’ve rounded up a list of ways to help design your new space—no matter where you’re at in your career.
Ahead, we interviewed four stylists all at different stages in their careers to share their design tips for moving into new salon spaces.
1. Growth Stage: Opening a brand new salon.
Stylist: Kelley Brandon (@kelleyscanvas)
Salon aesthetic: Soothing and earthy.
Kelley’s design goals when opening her new salon: After working in a salon suite for six years, Kelley decided to open Canvas Salon in Atlanta, Georgia in 2023. “My goal was to create a warm, calming environment for my clients,” she shares. “Our music is eclectic, soulful and jazzy. When you walk through our doors you are greeted with warm-scented candles, lush greenery and local artwork.“
Her design tips when opening a new salon: Start with one major furniture piece and build from there.
“I [first] fell in love with the Minerva Larsen Styling Stations in “Walnut” and designed from there,” she shares. “They 100 percent added a more luxury feel to the salon.”
Take a look inside Kelley’s Canvas Salon:
Redesigning your salon? Click here to upgrade your salon equipment.
2. Growth Stage: Moving into a larger salon.
Stylist: Brynn Boyd (@havenhaircompany)
Salon aesthetic: Bright, elevated, Palm Springs vibes.
Brynn’s design goals when opening her new salon: When Brynn opened Haven Hair Company in Nashville, Tennessee her goal was to accommodate more stylists and provide a luxury environment for stylists to grow their careers. “I had a lot of girls struggling to find salons that could support their higher-paying services and wanted to create a space for their luxury services that also felt comfortable and welcoming for clients,” Brynn shares.
Her design tips when moving into a larger salon: Select your design pieces with your employees’ wants (and needs!) in mind.
“The number one thing that has drawn stylists to our salon is the aesthetic,” says Brynn. “Hand-selecting each of our pieces with our stylists’ needs in mind has more than paid off! They love that our salon is stylish, modern and luxurious but also functional and well-stocked with everything needed for a full day of clients.”
The staple design piece that brought her aesthetic together? The Minerva Astrid Styling Chair in “Sage Green.” “It was the perfect pop of color and uniqueness that the space was lacking,” shares Brynn.
Take a look inside Brynn’s Haven Hair Company:
3. Growth Stage: Opening a multi-use salon space.
Stylist: Abbey Brookee (@abbeybrookee)
Chosen salon aesthetic: White, bright, free-flowing.
Abbey’s design goals when opening her new salon: When Abbey opened Deosa Studio in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, her goal was to open a multi-chair salon large enough to host education classes. She also wanted to provide a place that feels like home where stylists can thrive and get inspired.
Her design tips when opening a multi-use salon: Design a space that makes a good background for content.
As a content creator, Abbey’s salon doubles as a content space so she needed a lot of natural light, a bright white color palette and a free-flowing, airy design. “Our space is very free-flowing [since you see] the Alberta blue skies up above, [so] I wanted to make sure what we saw on the lower half of the salon was soft and curvy similar to a cloud,” she shares.
That’s why she chose the rounded Minerva Cinque Styling Chairs for her salon floor. The chairs’ soft, round edges added to the flow of the overall airy design.
Take a look inside Abbey’s Deosa Studio:
4.Growth Stage: Moving from the salon floor to a suite.
Stylist: Olivia Thompson (@omgartistry)
Chosen salon aesthetic: Earthy tones and textures.
Olivia’s design goals when moving into her own suite: When Olivia invested in her own salon suite, OMG Studios in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she intended to create a luxurious yet minimalistic space dedicated to creating and producing videos that also paid homage to her clients’ loyalty. “When designing my salon, I aimed for a minimalistic look with no exposed products,” shares Olivia. “I envisioned a space where every camera angle would be Insta-worthy and free of clutter.”
“Transforming my space into a mini three-chair salon not only enhanced my clients’ experience, but also validated their loyalty,” she continues. “The journey to creating this professional environment was all for them and seeing their satisfaction has been incredibly rewarding. This upgrade allowed me to charge higher prices, reflecting the premium service I now offer.”
Her design tips when opening a salon suite: Choose quality salon equipment if you want to offer a high-quality experience.
As a stylist and creator who aims to create a clean, minimalist environment, Olivia opted for the Minerva Brookhaven II Styling Station because it is sleek, has ample storage space and a streamlined design for an efficient workflow.
Take a look inside Olivia’s OMG Studios:
