Luca Fonte, vice president of strategy and business development for Belvedere Maletti.  
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Luca Fonte, vice president of strategy and business development for Belvedere Maletti. 

If you different zones in your salon for nails, spa or a barbering area, you likely need to create different atmospheres to coorelate with the mood of the service. As part of our Designing Minds series, Luca Fonte, vice president of strategy and business development for Belvedere Maletti, recently tackled the reader question:

How can I design my salon and spa areas so they have different atmospheres?

Luca Fonte: The way to create different atmospheres within a single space is to create these preferred feelings through our senses. In stimulating our senses, we will be able to construct the desired binary environment.

One illustration of this is our sight, an excellent choice for sight would be the use of color and light. Color along with light allows us to express many different feelings and emotions. If you want the space to seem lively, the warm color palette is the way to go. The use of bold color, such as dark reds, yellows and oranges add excitement to any décor. You can use them as accents arounds a room to create movement within a specific flow pattern. They also can be used as bold statements upon entering a space, giving the guest a sensation of anticipation.

Accent lighting and a bold red color on the desk return give the reception area of Currie Hair Skin and Nails energy and excitement.  
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Accent lighting and a bold red color on the desk return give the reception area of Currie Hair Skin and Nails energy and excitement. 

In contrast, the use of dim accent lighting in conjunction with subtle colors can be used to achieve a relaxed and calm environment. If the desired goal is to create a more subdued atmosphere, then the cool color palette should be your obvious choice. Some of these colors include tints of blues and greens. The color blue is known for its tranquility, creating a positive reaction to both mind and body. Similarly, green has the power of portraying a relaxing feeling with its earthy hue. These color choices paired with dim accent lighting will be sure to set a relaxing mood.

Dim lighting in the shampoo area encourages relaxation.  
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Dim lighting in the shampoo area encourages relaxation. 

An additional illustration of how to use our senses to create the desired environment includes the sense of hearing, along with smell. Upon entering a room, the sounds and smells we experience can either excite or send a relaxed calming impressions. For excitement, the salon can have an upbeat music playing through the speaker system and the smell of bold fragrance in the air. While in the spa, play tranquil sounds of running water with the smell of lavender lofting will relax guests as they enter.

Ironically, the last sense I want to touch upon is touch. When a client touches the texture of the styling chair, they begin to have aspirations on the quality of service they will be receiving. In paring the luxury feel of the styling chair’s material with a uniquely designed station and desk, you have accomplished the overall feel of expectation with excitement. In the spa area, the relaxing comfortable feel of the massage table or pedicure chair will succeed in achieving the desired effect.

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Originally posted on Salon Today