Space is the operative word in more ways than one in the design of NICE Hair Salon in Jieyang by local design firm Double Good Design.
At 1,200 square metres (12,916 sq. ft) in total, the two-level salon is large and spacious, and while it was not designed to accommodate Covid-19-specific social distancing rules, it could handle those as well.
The design concept draws inspiration from space exploration and interstellar wars with reflecting surfaces of glass, mirror and silver-gray anodized aluminium and marble, and with lighting fixtures resembling light-sabers. Metal display racks, white surfaces and curving forms add to the spacecraft feel and create a slight sense of vertigo.
At the same time, all of the design features increase the sense of limitless space as mirrors, glass and metal surfaces reflect light and distort dimensions.
The location of the salon is also special as it sits right in Jieyang City‘s downtown business district by the Municipal Plaza. NICE Salon occupies a rare, separate low-rise building among the area’s highrises, and the exterior design of the salon respects the history of the structure with brown aluminium panels and subtle paint.
Double Good Design says that the salon is banking on the predicted increase in the frequency of salon visits by both female and male customers, especially the younger market segments.
The designers have paid special attention to the various procedures that take place in a full-service salon, from hair dyeing and scalp massages, to quick hair trims, regular cuts and perms. As each procedure’s requirements are different, the design accommodates quiet and intimate spaces for longer processes, specific air-flow schemes for processes that emit strong odors, and calming, spa-like areas for massages and waiting in between procedures.
Double Good Design is a Jieyang-based boutique design studio established in 2016 by Lin Yan. The name of the studio is derived from the idea that Good Design + Good Implementation = Good Results. The key designers for the NICE Salon were Lin Yan and Dan Yi. Tuija Seipell
Photos by Yi Wen
