Taking Your Premises From Drab To Fab!

“My belief is you have one chance to make a first impression.” – Kevin McCarthy

So we’ve all heard the quotes about making a first impression countless times, but are you doing all you can to ensure you’re giving off all the right signals when someone visits you and your premises for the first time?

Continuing my recent series on launching a new business (however this applies just as much to an established business, too), this week I look at your premises.

Turning your location into a beauty haven can either be terrifying or incredibly exciting – depending on your own interior design ability.  But fear not – just follow my simple steps to help you plan and create the perfect premises.

1. Imagine

I know it seems obvious, but visualising techniques will help you start to create the right feel for your salon.  Head to your premises, alone, close your eyes and just imagine.

If a client walks in, where will you greet them?  Where is the best place for retail?  Where will your nail desks be?  Stand in the position of client and tech and see if it flows.  Will your clients feel private enough?  Is it too crammed or too empty?  Will it look welcoming?

2. Colour Scheme

It’s always best to work from the outside inwards and create a theme that you stick to.  Soft, warm and welcoming colours work best. Make sure your furniture, towels and anything else on display all work in line with your general tones to give a relaxed and consistent feel.

Avoid very fashionable or on-trend designs as these will need to be changed quickly and may require a total overhaul of your design.  It needs to appeal to mass people rather than just your tastes – keep it classic, simple and tasteful.

3. Furniture

Write a list of everything you need. Do this by working through every treatment and writing a list of all equipment or furniture you’ll need to completely deliver each service.

I was on a budget when I set up my business and it’s likely you are too. It’s easy to choose the absolute cheapest things you can find, but these will break easily and may mean you need to replace them quickly. Instead of choosing budget equipment, source quality equipment that has been pre-loved or is from a salon closure – you can pick up some amazing bargains if you do your research!

4. Get Creative

Add a bit of personality into your décor. Feel free to make it a little quirky and different so you’ll stand out from the crowd. However, channel your unique ideas into ‘extras’ rather than your core décor (i.e. pictures on the wall rather than wallpaper) so you can easily change things and mix it up if you want.

5. Theme

A great theme can run through your business to create a unique environment – I visited a safari themed salon once – it had safari themed treatments, leopard print on the walls and African ornaments everywhere.

While it was powerful and fun to look around, it’s not my taste, so it’s probably not somewhere I’d want to use as my regular salon.

A gentle theme can be lovely and provide something different for your clients to enjoy during their visit. Utilizing a Balinese theme, for example, can help you choose some gorgeous pieces to decorate with that provide the right environment and a little something interesting for your clients to look at whilst being pampered.

6. Alternative Suppliers

Think outside the box when you’re decorating! You don’t have to spend hundreds of pounds on units and display shelves; mix and match to create a gorgeous, high-end environment on a budget.  The images in this blog are from a couple of my rooms in my salon.   Both completed on a tight budget at the time with a little outside of the box thinking!

7.  DIY

I like to describe myself as a princess that doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty and when I opened my salon, this was more than obvious.  I went to the shops, chose the paint, put on a pair of leggings and did it myself.  I also assembled the flat packs I bought and moved it all around until I was happy!  Do what you can – it’s very rewarding to do some of it yourself.

With a little bit of love, you can turn a simple premises into a flourishing business by sprinkling a little sparkle onto some simple designs. Ask friends and family for ideas, get feedback from people you know and check out other salons and see what you do and don’t like about their décor.

Next week I will be discussing sourcing the right products – don’t miss it!

This was originally featured for Scratch magazine on 15th January 2015.   You can see the original article here.