Thank you webado webada, I love the idea of putting hooks under the folding tables that we use for client beverages!!

True, felizylady! Every time I talk about re-decorating, peoples first question is what are you doing with the floors? (Insert eye roll)

Love your ideas, Clare! Thank you!!

Well, it's the first time I'm seeing your salon and I wouldn't describe it as "dated". You've been in it for ten years though and are itching for a visual change. I can relate to that. That jives with my cycle as well (much to my better half's chagrin!). Your biggest impact for the budget, imo, would be paint and colour. Really depends on your budget though. Good quality paint and reliable labour isn't cheap, as you probably know.

You might want to consider an onsite colour consultation with a Benjamin Moore consultant, for example. My local ones don't charge an excessive amount (less than $100 an hour) and can suggest in less than an hour a couple of viable colour palettes for a space. Two friends went this route and they say it saved them a lot of time and energy. Another idea is to simply move things around if you can. That can easily change the vibe of a place. For the floor, you could look into easy maintenance options to add colour in spots where it makes sense. There are vinyl floor mats now with really fun patterns, for example. Might that work for you?

Etsy - vinyl floor mats

Vintage vinyl floor cloths

Heck, just changing the grout colour can give you the feel of a new floor. For the wall colours, I'd consider warming up the grey walls and painting the whole ceiling white. Not sure there's much benefit to painting soffits a colour. Try a different wall colour behind the sinks? Change the curtains to a lighter colour? Ask your team for ideas and list everything you all come up with and see what's feasible. Again, it comes to what's working and what's not. A clean, functional salon with happy, productive employees will always be a winner in my books, regardless of the age of its decor. Good luck!

I"ve never answered or seen a question on a business remodel so it is a nice change. unless the floor is cracked or damaged I would leave it alone. that is a major expense to change. your dollar will go a lot further with paint. I think you need to move the chairs out of a line. can't imagine you get large groups coming in at the same time often. remove the center chair and replace it with a small table with magazine storage included between them instead. 5 people who don't know each other would be more comfortable not sitting arm to arm. I notice the color of your products are mostly bold colors. I would take that as a jumping in (or off) point.... jewel tones in the purple, turquoise hews. it looks like you have at least 3 or 4 different areas. treat them all a little different. a main silver/gray color that still goes with the waiting room chairs as a main color for walls. then choose a bold color for each area as a accent wall. instead of using it on an open wall, use it on the wall that is covered by your shelving, mirrors and hairdryers. it won't be so in your face if it is a background color. get rid of the bold red drapes though I think its kind of the elephant in the room. not at all the right color. Your crystal chandelier and silver in the mirrors all shout glam. play it up. have fun with it

Would it be sacreligious to paint over the stone? or put a different surface over it? Maybe paint the walls, change the clock. Are the chairs wearing out?

Mang, you guys are good! So many great ideas :o
I love the vinyl floor mats! Definitely getting some of those. I love my red drapes but I will change them for something lighter and see how it looks. I have thought of painting over the brick but so scary! I’m going to buy a sample of it and give it a try! I do need all the chairs, we have 10 girls working and are busy and we do use them all but I’ll see what I can do about that. I am thinking of getting rid of the retail altogether, I’m horrible at selling products and they just sit there anyway.
I found some photos of a different salon on google that has the same layout and would to pick your brains about it! (If you ever have a hair question, I am your girl lOl!)
Thank you so much!

Not our salon- almost exactly the same layout we have

Their laminate floors make a huge difference

Was it a good idea to put drapes here?

My personal style of preference is Rustic-Glam, I just have a really hard time putting that together...

One thing I noticed in the layout above, they repeat the same green in different places. If you’d like a similar look, I’d pick a colour you really like, and repeat it in different places. Instead of red drapes maybe a toned down burgundy (like a rose brown) or blue like one of your walls.

Our desk.

I have tough skin lol, you won’t hurt my feelings! I’m just clueless when it comes to decorating, ugh!

While their laminate floors look nice, yours are a similar light color and are fine. What I do like, though, is their light colored drapes and lovely light blue/teal color on the walls. I agree with above posters who suggested new paint color and lighter drapes.

https://www.flou.it/it/products/sofa/olivier_114

http://homeklondike.site/2017/03/29/7-major-interior-design-trends-2017/

Thank you, Laura. I am having a hard time finding a color that won’t clash with everything that I have going on.

Thank you J Williams, great site for ideas!!

Ok, that desk is charming but your staff might appreciate something more ergonomic. You can probably find something affordable if you go the second hand route. You need something deeper so that the keyboard sits fully on the desk surface.

some more pretty colour combos:

https://www.carnet-deco.fr/style/dix-inspirations-peinture-interieur-cosy/

Your floor is neutral and will go with practically any colours as long as you respect the undertone. For colour palette inspiration, have you thought of looking at those salons you admire the most? The world-renowned ones? :) You don't have their budget for furnishings but it doesn't cost anything to "copy" colours.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/545639311102653557/

I like the other salons white drapery. You have no other red in the room and you need at least 3 times more hooks for hanging what you have. This would be my color suggestions to give you a better idea of my last post

I helped install a salon about that long ago myself, and it is ready for a upgrade too, IMO. Looks like you have 8 stations. Do you have a shampoo staff person, or does each girl wash her own client? I suggest you get someone in to train all of you how to sell product while serving the clients. It can add a lot to your bottom line and pay off in the long run. I'm not sure you'd have as much appeal without product to offer. Don't your clients ask what they should use or do to achieve certain results at home? Samples may be key as well. Perhaps you could try those two shelves at the stone wall at two of the stations. Find out who your best sales girls are and give them a challenge and bonus for moving product. As for the decor, the red drapes and the wilted grass on top of the cabinets were the first things that caught my eye. They have to go. You have enough height on top of the cabinets to put three stand-up posters of hair styles. Do you have any male clients; don't leave them out. How about children? The antique desk is another turn-off, IMO. Replace it with a more contemporary one. What is the brown contraption next to it? The round table in your inspiration salon with a floral arrangement and magazines scattered around it is what I did in the salon I worked with. Larger mats for your girls to stand on might be a better idea than the expense of new floors. I don't care for the floor mirror stations; I don't think clients want to see themselves seated, draped and wet - not flattering, IMO. Doubt you could get your money out of selling them and replacing though. It doesn't look like there is much light at the dryers, so it would be hard to read there. Can you do a rough floor plan for us? I can't determine where your waiting area is in relation to the stations.

I have a lot of homework! Thank you all for the great advice!

Decoenthusiast, I have tried it all to try and sell retail but now that people are able to get professional products at the supermarket is near impossible. The margins on selling retail are not great so the staff really doesn’t care for it. Our stylists are very talented and we have a great following so on the business side, we are good :)
I agree with everything you said and will slowly continue to make improvements!

These are older photos that I found on my phone, the wilted grass and the brown retail shelf next to the desk are long gone!

Following

There have been a lot of great suggestions so far! My 2 cents...it seems you have a bit of “rustic glam” going on so far, with your rustic ledgerstone wall and crystal chandelier. Maybe embrace that concept more? I think I would go white cream (curtains/walls) with green accents to bring a feel of nature/spa to the salon. If you are not going to be focusing on product sales, keep the shelving for product, but get rid of the center display and make the waiting area more enticing - consider an area rug to bring in some texture, along with a more rustic coffee table. Consider a nature-inspired wall mural (maybe where the current purple wall is?) to add green and spa-like feeling.

I would get rid of the drapes. I don’t think they work with your style. I think the round tables are unnecessary as well. I agree with new seating and a table for magazines. Have you thought about a mini fridge with water for your guests. I think the tile looks fine but if you can afford new flooring that may be better for your stylist who stand all day that would be great. I think a more modern desk for reception would go a long way. It looks like a clean, glamorous space. Overall very nice. It just needs a little tweaking.

If you get a different desk as suggested, perhaps you could use the old one for product display. It would cut down on the whole wall that you now have dedicated to products that don't sell, but still allow you to display a few items for the client that wants to buy something.

You need some drapes or blinds in the street facing windows, for privacy and to cut down the sun glare. Not inside the salon though, as it's all a dust catcher. You just need to find a light color which is neutral and won't scream with everything else.

Don’t paint the stone!

Thank you!
I agree, the round tables need to go! We used to have a more contemporary desk but didn’t like it and replaced with this one. I will start looking again...
The drapes are just for decor, we have very dark tint on the store front windows and don’t get sun glare but I agree, we need a different color for the drapes.
These drapes were suggested by a client who is a very well known interior decorator in our area, I would ask her for advice but I can’t afford her lol. She volunteered that suggestion while I was doing her hair...

I think your tile floors look higher end than the laminate you see everywhere. I wouldn’t paint the stone either. One thing I like in a salon is a coffee / tea station. Is there one? Nice in the client seating area.

This is our coffee area, we have a small fridge in the back with cold beverages

We used to have wine there for self-serve but had to remove it and put it out of reach to serve ourselves because some clients were having too much.

Haha. Oh, that's funny. I'd probably be one of them. :P Honestly, I'm not getting a pampered vibe from a self-serve coffee station in a salon. I've never seen that here and I wouldn't appreciate it in a salon I frequented. Nope, I want to feel like a queen being served when shelling out a certain amount for my hair.

For the decorator, would she be amenable to bartering her services? Would you? I mean, a one-time shot could glean benefits for both of you.

Inspiration you could mimic; stone walls, glam chandy, dining chairs, floor, curtains.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be self serve ( although that would fine with me ). My salon serves cappuccino, lattes & wine. But I’m not above serving myself :). The stylists & receptionist are far too busy to play waitress. Every salon, car dealership service area, doctor & dental office I frequent has some kind of refreshments available. My dermatologist office has a cappuccino cart with a barista ! It’s a large office ( 7 Drs. )

We always offer to make coffee/tea wine etc... Especially if it’s a new client (of course) Most of our clients have been with us for many years and feel at home when they come in. Many don’t want to be served, they walk around like they own the place, get whatever they want :) Our vibe is more like a bunch of friends getting together and it’s fun, easy, laid-back. With that said, we take very good care of our clients ;)

Your salon sounds like one I’d love to visit. I think a little paint would work wonders. I don’t mind looking at products while I wait but if they don’t work for you cut down on them. Have you changed the pictures on the walls lately? Maybe rotate some appropriate posters that can be easily changed in the frame.

My hairdresser also sells various products. But usually she and the other staff pitch the products while getting my hair done. A special shampoo for tinted hair, or a special conditioner, etc. At least I usually end up buying some of the products, because they are not available in the drugstores where I buy my stuff and my hair needs all the help it can get LOL Plus I like my hairdresser. She's a friend.

In Canada, in Quebec, it's not possible to openly serve any kind of alcoholic beverages in a place like a hair salon. They'd need a license to serve (if not to sell) and it's not worth the hassle. In other provinces it's even more restrictive. Not to mention alcohol here costs an arm and a leg anyway. Coffee and tea, maybe some soft drinks and cookies, that's all they can provide without breaking the law. We did get some bubbly in the backroom a few years ago when they were celebrating something, but it was after closing and out of view.

Thanks, Jan! Yes, I am definitely changing the paint color =)

You get it, Webado. I consider my clients my friends. We’ve experienced so much together, it’s impossible not to get emotionally attached.
As for the retail, I find that sometimes stylists are stressed about being pushed to sell products. Yes, if we feel like a client would benefit from a specific product, we recommend it and we move on...
I used to work at salons that would make you literally put the product on the clients hand and if she gave it back you would bring it to the front desk when you’re doing her check out and ask her again if she wanted to purchase it.
I hated it so much I would never make my girls do that. I want them to focus on what they love which is doing amazing hair =)

Hi Lily,

I want to introduce to you our all aluminum wine racking system that is manufactured to fit your exact space. Our classic wall mounted series or counter top mini series would be a great fit for your salon. Our product is available in 13 anodized colours so you can customize to your needs! Feel free to reach out at liquidsystems@daintreeindustries.com or visit our website to learn more about our product.

@ Liquid Systems , you do realize that his discussion is about a hair salon, not a billiards bar or any kind of bar?

Hi Webado Webada, thank you for your feedback. Yes, I noticed she mentioned serving her customers wine hence our introduction. Some of our clients see our product as a decorating piece as well as storage.

This is the countertop that we have, does anyone know the name of a paint color that is similar to the color on these walls?
Thank you in advance!

Hi, Lily, it looks like you have a variety of styles and moods that don’t go together. I’d guess it’s because you’ve added and change things over the years. Modern, French industrial, traditional, rustic, glam, girly, and what I’ll call the Target dark wood look. I’m all for eclectic but it can be hard to pull off, especially in a business environment that demands certain fixtures and furniture. I’d suggest picking one style that works with your basic stuff (seats, sinks, etc) and ruthlessly editing out anything that doesn’t go with it, down to the last decorative accessory.